Staff Blog Week 1 - Jasmine Garcia

Staff Blog Week 1

By Jasmine Garcia – Outreach Programs Manager/Advocacy

During the first week of the City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program, it was a wonderful week of boot camp! Boot camp usually includes cultivating the culture of the program, getting to know one another, exploring intersectionality and theme selection! Boot camp is also as it sounds – quick moving, compounding a lot of information in a small amount of time and building a foundation for the rest of the program.

This summer’s teen leaders were extremely eager to reconnect with last summer's peers, while welcoming new ones. Teen leaders began this program with open minds and open hearts as many shared their vulnerable ideas and experiences, all of which came together when it came to theme selection. Some of the contenders for this year’s theme were climate change, racism and adultism. However, the one theme that was heavy on their hearts this year and the winner of City Spotlights 2025 theme is immigration. This being a prevalent topic in the teens’ lives at this time, we are so proud and excited to hear their voices and creativity on a topic that is on many of our minds.