Student Advocates for Change

DOT ORG EARLIER THIS YEAR WE INTRODUCED YOU TO SEOUL RAISED AND IMMOKALEE TEENAGER WHO WAS INVITED TO ROME AS PART OF A GLOBAL PEACE INITIATIVE. WELL, NOW THE 18 YEAR-OLD IS TRAVELING TO SWEDEN TO ACCEPT AN INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR HIS EFFORTS SUPPORTING MIGRANT FAMILIES. REYES IS BEING HONORED AS THE UNITED STATES RECIPIENT OF THE 2026 YOUNG COURAGE AWARD IN STOCKHOLM THIS WEEK. WGCU DAYNA HARPSTER HAS MORE. I'M JOINED IN STUDIO BY SO RAY IS A RECENT GRADUATE OF IMMOKALEE HIGH SCHOOL AND RECIPIENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOUNG COURAGE AWARD FROM THE EMBASSY OF SWEDEN IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. STILL. >> THANK YOU. >> TELL US WHAT A STUDENT ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE IS ALL ABOUT, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHY YOU WERE AWARDED THIS CORRECT? OF COURSE. YES. ON THE FOUNDER OF THE STUNTS ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE, ITS YOUTH LED NONPROFIT NOW. BUT 2 YEARS AGO, WE STARTED AS A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WE'RE FOCUSED KIND OF AN HONOR STUDIES, BUT WHAT HAPPENED IN OUR COMMUNITY KIND OF WIND AND SOME OF THAT IN AND STARTED TO START TO THINK ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS AND C STARTING TO SEE THINGS THAT WAS HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND INJUSTICES THAT ARE HAPPENING AND WE STARTED TO WHEN IT WANTED TO PLAYING IN AS HUGHES AND CREATE KIND OF AN IMPACT. SO WE STARTED SINCE ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE. WE START OFF WITH CARE PACKAGES. COMMUNITY CARE PACKAGES THAT WE GAVE AWAY TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THAT HYGIENE ITEMS ARE FARM WORKERS. AND THEN IT ALSO HAD A KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CARDS. AND WE ALSO DID TRAVEL REUNIFICATION BAGS FOR FAMILIES THAT WERE AFFECTED BY A LOT OF THE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT INJUSTICES. >> WOODY WOODY MEAN SPECIFICALLY? >> OF COURSE, YES. A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS AND ESSENTIALLY TARGET OUR COMMUNITY FOR THESE PAST 2 YEARS AROUND EARLY WINTER TIME LAST YEAR, WE STARTED TO SEE AN INCREASE, AN ESCALATION AND AND FREQUENCY OF OF RAIDS HAPPENING IN HERE TARGETING OF OF VANS, WORK, VANS AND WORK. BUSES AND IT'S IT DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS AND IT REALLY HAS BEEN AN INJUSTICE. YOU KNOW, IT'S TARGETING OR PHARMERICA COMMUNITY. IMMOKALEE ITSELF HAS BEEN A COMMUNITY FULL OF FARMWORKERS IN SUNDAY'S INCIDENT IN A DID. AND THERE'S YOU KNOW, LARGE MIGRANT POPULATION AND ONCE 2.87 G GAME WAS SIGNED, WE SAW A LOT OF KIND OF THOSE THAT THAT THAT TALK THAT IN THE ESCALATION IN TACTICS USED ON OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS SPECIFICALLY. >> YOU ARE CHOSEN FROM AMONG NOMINATIONS FROM 15 COUNTRIES. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING TO SWING AT TO RECEIVE THIS HONOR AND WHAT WILL YOU DO? THEIR OF SUPER THRILLED. I MEAN, IT WAS A NOMINATION PROCESS AND MY FRIEND NOMINAL ACTUALLY FROM SUNRISE FOUNDATION, THE GROUP, I'M A PART OF AS WELL. >> HE NOMINATED ME FOR THE WARD AND IT ALL STARTED ON INSTAGRAM. IS THAT NEAR RIO AND WAS AND WAS TELLING ME ABOUT KIND OF WHAT IT WAS AND WHO THE SWING AND MISS ESPN WAS AND DOES EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS TO CREATE THINGS. AND AS I WAS OVERJOYED TO BE NOMINATED BY HIM AND THEN KIND OF WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH HIM AND IT'S BEEN SO AMAZING. AND I WAS KIND OF IS A WEEK AWAY. IT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN. I'M SUPER EXCITED. I BET. >> THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE TRAVELED OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR AND I'M ALREADY THERE EARLY THE SUMMER. YOU WENT TO ROME, RIGHT? AS PART OF PROJECT OXYGEN. >> WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? OF COURSE, AND PROJECT OXYGEN WAS 40 STUDENTS, INCLUDING FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. FOR OUR FOR MOUNT DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. IT GOES AROUND FIFTHAND SAME AMOUNT OF AND 15 COUNTRIES. AND THEN WE ALL MET IN ROME AND THE VATICAN CITY AND WE HADN'T REALLY EMPOWERING TALKS ABOUT WHAT PIECE MEANT TO US AND WHAT PEACE CAN MEAN FOR FOR OTHER GENERAL FOR THE FUTURE GENERATION, OUR GENERATION AS WELL. AND WITH THAT, IT LOOKS LIKE IN AND THEN ALSO WE WERE JUST SHARING STORIES OF, YOU KNOW, THE PAIN AND THE STRUGGLE THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH AS USE A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM UKRAINE. WE ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THE WAR WITH RUSSIA AND NOW IS GIVING, YOU KNOW, INSIGHTS ON WHAT. AND I WAS HAPPENING IN IMMOKALEE. AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE THE DISAPPEARANCE OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND SO WE SHARED A LOT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT PAIN THAT SAYS STRUGGLE. BUT THEN WE ALSO TALK TO IT. WHAT WHAT? WHAT WE CAN START DOING TO COMBAT THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, AS YOUTH AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT CHANGE AND THAT'S KIND OF BEEN AND THE NARRATIVE IN ALL AND EVERYTHING THAT I DO. >> AND WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU TO BE SUCH AN ACTIVIST FOR YOUR COMMUNITY. >> OF COURSE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, JUST BEING A YOUTH GOING UP IN IMMOKALEE IN AND BEING IN THE HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM AND AND BEING AROUND. A LOT OF MY FRIENDS AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE, AS YOU WANT TO BE A PERSON IS CREATING CHANGE WHEN WHEREVER THEY ARE IN KOREAN COMMUNITY. AND IT REALLY WHAT IT IS. IT'S IT'S IN US. IT'S JUST THAT SHARED KIND OF EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAVE. WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT TO WORK IN. AND AND YEAH, SO FOR ME, IT'S KIND OF BEEN AND IS BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON AND NOT NOT FALLING INTO COMPLACENCY. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO REYES. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. THANK YOU. SO WHAT?