Youth Encounter in Puerto Rico

La Tejedora held its first National Youth gathering, where over a dozen young people from across the archipelago came together for a weekend that included leadership development and strategic thinking about youth-led campaigns that can have a major impact on the island’s residents. The priorities identified by these young people included the need to change policies in the local Department of Agriculture to support small farmers and fishermen in their quest to produce local food, sustain their families and keep hold of their land and fisheries. The young people also prioritized the need to prevent gentrification happening across Puerto Rico by working to challenge the rapid displacement of Puerto Ricans by Act 22 tax avoidance. Both campaigns will launch next year and will spark youth engagement on these issues across the archipelago.