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LA PLAZITA
IN THE NEWS! Visit the Alibi website and read about La Plazita
in the following articles:
"Streetology"
&
"Narrowing the Digital Divide"
Read
About Our Programs
Check
out our Online Newsletter
Visit
our video page
Learn
about upcoming events
Thanks
to our supporters:
AEPOCH
New Mexico Community Foundation
Albuquerque Community Foundation
McCune Charitable Foundation
The Funding Exchange
Panta Rhea Fund
Seasons Fund for Social Transformation
UNM Health and Sciences Pathways Program
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
USDA
Fish and Wildlife Services Albuquerque Mennonite Church
Presbyterian Medical Services Construction Reporter
And many others!
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For
the past four years, La Plazita Institute has been serving New Mexico’s
communities through programs for youth and families who have fallen
through the cracks of conventional institutional support. We serve youth
in custody and those previously incarcerated, gang-involved youth, and
returning veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. We
provide a sense of belonging and “familia” for these individuals
and offer opportunities to engage positively with the larger community.
Our
primary programs for youth are our "Making a Change Programs"
that provide youth with weekly talking circles where they
can share their challenges in a safe environment, and make
choices that support their futures and the well being of the
community.
Our La Plazita Gardens “Outdoor Classroom” provides
youth with micro-enterprise opportunities, space to serve
the community, and a reconnection to our cultural teachings
of respecting Mother Earth.
Most—though not all—of our youth come from a Chicano
or Native American background, and so face the challenge of
balancing "multiple worlds" and conflicting values between
the mainstream culture and their familial culture.
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We help our youth effectively navigate these multiple worlds and offer
cultural healing through sweat ceremonies and teachings to link youth
to the traditional values from their indigenous roots including respect
for elders, honoring of oneself, and importance of community. To learn
more about La Plazita Institute, read
this article published in the Albuquerque Alibi.
Seeking funding through conventional channels has always been a challenge
for us for two reasons: because we are who we serve—primarily
hiring previously incarcerated individuals; and because we choose quality
over quantity in providing intensive, 24/7 support to extremely high-risk
youth—in lower numbers than institutions serving youth at lower
risk.
Times are tough for everyone, but especially for our youth and their
families, who face homelessness, difficulty finding work after incarceration,
and finding food for themselves and their families. This is why your
support - whether it be a tax deductible cash donation through the Paypal
button at the top of the page or your time as a volunteer, will go a
long way toward helping us serve New Mexico's most vulnerable youth
and their families.
Click
here to read about the programs we offer.
For more information
on our programs and volunteer opportunities, email laplazitainstitute@hotmail.com.
La Plazita Institute
is a grassroots-based organization based out of Albuquerque's South
Valley. La Plazita Institute's mission is to strengthen community and
enable youth to leave behind a destructive lifestyle by tapping into
their own roots to express core traditional values of respect, honor,
love, family, and community.
La Plazita Institute
831 Isleta Blvd. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105
505.508.1802 |
