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Proyecto Visión 21

When will we realize we are a “transitional generation”?

The annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, from September 15 to October 15, always brings, in addition to fiestas, music, and good, many useful and sometimes not so useful statistics, with all kinds of data and information.

There is, however, piece of information that really caught my attention. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, almost 90 percent of Latinos under 18 now living in this country were born in this country.

In other words, these young Latinos are children of immigrants, but they are not immigrants themselves. In all respects, they are fully Americans, being educated at local schools and, because of that, being fully immersed in the American society and culture.

That means these children and teenagers, even if they speak Spanish (and they should never lose it), they will always prefer English as their language for learning. In addition, the access to and the use of high-tech devices comes naturally to this new generation of Latinos.

We can then safely say this is a generation that even if they will still carry their same last name as their parents, and in many cases they will also share their parents’ values and taste, they will be different from their parents, not only regarding language and technology, but also regarding globalization, religion, and multiculturalism.

What means for us, the parents, leaders, and educators of the next generation of Latinos, that the next generation will be so different from their parents? It means we need to realize we are a transitional generation, a “hinge” in the history of our community.

There are quite a few examples in history of generations that lived at a crucial time for their people. A clear example (leaving aside all theological or historical debates) is the generation of Israel that walked 40 years in the desert after leaving Egypt and before arriving in their promised land.

It was a generation that was neither here nor there, unable to go back to their past, but also unable to build their own future. This generation built the foundations for a future they will never enjoy themselves.

Without making any undue comparisons, the present generation of adult Latinos should understand the future is no longer a continuity of the past and that our children will always be our children, but they will live in a future different from both our past and our present.

Our children will face unavoidable challenges, almost too big to describe or understand. For example, they will face lack of water (35 states have less water than they need), as well as a massive migration from Asia to North America.

Are we preparing, educating, and empowering our children in such a way that they will later become the leaders the country needs to face such immense challenges?

We should be doing it with all our commitment and strength. After all, there is no other option, for the sake of our children and for the sake of the country and the world.

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