Visit here to read this article in Spanish.

Saber es Poder is an annual leadership program focusing on Latinx leadership, activism and self-exploration. This year, it will be celebrated through an overnight immersive experience that will take place April 15-16 in Woodburn.

Lodging, food and transportation for the overnight experience will be provided, and there is no application fee. Spots are limited and the final deadline is April 7, with the application available online.

Saber es Poder is a leadership program and collaborative series by Diversity & Cultural Engagement, presented through the Centro Cultural César Chávez and Community Engagement & Leadership. 

Through the overnight program, participants will be able to connect with community leaders and learn from their stories and experiences. This is an opportunity for participants to dissect and reflect on their own personal experiences and leadership skills.

“It’s a program that exposes students to whatever the theme of the year is,” fourth-year Public Health major and student organizer, Rocelia Celedonio said. “This year, for example, we’re doing Latinx women and leadership. We are just focusing on doing that by teaching feminist views from the Latinx perspective on leadership, exposing people to community leadership. We’re also trying to do community partnerships around the area.”

Not only is the CCCC working in conjunction with the CEL, but they are also working with outside organizations such as CAPACES Leadership Institute, located in Woodburn, who aim to serve, organize and build the leadership of Oregon’s Latinxs, Indigenous and Afro-descendants to “improve the quality of life for all.” 

CAPACES intends to do this through strengthening the wellness, capacity and political consciousness of individuals, organizations, movements and communities “to eliminate social disparities.”

CCCC is committed to creating an environment in which individuals feel safe and can learn from other Latinx women to join and deliver programs. Although the program is centered around Latinx women and leadership, this program is not exclusive to just the Latinx community.

“We’re trying to invite people with different backgrounds and stories, because, I feel like that’s one of the ways that we connect to (each other) is just storytelling,” Celedonio said. “We learn a lot about each other and a lot about…different ways of life that aren’t memories. And I think that’s very powerful, and very, very rewarding.”

Through the Saber es Poder Leadership Program’s overnight experience, the CCCC and CEL hope to not only empower the Latinx community, but engage a larger part of the OSU community.

“The idea is to empower really anybody who attends a program, it doesn’t matter if what you identify or anything,” Celedonio said. “It’s a little bit different from what it’s been presented in previous years…our central theme is to just empower our participants.”