Cesar Chavez Service Clubs
Cesar Chavez Service Clubs
What We Do
Creating Leadership Experiences For Young Students
Cesar Chavez Service Clubs
Since 2001, the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs have offered an exciting and innovative leadership development club that are active in many local schools in the San Diego region. The Clubs are built on the ten values of Cesar Chavez and are designed to engage Club members in community service activities. The Clubs are built on the ten values of Cesar Chavez and are designed to engage Club members in leadership and community service activities. Students build confidence and are inspired to believe in themselves as they learn through their experiences that they can make a lasting difference.
Each student club member signs a Contract when they join, agreeing to be a proud, respectful, and active club member. Student Chavistas also learn about the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs' logo or emblem which is divided into five elements:
- DOVE: Use peace rather than violence (PEACE);
- HEART: Embrace others in a positive and loving way (LOVE);
- TREE: Respect yourself, others and the environment (RESPECT);
- HAND: Be an active team member and give service to the community (SERVICE);
- EARTH: Unite for the greater good for this world (UNITY).
2020-2021 Chavista Congress
Elected by their peers, the Chavista Congress these Congress Officers lead the project priorities selected by Club members
Yasmin Mojarro
President
After studying 8 years in Mexico, Yasmin traveled to the United States as an English Learner and is currently taking honors and AP classes at Crawford and aspires to become a lawyer with a specialization in immigration. She has fueled this dream by becoming President of the Leaders of Law at Crawford as well as serving the role of Expert Witness in the Mock Trial organization. In addition to her excellence, Yasmin is a multisport athlete who will be the Captain of her Cross Country team and the Track team. As the first elected President of the Chavista Congress, Yasmin is ready to help the Congress become a strong voice for youth in the community.
Jennifer Ortega
Vice President
Jennifer has served as an Officer for the Chavez Clubs and played a big role in community organizing efforts. Her experience as a member of the Social Justice Academy has helped her understand the importance of mental health and she is currently serving on the Health and Wellness Committee at Hoover. Additionally, Jennifer has been involved in the ROTC since freshman year and this summer is training in Iowa to serve as a member of the National Guard. As the Congress Vice President, Jennifer will use problem-solving, good communication, and her heart to help her fellow Congress members reach their full potential.
Joel Castro
Secretary
Joel has been a part of the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs since 4th grade. He is great at leading by example serving as the President of his class cabinet at Hoover, Secretary of the Hoover Robotics team, and a member of both Hoover’s Cross Country and Track team. Outside of school, Joel is a member of the Aaron Price Fellows Program, which helps develop and engage diverse students in San Diego. In the future, Joel aspires to be a graphic designer or software development engineer. For now, he takes his responsibility as Secretary very seriously and will be attending every meeting to take notes and ensure that Congress memes stay on task.
Brian Ortiz
Treasurer
A student at Edison Elementary School, Brian has been in the Chavez Clubs for 3 years and has continuously shown leadership since his first year as a Chavista. Brian has always been a student who loves to interact with others and loves to help and have fun with his fellow classmates. This year Brian has not only been an active and a more vocal member of the Chavista Club, but he has also become a member of his elementary school’s student council as Treasurer.
Martin Pillado
Historian
A student at Edison Elementary School, Martin has been a Chavista for a year and has been an absolute great role model. Since day one, he has been a vocal member of the Clubs and is never afraid to offer suggestions on activities and ideas. Although Martin gets really shy when it comes to speaking in front of an audience, he decided to run for Historian with the support of his friends. Martin has now attended every Chavista Congress meeting and has been part of the project committee who took action by speaking to the San Diego City Council on the ballot measure in early March. The ballot measure passed 4 to 1.
Community Events
Building Leadership Through Community Participation
Rosa Parks Principal's Award
Many of our Chavistas participate in school activities. Here they are shown at a school assembly being awarded the Principal’s Award for citizenship and leadership in organizing inclusive activities for the student body.
Cesar Chavez Marches
The Chavez Service Clubs enjoys to actively participate in many neighborhood events, especially the marches and parades. Since the 2001 inception of the Clubs, the Cesar Chavez Elementary neighborhood march is a community favorite. Our first Club began at this elementary school. The photo shows Maryann Fox, former Chancellor of the University of California at San Diego, participating in a neighborhood march.
Service Projects
Giving Back To Our Communities
Feeding The Hungry
Each Club discusses and votes on the projects they will participate in. Helping the Most Needy is one of the Clubs’ core values and feeding the hungry is one of the activities the Clubs have worked on over a number of years. Whether it’s cooking the meal, making sandwiches, serving the food, the Chavistas are ready for action.
