Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project - Tequio Youth Group Video (Indigenous Student Group)

Tequio (from the Nahuatl word "Tequitl", which means "work" or "tribute") refers to the organized form of work done for the collective benefit of a community. Tequio essentially consists of the various duties and resources each member of a community must contribute for the construction of a public project, such as a school, a road, a well, or any other necessity.

In this case, our community is working to construct: Justice, Respect, and Equality for Indigenous Communities.

Tequio Youth Group is a Ventura County organization comprised of indigenous youth. This youth group is part of the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project, or MICOP. Tequio Youth Group started in November, 2010, with the goal of creating youth leaders. Currently, an average of 15 students (ranging from elementary school to college as well as a diverse spectrum of community members) attend weekly meetings every Monday evening from 6-8 p.m. Here, Tequio Youth Group plan and organize ways in which our various aims can be achieved.

The four aims or objectives of Tequio Youth Group are as follows:

Aim # 1

To reduce discrimination against the Oaxaqan and Indigenous communities in Ventura County. Focusing primarily within the educational sphere, Tequio seeks to prevent discrimination through the implementation of a policies that prohibit the use of terms such as "Oaxaquita" or "indito" which are used disparagingly against people of "indigenous complexions".

Aim # 2

Strengthen our indigenous identity through community dialogues and presentations focusing on indigenous history, folklore, culture, tradition, gastronomy, cosmology, and language.

Aim # 3

Inform the Oaxacan and Indigenous community about the importance of education as well as informing the community about the variety of institutions and organizations that provide monetary assistance for students who wish to pursue higher education.

Aim # 4

To develop youth leadership and to create youth leaders who are capable of informing, motivating, and influencing the Oaxacan community in the realms of laboral and educational empowerment.


MICOP/Tequio Youth Group:
www.mixteco.org

Video Produced by: Eric Reyes
Contact: [email protected]