Dream ...to someday make a difference in the lives of our youth and to contribute to the preservation of our Puerto Rican culture. I believe our heritage was a gift given to us by our ancestors and as such, it is our responsibility to continue their work. In retrospect, preserving our culture does not mean that we exclude ourselves from the rest of the world. Our purpose is to embrace our heritage with pride and dignity. I believe that in order to understand other cultures we must first understand our own. We have over 500 years of history and during this time many of our ancestors have made contributions that not only benefited our people, but helped other communities as well. Our current leaders are examples of the contributions made to communities on the island and in the United States of America. It is my dream...of not sitting idle waiting for a miracle to happen that will empower our people to succeed, especially our youth. We need to encourage our youth to succeed and let them know of the support systems available. Our leaders need to continuously remind our youth that there is hope, to acknowledge that their voices are being heard and to remind our youth that their struggles are our struggles. It is my dream ....not to sit idle in the darkness, but to become the lighted candle that will show our youth the way to success. It is my dream ....that someday a cultural center will be established so that future generations can see what their ancestors have done. It is important to continue advocating for positive solutions that will help dispel misunderstanding among the youth of today. It is my dream...to someday see this cultural center become a support system for our youth, a haven for youth in need, a place for building the leaders of the future, a tutorial center, and a place where we can share our history and traditions. It is my dream.... That self-determination does not become a forgotten daily routine in our lives. We as a people must take responsibility in improving the quality of life in our community. It is my dream.... To see our leaders take a stand on youth issues and strongly advocate for the needs of our people and community. It is my dream...most of all to see the quality of life improve in our community and this cannot be achieved unless we all take responsibility in uniting. Progress does not come from the efforts of one individual, but from the entire community.