Latest news with #Latinitas
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Austin nonprofit to host community technology and arts festival
An Austin-area nonprofit is hosting an interactive festival this week celebrating technology and the arts, with the goal of exposing young Latinas to education and careers in STEM. Latinitas will host its inaugural TechKermés event on Friday, featuring performances, food and interactive activities with local tech companies such as Dell Technologies, Applied Materials, CapMetro, Electronic Arts, NXP Semiconductors and more. "This is part of our community component," Latinitas spokesperson Salwa Yordi told the American-Statesman. This is an opportunity to gather our families, any families in the community, to kick off the summer with us and get to do something different." Founded in 2002, Latinitas aims to empower young girls and communities through "culturally relevant" education. The organization hosts events, like TechKermés and its annual Startup Chica conference, to expose Latino students, especially girls, to careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, Yordi said. According to a 2024 report by the Kapor Foundation, one in 10 U.S. workers in technology is Latino, with 5% of executive leadership roles and 3% of tech company board seats held by Latino professionals. The report also found that, despite comprising only 10% of the tech workforce in the U.S., Latinos make up about 11.5% of laid off workers in the industry. That same study found that 78% of Latino students have access to foundational computer science courses in high school, compared with 82% of white students and 89% of Asian students. "The numbers when it comes to Latinas in tech, the percentage is really, really low," Yordi said. "These events give them the opportunity to think of a career that they want to engage with. Also, the digital literacy component, too. It's an opportunity to create an ecosystem where somebody that looks like them, speaks Spanish, talks in their language, shares their work, they could see themselves in tech someday." TechKermés will have interactive activities in robotics, virtual reality, 3D printing, drones and more, as well as five performers from different Latin American countries, Yordi said. When: Noon to 4 p.m. on May 31. Where: H-E-B Eastside Tech Hub at 2416 E. Sixth St. Parking: There will be limited free parking at the H-E-B Eastside Hub on E. Seventh Street. Tickets: The event is free and does not require tickets to attend. Latinitas does have an RSVP link to register for the event, or attendees can simply show up. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What to know about Latinitas' tech and arts festival
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin nonprofit to teach young girls how to launch a startup at annual conference
Know a student interested in learning how to launch their own startup? Latinitas, an Austin-area nonprofit, is inviting girls ages 9 to 14 to its annual Startup Chica conference this Saturday. The event connects STEM-interested students with local professionals to learn about entrepreneurship and business ownership. "We bring in a lot of women entrepreneurs that come in and share with our students about their experiences and provide advice and leadership for them throughout the day," Beatriz Castillo, Latinitas' senior program manager, told the American-Statesman. "The main point of that is that they see themselves represented in the different fields, and to open up opportunities to what they can do." Latinitas started the Startup Chica conference in 2016 as a way to connect young girls with Austin-area businesswomen representing tech, government, startup, nonprofit and other industries. At Saturday's conference, students will have workshops and panels about ownership, finances, idea-generation and more before the students break-up into teams for a pitch contest similar to ABC's "Shark Tank." Throughout the day, the conference will have workshops and panels about ownership, finances, idea-generation and more before the students break-up into teams for the pitch contest. Three winners are chosen, and they usually win a certificate as well as a prize from a sponsor, said Alondra Adame, Latinitas communications and social media manager. Founded in 2002, Latinitas aims to empower young girls and communities through "culturally relevant" education. Castillo said the conference helps to provide young girls, especially those coming from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, with the resources and representation in startups and tech spaces. "I've seen a couple of our students do the conference a couple of times, and a lot of them might be a little bit more on the timid side," Castillo said. "You get to see them just flourish throughout the conference. ... It's really awesome to see that, as well as we get to show them different careers and different things that they can do, it shows a lot of leadership. They get to pitch, be up there and communicate. Starting young and letting them know that they can go out there and be the leaders that we know they can be." Students at this year's conference will get to hear from six local businesswomen and representatives, who will serve as mentors throughout the day: Vanessa Fuentes, district 2 Austin City Council member Bessy Martinez, CEO and founder of The Latina Foundation Gretel Perera, director of public relations at Expedia, president of L500 and co-founder of Latinas in Tech Daisy Marquez, influencer and entrepreneur LaRessa Quintana, district 2 representative on the Austin school board Ana Ruelas, founder and managing partner of THE AGENCY AUSTIN and co-owner of Austin Woman Magazine "Starting those conversations really young, showing that they're able to do those things and get into the tech industry is what's really important for the conference," Castillo said. "You're able to create your own business in tech. ... (The industry) might not be as diverse, but we're here to change that, and we have the support to change that. We have the mentors and the adults that are here to help you." Startup Chica's Austin conference is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, located at 2309 Panther Trail. It costs $30 to participate, and students are provided breakfast and lunch during the conference. Interested students can register online at this link. Latinitas also hosts a Startup Chica conference in San Antonio in the fall. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Latinitas invites young girls to Startup Chica conference in Austin
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin nonprofit helps Latinas with workforce readiness program
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Latinos make up about a third of the workforce in Central Texas. However, according to a report by the Hispanic Fund, many are 'confined to minimal incomes.' A workforce readiness program in Austin hopes to help bridge the economic gap. The nonprofit Latinitas created the self-paced course for people to earn certifications in a skill of their choice. Report shows progress, shortfalls in economic growth for Central Texas Latinos 'Latinitas is an Austin based nonprofit empowering girls in their communities through culturally relevant education. We do this through after school clubs, summer camps, conferences and online coding classes,' said Latinitas Executive Director Gabriela Kane Guardia. Guardia said its become one of their fastest growing programs. 'A career upskilling initiative that supports adult learners, whether they're job seekers, career-pivoters or recent graduates.' Latinitas Executive Director Gabriela Kane Guardia Guardia said nearly half of participants don't have a college degree and a majority of them are looking for new employment. How Latinas are redefining Austin's entrepreneurial scene 'Mostly Hispanic, mostly female participants in our programs,' Guardia said. 'They're balancing full-time work, caregiving or job search.' Top certification interests for the program included: Project Management Data Analytics IT Support The nonprofit also offers in-person workshops in financial literacy, resume building and mock interview practice. Guardia said they just started a new spring cohort for their workforce readiness program. Registration will open again in the fall with 20 available seats. Guardia said they've been able to expand their youth programs in both Austin and San Antonio, along with a national reach with their online coding program. 'Running a small nonprofit means wearing many hats, and Justworks has been a game changer for us in scaling our organization,' Guardia said. 'They've been taking on payroll and HR and compliance off our plate, and so we can focus on growing our programs and building our community.' For four months, Karlie Ramirez learned the ins and outs of project management. 'We say we want to go back to school, and time gets away from us,' Ramirez said. 'I've always wanted to go back and study project management and focus on that.' She participated in the workforce readiness program. Ramirez said she uses this knowledge at her job as an enrollment manager for a local charter school. 'It's definitely helped me to kind of build out and lay out working in groups, working with volunteers, laying out the logistical side of planning out these initiatives,' Ramirez said. These are lessons that will stay with her for a lifetime. 'It just is beneficial for not only myself, but for the organizations that I'm a part of,' Ramirez said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