Naming of Cesar E. Chavez Parkway
Tree Planting
The Chavistas were played a very important and successful active role persuading the City of San Diego to name a street in honor of Cesar Chavez. On the day of the street naming, Chavistas, the Urban Corps of San Diego, and many volunteers planted hundreds of trees on and adjacent to Cesar E.Chavez Parkway.
Greening of the Inner City
Working to Beautify The Community
Most of our Clubs are located in San Diego’s inner city. Chavistas and their supporters have planted hundreds of trees in and around their school sites. One of the Club values is respect and tree planting gives Chavista’s the opportunity to beautify their community.
Leadership Development
Building the Leaders of the Future
Chavista Podcasts - 2019
Learning About Community Leaders
and Building Communication Skills
In episode 1, Chavistasinterviews Chavez Clubs Founder, Linda LeGerrette, who talks about how the Clubs were started and how the values of Cesar Chavez are part of every Chavez Club curriculum.
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y5i2d-ab6116
In the episode 2 you will hear Elementary Chavistas from Euclid and Fay Elementary from San Diego City Heights interviewing long time activist Vernon Sukumu. It follows with, a president's day special, black history fun facts and a section of black figures that inspire young Chavistas!
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y9pht-b3aba9
Learning the Chavez Legacy
Leadership Lessons from the Movement
The history of Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers movement gives Chavistas tremendous insight regarding Chavez’ philosophy and decision making. The Clubs are very fortunate that many individuals who worked with the Cesar Chavez visit the Clubs sharing the many valuable lessons they learned while serving the farmworkers and other civil and human rights organizations. The leadership lessons are taught through the 10 Values.
Chavista Relationships
Building Lasting Friendships
The Chavez Service Club takes great pride in bringing together young students who want to serve their school and community. The Chavistas represent many of the different communities and enjoy the opportunity of meeting other Chavistas from throughout the community. Many of these relationships will last a lifetime.
Club Elections
Learning Democracy Firsthand
Every Club elects five officers each year to govern the activities of the Chavez Service Club. These officers are President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Historian. The meetings give opportunity to the Chavistas to learn the art of running a meeting, discussing the issues, voting, designing activities, carrying out responsibilities and a time to discuss what was learned and were the Chavistas accountable for their part in the activity. Each member must register to vote using the Chavista Voter Registration Form before they can participate in the election activities.
Shaking Hands
A Key Leadership Skill
“Give me a firm hand shake and look directly into my eyes” is the first lesson Chavistas learn from the Club Coordinators as the Chavistas enter the room for their first meeting. This handshake sets the foundation for a number of other leadership lessons the Chavistas will learn and take with them for their entire life.
Book Clubs
Improving Reading Skills and Expanding Critical Thinking
Learning About History, Social Justice
and the Fight for Equality
Cesar Chavez Service Club members have an opportunity to participate in an after-school book club at five schools in San Diego Unified School District and one school in the Chula Vista Elementary District. These Book Clubs reinforce the 10 Values of the Chavez Service Clubs through a supported reading program led by club volunteers, Carmen Brooks and others. Chavistas read age appropriate fiction and non-fiction award winning books (Newbery Honor, National Book Award, Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor winners). In Club meetings, Book Club members discuss the themes and characters in the books and work on writing projects to express their thoughts about what they are reading.
Emma's Book Report
In addition to their regular school work, our Chavista's who participate in our book clubs read a list of books on topics that have impacted their generation. In this video, Emma, a fifth grader from McKinley Elementary School gives an excellent book report on two books, Front Desk and Three Keys.
Civic Participation
Participation in the Governance of Our Community
School Board Presentations
The Chavez Service Clubs enjoy the opportunity to make presentations to the decision makers of the San Diego Unified School District regarding the many issues that affect students. Two of the Chavistas below were founders of Point Loma High’s Chavez Service Club and are now following their dreams of becoming a doctor and a lawyer.
Cesar Chavez Station Campaign
The Chavistas led a very successful letter writing campaign to convince the local transit board to name the 25th Street trolley stop in honor of human rights champion Cesar Chavez. The station dedication drew a host of speakers including Dolores Huerta and Hon. Ben Hueso. The Chavistas also participated in the program.
School Budget Advocacy
Not wanting their teachers laid off, the Central Elementary Chavistas rallied to make presentations at the board meetings and meet with each school board member individually at the district’s central office, at the representative’s home, or a meeting at the Central school site. The president of the school board has gone on record saying that he believes it was the participation of the Chavistas that centered and brought the board together regarding not laying off teachers.
