Hola! My name is María Caba. I am a Black Dominican social justice educator, disruptor, and community organizer living in Brooklyn, NY. A former DACAmented youth, I have engaged in deep grassroots community organizing with immigrant youth throughout NYC since the early 2010s. I received a bachelor’s in psychology from Hunter College and am a CUNY ASAP and 2016 Coro’s Immigrant Civic Leadership Program (ICLP) alumna. I am the Youth Leadership and Advocacy Manager at the Children’s Defense Fund-New York, where I work to train, empower and mobilize NYC youth to action. I am a Facilitator with YouthNPower: Transforming Care.

Why is this project important to you?

The YouthNPower Project is important because it is youth-led. Our Youth Action Organizers and Researchers are informing and leading every part of this work by using their expertise to envision a more just child welfare system. We center the voices of those with lived experience in the child welfare system to name their problems and solutions.

What do you hope to accomplish in this project?

I hope we improve the conditions of youth transitioning out of the system, and that our communities recognize the role young people play in our pursuit of justice and social change.

What have been some of your experiences in the project?

I have been continuously inspired by the powerful leadership our Youth Action Organizers and Researchers have demonstrated throughout the project. In a span of a few weeks, our Organizers led targeted outreach to their communities and hosted their first congressional briefing with our leaders in Washington, DC, and our Researchers have researched and developed the direct cash transfer pilot and our first survey.

What are your hopes and dreams for young people?

I hope young people are emboldened to demand a seat at the tables where decisions are made that impact them and their communities. I hope we inspire young people to organize, mobilize and demand the changes they want to see in their communities.

Maria’s Favorite Things:
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
Color: Yellow
Current Favorite Book: When We Make It
Flower: Sunflower
Hobby: Listening to Music, Kundalini Yoga and Hiking
Zodiac: Aquarius Sun and Moon, Pisces Rising