DENVER – One local organization is getting creative when it comes to encouraging youth groups to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Servicios de La Raza (Services for the People) is a local nonprofit in Denver that offers a variety of bilingual human services to the community.
The organization’s youth leadership program is organizing an art contest aimed to motivate Latinx and Chicano youth to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
It’s called La Raza Youth Leadership Art Contest. The theme is the "Importance of motivating Latinx/Chicano youth to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.”
Art pieces can be submitted online through the organization’s Facebook page and website.
“The art contest is for all BIPOC youth. BIPOC meaning Black, Indigenous and People of Color youth, they have to be between the ages of 12 and 19,” said Alondra Gil-Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is a member of the art contest’s youth committee. “A lot of people have lost family members, and I’ve lost friends who were my age to COVID,” she added.
According to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, Colorado’s Hispanic population has the lowest vaccination rate in the state.
Website data shows that only around 38% of the Hispanic population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Denver7 spoke with one local student, Daniela Fernandez, who says she plans on submitting a piece of artwork.
“I love creating art. I'm in many like art classes, and enjoy, like putting my own perspective on things,” said Fernandez. “My process is to take big famous leaders that are big parts of Chicano leadership, and find ways to incorporate it into more modern artwork.”
The deadline to submit a piece of artwork is Feb. 14. The winner will be announced on Feb. 19.
The winner will get $1,000 as well as have their artwork displayed all over bus advertisement spaces across Denver and Aurora.
