Program Overview

About Aquetza

Aquetza is a program that aims to empower youth with strong ties to Chicana/o and Latina/o communities across Colorado. The name "Aquetza" translates to "to lift your chin up" in the Nahuatl language, symbolizing the program's goal of helping youth develop powerful connections between academics and community progress.

Program Dates

The program will take place from Friday, July 11th to Saturday, July 19th, 2025. Other important dates include:

• Application Deadline: May 5th
• Notification of Acceptance, Waitlist, or Encouraged to Apply next year: May 31

Program Background and Objectives

The Aquetza program provides a unique, trans-disciplinary educational and community leadership experience for youth. The program aims to:

• Engage students in examining and exploring the intersections and connections across various disciplines
• Offer students an opportunity to explore how to leverage their community assets and academic skills to become positive, influential, and inclusive civic leaders
• Encourage students to include higher education in their life plans and academic trajectories

Who is Aquetza?

Aquetza is a joint project between UMAS y MEXA, members of Colorado's Chicana/o/x community, and the CU School of Education. The staff includes:

• Distinguished faculty members in the Schools of Education and Ethnic Studies
• Doctoral and graduate students with extensive classroom and community organizing experience
• Undergraduate student counselors from UMAS y MEXA de CU Boulder and the CU School of Education

What Will We Do?

The program will feature a range of activities, including:

1. Approaching academic content from a trans-disciplinary perspective
2. Using new-media tools to explore how everyday social practices can become powerful tools for academic growth and civic action
3. Engaging with theatrical and performance art, particularly Chicana/o and Latina/o traditions
4. Employing a problem-posing pedagogy to allow youth participants to engage in tasks on their own terms

Who Can Attend?

The program is open to 52 high school students who have strong ties to Chicana/o and Latina/o communities throughout Colorado. Eligible applicants are students in 9th through 11th grade who have shown potential or interest in leadership, creative expression, and a deep concern for social/educational issues in their home communities.

Targeted Students

The program aims to draw youth who:

1. Do not usually have the geographic privilege of visiting a university campus
2. Are in good academic standing but may not have been targeted by other collegiate recruitment efforts
3. Are highly involved leaders invested in their local communities, but perhaps not in leadership roles within institutional, education contexts

Program Summary

Aquetza is designed to provide a safe space for youth participants, undergraduate counselors, and instructional staff to build relationships, deepen academic knowledge and skills, learn about civic engagement, and articulate a vision of themselves as scholars and civic leaders. The program's primary goal is to empower youth to become active participants and leaders in their communities, in their own lives, and in higher education at CU Boulder.