Board of Advisors Thought Piece: Jorge Jimenez

By: Jorge Jimenez

In continuing our Thought Piece series, we are excited to have members of our Board of Directors and Advisors participate in this series. We hope for our community to learn more about our team and the incredible work these individuals do. 

This month, we have a Thought Piece written by Jorge Jimenez, the Education Pathways Coordinator at the Utah Community Advocate Network (UCAN) housed at the University Neighborhood Partners (UNP). Jorge is the youngest member of our Board of Advisors! 

        I have worked as a grassroots organizer, researcher, and leader in the Glendale community for the last five years. What is important to me is community-centered work, pursuing solutions that the community has identified, and using my knowledge and skills to help navigate and remove barriers. This work is embodied in the Utah Community Advocate Network (UCAN), a group of parents meeting for the last fifteen years to address the issues in their neighborhoods. The first issue they tackled was gang involvement and violence among the youth. The next issue was advocacy in the k12 academic system. From there, they focused on mental health access for youth, and now they have come to rally around the issue of a Glendale High.

        Since 1988, when South High was closed, Westside families and students have felt a disproportionate amount of burden to be able to attend and participate in high school. This is due to the distance of five miles between the high school that now serves the Westside and the Westside itself. Because of this disparity, parents have begun conversations with the school board, the city council, and the mayor on how to make a school in the community to serve our neighborhood better. In this work, The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging (The Center) has been invaluable. They have helped us access people we would typically be unable to talk to, connect with national leaders who have addressed similar issues, and also helped us identify funding for this expensive work.

        Just recently, I was invited to join The Center’s Board of Advisors. It is an honor to be the youngest member of the board. I hope to guide and counsel The Center in continuing its mission of increasing belonging for all people in all spaces.