Latino high school students from more than a dozen communities across Pennsylvania will gather next month to discuss issues important to them at the seventh annual Latino Youth Leadership Convention.

The convention will be held March 13-15 at the Quality Inn in Lebanon. A total of 100 high school students have been invited to participate. A variety of workshops will be held during the three-day event, which is being sponsored by the State System of Higher Education.

“We want the students to recognize that they are leaders, and that they can help make change possible in their communities,” said Sol B. Vázquez Otero, equity programs coordinator for the State System.

The convention is the only forum of its kind in the state, where Latino high school students are given the opportunity to meet and discuss issues they identify as important. Participants are encouraged throughout the event to develop their own solutions to problems they confront in their schools, communities and everyday lives.

Among the problems Latino youth may face are a school curriculum that does not reflect their history; racism; inattentive or non-supportive parents; school overcrowding; disparate application of discipline; and the highest drop-out rate in the state.

The annual convention seeks to begin to address some of those issues in a positive way.

This year’s participants will take part in a variety of “community building” and leadership-growing activities. Four workshops will be offered: Decision Making and Education, Immigration and Its Effect on Latino Families, Cultural Awareness Among Latino Groups and Impact of Stereotypes on Latino Youth.

Every student who attends the convention will be able to participate in all of the workshops. Adults will serve as facilitators at each of the workshops, but the discussions will be guided by the student leaders.

Youth from Lebanon who will serve as hosts for the event chose this year’s theme, “Orgullo Es Nuestro Nombre,” or Pride Is Our Name.

The State System’s Office of Social Equity works each year with Latino community contacts to develop the list of students who are invited to participate in the convention. Students from the host community attend the Summer Latino Leadership Institute to help them prepare for their duties.

The summer institute is a leadership immersion program that emphasizes collective action. Participants are expected to display their best leadership during the course of the institute and are held to this high standard.

The goals of the institute are to assist the participants in the development of youth clubs, to help them develop responsible and supportive working relations, to strengthen their analytical and critical thinking skills, to help them become more familiar with Latino culture, to promote self-discipline and to motivate them to work toward higher academic achievement and success.

The annual convention and summer institute, both of which are funded through a special appropriation approved each year by the governor and General Assembly and distributed by the System’s Board of Governors, have helped lead to the creation of a network of Latino youth leadership groups throughout the state. The yearly events also have helped System universities attract more Latino students to their campuses. The number of Latino students enrolled in the institutions is at an all-time high, according to Byron A. Wiley, System director of social equity.

Students will attend this year’s convention from Allentown, Bethlehem, Chambersburg, Chester, Erie, Harrisburg, Kennett Square, Lancaster, Lebanon, Norristown, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Reading, Selinsgrove, Sunbury and York. Three guest delegations will attend from Bayamon, Puerto Rico; Boston, Mass.; and NewYork City.

The convention will begin at 6 p.m., Friday, March 13, and will conclude at noon, Sunday, March 15.

For more information on the program, contact Vázquez Otero at (717) 720-4040.

The State System of Higher Education comprises 14 universities throughout the Commonwealth and is the largest provider of higher education in the state. One of every 29 Pennsylvanians is attending or is a graduate of a System university. The State System is the 17^th largest employer in the state, with more than 11,700 employees.

The 14 state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. There are four branch campuses, situated in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney.