Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES)
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- Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES)
YES is a multicultural social justice organization that fights for immigrant, student, and worker's rights. YES is the youth arm of Voces de la Frontera.
Operating as usual

01/13/2023
Fresh over frozen: MPS students fight for better school lunches at school board meeting
“It actually feels good to know we as students had our voice actually heard,” said Juliana Cronce, a Sophomore at Riverside University High School.
For a year, high school students across Milwaukee have been advocating for better meals at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).
01/13/2023
Tonight we took next steps for our “School Lunch Justice” campaign for better school lunches across Milwaukee Public Schools. The meeting was to decide if the proposal of creating a “School Lunch Justice Taskforce”, will take effect. It now goes to the board who will vote next Thursday.
The taskforce would include students, administrators, and the MPS Nutrition Department, having regular meetings together in deciding the future of school lunch in MPS.
Y.E.S. started our efforts in January of 2022. Since last year, students have garnished support from local and state representatives, as well as community organizations. They have also sparked international interest.
The school lunch affects thousands of students around MPS everyday. Lunches are often frozen, turned, undercooked, or simply not appetizing, as they are turned out in assembly-line like fashion.
The Students Demand:
➡️Fresh food cooked in schools with locally sourced ingredients served daily
➡️More options available simultaneously
➡️Food that accommodates cultural, religious, medical, and dietary needs
➡️Larger portions
➡️Hiring more cafeteria staff and increasing their wages
➡️Regular meetings with MPS administration
01/12/2023
Happening NOW: Y.E.S. students meet with Milwaukee MPS to discuss establishing a task force.
01/12/2023
What’s Wrong With School Lunch in America?
Join us TONIGHT at 5:30pm as we meet with MPS to discuss next steps in and our request for a TaskForce.
We meet at MPS Central Office 5225 W Vliet St Milwaukee, WI. We aim to gather at 4:45 p.m. near the mural for a rally, group photo, and media interview opportunities. See you soon!
11/08/2022
¡YES presente y votando! Mandeeq entered the polling place with in mind, and candidates who are going to deliver quality education reform.¡Sí se puede!

11/08/2022
Youth about to be hitting OUR streets to get OUR community out to vote! Here we are preparing for the day.

10/29/2022
Racine YES members were honored tonight to attend the Racine Branch NAACP 70th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner.

10/15/2022
Happy Halloween from YES.
10/12/2022
DACA Informative with Soberalski Law
We’re LIVE with Voces de la Frontera Action and Soberalski Immigration Law, LLC talking all things DACA and how you can make a difference this election in the fight to protect our families and our communities.
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Estamos EN VIVO con VDLFA y Soberalski Law hablando de todo relacionado con DACA y cómo puedes hacer un cambio en esta elección en la lucha para proteger a nuestras familias y nuestras comunidades.

10/08/2022
Racine Horlick YES students and the unionized educators met with administration on the policy of locking bathrooms for 2/3 of every block.
YES knows that access to bathrooms is a human right and we hope after our meeting policy changes are made.

09/22/2022
We are Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) and we are fighting for at Milwaukee Public Schools. We demand fresh food cooked at school, more options, accommodations for cultural, religious, and medical needs, larger portions, and pay raises for workers. ¡Sí se puede!
Photo credits: JJessica Schmidt Voces de la Fronte
09/21/2022
We’re here at the Milwaukee office getting ready to screenprint for ! ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

08/31/2022
YES is in search of an organizer to help students build power in Milwaukee. The YES Milwaukee organizer would be helping to build chapters, organize campaigns, and develop student leadership.
Find an extensive job description here-
https://vdlf.org/job-postings/
To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to Ania Jimenez Human Resources Interim Director- [email protected].

07/12/2022
Big win for the campaign today!
So ecstatic to be able to present Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) with this citation authored by the county board today along with County Supervisor Ryan Clancy. These students give me hope for the future and I am elated to support their continued advocacy work. Thanks to Ari Antreassian for bringing students from Racine and Milwaukee public schools.

07/05/2022
Tomorrow at 1pm: Join Voces and Soberalski Immigration Law, LLC for a virtual DACA workshop, info session, and Q&A, meant for DACA recipients and those interested in applying.
Link to join zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JU94bUbSR9Cvzk0QXPo33Q or watch on Facebook Live!
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Únase a Voces y Soberalski Law para un taller virtual de DACA, una sesión de información y preguntas & respuestas, para los beneficiarios de DACA y aquellos interesados en solicitaciones.
Únase por zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JU94bUbSR9Cvzk0QXPo33Q o por Facebook Live

06/30/2022
'Latino girls can do it!' Milwaukee high school grad headed to Harvard
Congratulations Katherine!
As you will learn, the prestigious school was not only impressed with her grades, but her activism as well.

06/06/2022
We mourn the tragic loss of Y.E.S. and Voces member, Hamdi Abdullahi Hassan, who lived her 16 years on this earth to the fullest. As a Somalian immigrant living in Milwaukee, Hamdi brought an important and inclusive perspective to YES. We will always remember her legacy and we promise to keep fighting for the rights of families just like hers. We send our deepest condolences to her friends and family. Rest In Power, Hamdi.

05/03/2022
A Powerful Day for YES!
05/01/2022
¡Yes presente!
¡Yes presente! Thank you everyone who turned out today for . ¡Si se puede!

04/22/2022
New mural visualizes MPS students' fight for better lunches
New mural visualizes MPS students' fight for better lunches
Students in Milwaukee Public Schools are demanding better quality food and a new mural can now be found on the side of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association (MTEA) building. It reads

04/22/2022
Photos from TMJ4 News's post
04/19/2022
Renewing Your DACA Online
Did you hear? This month, USCIS announced DACA renewal forms can now be filed online!

04/05/2022
Sign our petition! ⚡️✔️✊🏼: https://chng.it/JmqLdn7Bwn
"Hi my name is Katherine Villanueva and I'm a senior at Milwaukee School of Languages and a proud YES student leader.
Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) has called this event to launch our campaign to get MPS to provide quality nutritious food to MPS students. It is common knowledge that students who eat well learn well. has called this event to launch our campaign to get MPS to provide quality nutritious food to MPS students. It is common knowledge that students who eat well learn well.Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES)
We are here today to demand food justice in our schools. Quality nutrition is critical to our success as students. Y.E.S. believes every student in Milwaukee deserves to have access to nutritious, delicious, culturally appropriate foods in school so that they are better able to learn. Youth Empowered in the Struggle surveyed over one thousand students across Milwaukee Public Schools and identified that the poor quality of school lunch is the most pressing issue that must be addressed to improve our school environment. Our lunches are cooked in a central location and distributed to the schools to be reheated, resulting in undercooked food and of substandard quality. This is not acceptable!
This campaign begins here but will not end here. Y.E.S. students have reached out to board members for support, the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, and parents to join us in this campaign. We will be lobbying our board members with our key demands. Working with parents, we will bring our message to the community and working with Voces de La Frontera and other allies we will be bringing our message to the streets.
On May 1st we will be marching with Voces de La Frontera and raising our issue of high quality lunches for the students going to school in MPS. May 1st is a day where thousands of immigrants and workers take to the streets to demand justice. Food Justice is central to quality learning."
Nearly 10,000 have signed the Y.E.S. petition for school lunch justice in Milwaukee Public Schools. Have you? Sign here: https://bit.ly/3LGEMCB
We demand that Milwaukee Public Schools:
1. Provide fresh school lunch that is cooked at the school by food service staff with locally sourced ingredients.
2. Provide more lunch options simultaneously.
3. Put a system in place that identifies and accommodates students' personal, religious, and medical dietary needs.
4. Provide larger, more filling meals that leave students feeling ready to learn, instead of hungry.
5. Hire more lunch staff to cook the meals and increase their wages.
6. MPS Board of Directors establish regular meetings with YES members to ensure these demands are met and implemented with student voices at the table.

04/04/2022
Help us with our school lunch justice campaign by signing our petition! ⚡️✊🏼
https://chng.it/JmqLdn7Bwn
Our demands:
✔️Provide fresh school lunch that is cooked at the school by food service staff with locally sourced ingredients.
✔️Provide more lunch options simultaneously.
✔️Put a system in place that identifies and accommodates students' personal, religious, and medical dietary needs.
✔️Provide larger, more filling meals that leave students feeling ready to learn, instead of hungry.
✔️Hire more lunch staff to cook the meals and increase their wages.
✔️MPS Board of Directors establish regular meetings with YES members to ensure these demands are met and implemented with student voices at the table.
📸:Joe Brusky

04/02/2022
After surveying 1000+ MPS students on
lunches, we have our six demands. But we are not
done, we need your help: sign the petition for School
Lunch Justice! https://chng.it/JmqLdn7Bwn
Graphic by :Rebeca Acosta (Reagan YES student leader)

04/01/2022
MPS students launch campaign for fresher food, more options, better pay for cafeteria workers
. Sign the petition at:
✍️https://www.change.org/p/youth-empowered-in-the-struggle-demands-mps-school-lunch-justice
Students are calling for meals made on-site, bigger portions, more options, accommodations for religious students, and better pay for the workers.

03/31/2022
Today we made our demands to Milwaukee Public Schools clear: ✅food cooked fresh in schools, ✅ more options, ✅ accommodations and consideration for religious students, ✅ larger portions, ✅ higher wages for cafeteria workers, and ✅ regular meetings with the board and administration to discuss and decide these issues. Stay tuned for more calls to action and updates!
03/31/2022
BREAKING: YES is launching our "'' campaign. We are fighting for food cooked fresh in our Milwaukee Public Schools, more options, accommodations and consideration for our religious students, larger portions, higher wages for cafeteria workers, and regular meetings with the board and administration to discuss and decide these issues.
03/05/2022

02/23/2022
Dreamers of Wisconsin is hosting a “How to Apply to Complete the Dreamers of Wisconsin Scholarship Application”! Theywill be going over how to write a strong application and you will be hearing from one of our very own scholarship recipients! 🦋🧡
Register for the event through this link: https://linktr.ee/dreamersofwisconsin. See you all tomorrow 🦋

02/04/2022
Trabaja con nosotros! Voces de la Frontera Action is hiring part-time canvassers to help elect pro-immigrant candidates into office. Start immediately at $18/ hour with paid training and work until the November 2022 election. Applicants with a passion for immigrant rights, racial and economic justice are encouraged to apply by filling out this form: bit.ly/vocesjobs.

01/25/2022
La Beca de Oportunidad de thedream.us proporciona hasta $80,000 para cubrir la matrícula, tarifas, el alojamiento y las comidas en el campus para obtener una licenciatura para estudiantes con o sin DACA o TPS. Ver los detalles aquí: https://thedream.us/
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The Opportunity Scholarship is open to immigrant Wisconsin students. You do not need DACA or TPS to apply! You can apply if you came to the country before November 1, 2016 https://thedream.us/.

01/20/2022
Learn about UW-Milwaukee and see the campus for yourself during Casa Abierta, a bilingual event for prospective Latinx students. Saturday, January 22, 2022, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m..
Register at: https://uwm.edu/undergrad-admission/visit/casa-abierta/
Do you know someone interested in becoming a Panther?— Let them know Casa Abierta is just two days away! Participate in a resource fair, campus tour and Q&A panel— you won’t want to miss out on this great opportunity!
To register:
https://tinyurl.com/casaabierta2022

01/14/2022
Our letter.
Share our post and why you pledge to keep your community safe!
Tag us and use our hashtag
Thank you for pledging with us!

