It promotes immigrant rights, citizenship and grass-roots community involvement in public issues. Several dozen young Latinos who participate in youth groups attended yesterday, and some spoke at the sessions. There is a huge gap. Young people adapt more easily to American culture, while their parents are still strongly tied to their old roots. They see our dress, our music, and they panic.
Differences occur, and the kid ends up on the street, running away or getting pregnant.
Her agency provides counseling, recreation and job training for Latino teenagers. In the 1980s, many families from Central America arrived in this area, facing the stresses of new jobs, immigration problems and long separations from relatives who remained behind. Now, they are entering a new phase, with fewer unknowns. Often there are strains between reunited parents and children. But if families can remain strong and united, they have the best chance of reaching the American dream.