Convivir Colorado

Year Founded: 2020

Convivir Colorado is a leadership program – for immigrant, refugee, and first-generation 6th – 12th-grade youth from any nationality and with any immigration status – that helps them channel their leadership through the lens of their migrant journey so they can strengthen their sense of self and continue practicing agency as they make a positive impact on their Colorado communities.

Convivir Colorado theorizes that if they create spaces that feature:

• Storytelling to heal the traumas from country of origin, migration journey, and the harsh attacks of US policies
• Artistic Expression to provide a way to synthesize the complex world around us in the face of uncertainty
• Community Building to uplift a network of intergenerational support…

…then students will feel empowered to thrive in their authenticity and use their leadership skills to build a more just society for all.

Convivir Colorado was born out of the need to address the problem that youth from immigrant and refugee families lack the resources to fight rampant xenophobia and heal from their trauma.

In the Moonshot Fellowship, their founder, Tania Chairez, ideated using a Liberatory Design framework, held empathy interviews to fully understand their community, ran pilots to test demand, capacity, and efficacy, and ultimately launched amidst a global pandemic.