This event empowers Latinas ages from 7 to 18, encouraging them to feel good about themselves and be proud to be Latinas. It is an opportunity for young girls to celebrate who they are, with other girls just like them, and learn about ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! (SUSL) information and resources. It is usually scheduled to take place the first Saturday of March, although this year the 2013 rally will take place on April 20th.
What is in a ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! Rally?
During the event, the girls enjoy of a healthy breakfast and lunch. They participate in a pep rally with their event “Madrina”, who gets them all fired up ready for the day. The girls also get to meet a panel of successful Latina women sharing their personal and professional experiences.
According to their age, the girls attend workshops on nutrition, self-esteem, handling money, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and career planning, among others.
A typical rally includes music, dance, raffles, workshops, and fun activities, such a “Quinceañero finale“, a fashion show with a display of elegant party gowns for young Latinas. With the University of Rochester sponsoring the event, the girls also get a tour of the University.
Parents are encouraged to join us for the event. During the day local agencies have booths where they can learn about available resources and programs, and they can also attend workshops organized especially for them. Some of the topics presented in the past are:Parents school involvement, Communication tips, Finding financial resources for higher education and Dispelling the myths of home ownership, among others.
SUSL Rally History
The ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! is a public education initiative.
The Catholic Family Center (CFC) introduced the ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! initiative to Rochester, NY in 2002.CFC had the lead of the rally in 2002 and 2004. There was no rally in 2003 because the schedule changed from the Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept./Oct.) to the Women Month (March).
In 2004 CFC approached Latinas Unidas to take the leadership of the ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! Rally. In January 2005 Latinas Unidas accepted to take the lead, and the CFC continued to participate as the liaison between the committee and the creators (the federal government) of this initiative.
Because of the success of past rallies in Rochester, NY, and requests to widen the program to more girls, today the rally in our city includes workshops and activities for girls from ages 7 to 18.
The SAMHSA initiative for the ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! campaign ended in 2007 and are no longer sponsoring these events.