Newport-Mesa middle and high school students will gather at UC Irvine Friday to discuss current immigration at "Today's Immigrant America," a special symposium sponsored by Global Connect, a social sciences outreach program. Discussion will center on issues that directly affect the students' community, such as the recent decision by Costa Mesa to empower its local police to facilitate the deportation of some illegal immigrants. A panel of immigration scholars will engage the students and also discuss the immigrant experience in America. The first Global Citizen Awards will be presented to California State Assemblyman Van Tran and literacy activist Rueben Martinez to recognize their work in the community.
WHEN:
9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, March 10
WHERE:
Bren Events Center, UCI campus
BACKGROUND:
Every week, Global Connect brings university teachers and undergraduates into local classrooms at Tewinkle Middle School and Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor high schools to explore issues ranging from geography to the economy. Now in its fourth year, Global Connect has reached 1,300 local students. The program's guiding principle is the belief that secondary school students need to understand the contemporary changes that influence their education and personal opportunities and, ultimately, their lives and careers. An outreach program of the School of Social Sciences, Global Connect is supported by the Center for Educational Partnerships and the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.
Schedule of Events:
9:30 a.m. Welcome
10 a.m. "Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation," with RubÊn G. Rumbaut, professor of sociology
10:40 a.m. "Asian American Communities in Orange County," with Linda Vo, associate professor of Asian American studies
11:20 a.m. Panel discussion with Q&A session with Rumbaut, Vo, Louis DeSipio, associate professor of political science and Chicano/latino studies, and Roberto Gonzales, graduate student in sociology
1 p.m. First Global Citizen Awards presented to Van Tran, California State Assemblyman and Rueben Martinez, community literacy activist
1:30 p.m. "How Will You Change the World?" student awards