Civic Engagement, Selective Acculturation, and the Educational Mobility of Latino Youth.

This paper explores the future of the largest Latino civic organization in the United States, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the significance placed on incorporating youth into the organization. Not only is the demand to incorporate youth into the organization reflective of the demographic and cultural shifts of the Latino community, as well as society more broadly, but it is essential to the survival of organizations such as LULAC that have experienced drastic decline in recent decades. This study relies on over two years of ethnographic research in LULAC councils in Southern California as well as 80 in-depth interviews with organizational members, 20 between the ages of 15-18. Findings reveal both a demand for engaging youth to secure the future of the organization as well as positive effects of participation for Latino youth. With an aging membership and decline in civic engagement, organizational leaders and members are turning to youth to sustain and grow the organization. Youth are brought to the forefront through local and national initiatives and programs. Further, Latino youth are accessing educational opportunities through organizational participation and also being socialized in the political process. With a strong focus on education, LULAC provides crucial resources to youth that are limited in their schools and families. By distancing themselves from lower achieving Latinos and participating in civic organizations. Latino youth are selectively acculturating towards a status as middle-class Latinos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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