11/21/2021

11/09/2021
Riverside Yes new member kickoff!
Address
1027 S 5th Street
Milwaukee, WI
53204
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Videos

BREAKING: YES is launching our "#SchoolLunchJustice'' campaign. We are fighting for food cooked fresh in our Milwaukee Public Schools, more options, accommodations and consideration for our religious students, larger portions, higher wages for cafeteria workers, and regular meetings with the board and administration to discuss and decide these issues.

YES Members Explain Why They're Engaged
Hear why YES members are choosing to be engaged in the 2020 election! With one week left it's not too late to get involved! DM us to find out how. Don't have a voting plan? Need to find our voting location? Visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ #BidenHarris2020 #GOTV #MilwaukeeGOTV

Leaving Mitchell Park ready to spread the word on completing the census and requesting absentee ballots!

We Count! Youth Empowered in the Struggle Member, Liam, has participated in 3 Census Caravans to engage community members to complete their census. #WeCount #Census2020

censusDACA
Immigrant youth are living in limbo as they wait for a SCOTUS decision on #DACA in the middle of a pandemic. It’s critical that we fill out the #2020Census so EVERYONE in our community can get the resources we need. #WeCount

To all #DACAmented and #Undocumented youth: You are loved, you are valued. Your status doesn’t dictate your success! #keepdreaming #keepfighting check out the link for info on our #DACAweekofAction⬇️⬇️⠀ https://buff.ly/37At2yx
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Firefighter Dynamic Performance Training
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Comments
Support our youth Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) in their fight to demand school lunch justice 🍃✊🏾💪🏽🤎🌻✍🏽📚
Gracias AJ+ por venir a Milwaukee a aprender sobre la lucha de los jóvenes luchando por cambiar el sistema de lonche en las escuelas públicas. Son un orgullo Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) ✊🏾💪🏽👏🏽📚🍽🍃🙏🏾
Thanks to Overpass Light Brigade for providing the lighted message!
We meet at MPS Central Office 5225 W Vliet St Milwaukee, WI. We aim to gather at 4:45 p.m. near the mural for a rally, group photo, and media interview opportunities. See you soon!
Please consider submitting written testimony to [email protected] in support of the resolution or join the students at 4:45 outside MPS Central Office where they will be holding an Overpass Light Brigade FOOD JUSTICE illuminated message before attending the SASI committee meeting which starts at 5:30pm.
The subject line for written testimony could be something like: Written testimony for SASI committee meeting for school lunch Justice task force.
Please consider submitting written testimony to [email protected] in support of the resolution or join the students at 4:45 outside MPS Central Office where they will be holding an Overpass Light Brigade FOOD JUSTICE illuminated message before attending the SASI committee meeting which starts at 5:30pm.
The subject line for written testimony could be something like: Written testimony for SASI committee meeting for school lunch Justice task force.
Youth have called on the MPS Board to pass a resolution that will establish a Task Force made up of students, teachers, and the MPS nutrition department and administration. This Task Force will provide oversight to MPS nutrition department and ensure that students' demands for School Lunch Justice are met and that all stakeholders have a voice at the table.
Please join us at 5:30PM on January 12th, 2023 at the MPS Central Office at 5225 W Vliet St. Milwaukee, WI 53208
Enero 12 a las 5:30pm en las oficinas centrales de MPS. Comparta y Asista 🙏🏾
Exigen a el departamento de nutrición y los encargados de tomar estas decisiones que se forme un comité donde los estudiantes puedan abogar por derechos a comida saludable y formar cambios necesarios.
Here is what Milwaukee YES students are fighting for
• Food cooked fresh in their schools
• More food options
• Accommodations and consideration for religious students
• Larger portions
• Higher wages for cafeteria workers
• Regular meetings with the school board and administration to discuss and decide these issues
Sign a petition in support here:
https://chng.it/JmqLdn7Bwn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGqy7BPDxJU
Members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), and Leaders Igniting Transformation talk about their efforts.
http://ow.ly/qlS150Ltssm