Luis Valdez, who produced the movies “Zoot Suit” and “La Bamba” imparted very personal experiences on the migrant workers’ trail in California to inspire local youth as well as adults during a recent visit to Nogales. His message: “Turn the negative into positive.”

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Valdez, who has family roots in Nogales and Sasabe, was the keynote speaker during the March 13 Youth On The Border Conference in the Americana Hotel.

The 68-year-old writer and film director is regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the United States. He told the audience that his inspiration for joining the theater, in part, emerged from an experience he had when he was just six years old.

‘Chango’

He watched a teacher use part of a paper bag to make paper-mache masks for a theater production. He was selected to be a “chango” or monkey in the play. “I was excited because the outfit was better than the clothes I wore!” he said.

One month into that school year, his family had to hit the migrant trail again and he was unable to participate in the play. Deeply disappointed he “turned a negative into a positive” and soon was producing his own plays with his siblings. He later became founder and artistic director of the internationally known El Teatro Campesino.

A founding faculty member and director of the California State University, Monterey Bay Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department, Valdez's play, “Zoot Suit,” ran in 1978 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles for 46 weeks, playing to more than 40,000 people. Valdez became the first Mexican-American director to have a play presented on Broadway in 1979. In 1981, the play was turned into a movie.

“La Bamba,” a story about Ritchie Valens, a popular Chicano 1950s rocker, was another box-office success that debuted in 1987.

Given a gift

Valdez told a group of about 100 youths during a break-out session, that, “Every one of you has been given a gift �“ not just the gift of life. With life comes the gift of intelligence, with life comes a heart. With life comes some kind of creativity because you are all creators. You are workers and you are all creators.”

(See Video at nogalesinternational.com)

The second-annual conference offered workshops on the issues that impact young people living in the Arizona-Sonora border region.

Topics included an update on the situation of migrant children, including the status of unaccompanied children repatriated to Mexico, and children left behind in the United States when parents are deported.

Workshops

Workshops included ‘Teen Relationship Violence in the Age of Technology,” ‘The Law and its Implications for Underage Drinkers,” and ‘Youth and HIV/AIDS: Cultural Considerations for Treatment and Prevention.”

There were presentations on substance abuse by youth including: ‘The Dangers of Meth,” a video produced by Nogales teen, Jesse Medina, and “Alcohol and its Impact on Teens,” a presentation by SEABHS Youth Advocates, which looks at the dangers of underage drinking including how alcohol affects the teen brain.

Rosy Medina of the Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force and Dana Gallardo of the Juvenile Detention Center were this year’s recipients of the Advocate for Youth Awards that recognize adults who have helped to, or made it possible for youth to be involved in community issues.

The conference was made possible by the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office; Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force, Meth Initiative; Nogales Weed & Seed, with additional support from the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Court Community Advisory Board.