NHI announces hosts for six 2015 LDZ programs

This year, the National Hispanic Institute will be hosting six different editions of its Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session — its life-changing leadership program that allows students to explore public policy and the workings of government through a dynamic and fully-immersive eight-day program. Students form their own political parties, run for offices to make up a legislature and a judicial body, and then debate proposed bills seeking to address a range of issues. The program is often cited by NHI alumni as the program that allowed them to gather the courage to advocate for what they believe in, to speak up, and to become engaged in their communities.

This year’s LDZ calendar begins at two ends of the spectrum with programs running from June 21 to June 28 — the California LDZ, a brand-new event, debuts this year at the University of San Diego, while one of NHI’s longest-running programs, the Colorado LDZ, is hosted (as it has been for more than 20 years now) by Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

The National LDZ, traditionally held at one of a number of Chicago-area colleges, will be hosted by Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Ill. and will run from June 28 to July 5.

LDZ Las Americas, keeping to a recent NHI tradition of offering an LDZ program outside of the U.S., will run July 5 to July 12 at Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge) in Panama City, Panama.

The New York LDZ, hosted by the University of Rochester, will run from July 12 to July 19, giving NHI students in the Northeast an opportunity to congregate in upstate New York.

And finally, the Texas LDZ, now in its 4th decade, will be held at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin this year, running from July 19 to 26.

For more information on this vital NHI program (or to register), visit the NHI website’s LDZ page.