Bloom’s Youth Leadership Series is Cultivating Young Leaders in the RGV
Story by Melissa Cortes Santiago
Edited by Abigail Vela
- June 19, 2025
Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, it’s not uncommon to hear that if you want to succeed, you have to leave. This, unfortunately, often comes from teachers, mentors, and sometimes even family members. There wasn’t always much effort to help us learn more about the community or connect with local organizations doing grassroots work. But a new generation is starting to change that, and organizations like Bloom RGV are ensuring they have the support to do it.
Bloom RGV (Building Leaders and Organizing Our Movement) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on civic engagement and empowering young people in the RGV. They provide a space for young people to find their voice and explore their passions without feeling the need to leave home to do so. Their Youth Leadership Series is one way they’re doing that. The hands-on program helps young adults learn about advocacy, build leadership skills, and connect them with the tools and resources they need to launch their own community-based projects.
“Our goal is to help the youth here in the RGV have a voice in politics so that we can all build our future. One in which we are all able to grow and blossom,” said Edith Cuevas, Bloom’s Director of Data and Communications.
Bridging the Gap Between Youth and Advocacy
The Youth Leadership Series was born out of Bloom’s high school voter registration work. Cuevas and the Bloom team realized that while students were eager and wanted to participate, they weren’t very aware of local civic engagement or advocacy organizing in the RGV.
“We want them to know the nonprofits doing amazing work here in the RGV and see themselves after graduating high school, even if they end up going to another city or out of state for school, tapped into the work that’s going on down here,” said Cuevas.
The program consisted of four-part workshops and was designed for participants aged 18 to 22. The sessions focused on communication skills, advocacy 101, narrative-building, and digital marketing. By holding sessions in community spaces like libraries and local coffee shops, Bloom aims to help participants connect with different parts of their communities.
Finding a Sense of Connection in Local Communities
What makes the program so special is how it’s helping participants develop their own grassroots projects based on community needs and personal experiences.
One of their participants, also referred to as fellows, is working on a project to help improve disability services at UTRGV. Another fellow is advocating for the decriminalization of marijuana and learning how to use petitions to mobilize support. Others are trying to develop life-coaching programs for recent high school graduates and calling for more comprehensive support for transgender youth.
Despite the variety of focuses, Cuevas sees a common thread among all the fellows. “They’re all so passionate and have wonderful ideas. I think all that’s needed is honing and working on their messaging.” That’s where Bloom comes in to help the fellows build the confidence to move forward.
The leadership series is meant to help participants feel truly connected to their communities. For Cuevas, this project hits home. When she was younger, she believed that she had to leave the RGV to succeed. She studied at Smith College in Massachusetts, returning during summer breaks to volunteer with local nonprofits, such as LUPE, and eventually found herself back home through civic work.
“I wish I had this kind of program when I was younger,” she said. “It would’ve saved me a lot of confusion, and it would’ve made me feel like I belonged here.”
Better 956: The Work Ahead
The Youth Leadership Series is just the beginning of the work Bloom is doing in the community. They are preparing to launch their next initiative, “Better 956,” a follow-up program where the fellows will launch projects or campaigns based on the work they started during the leadership series.
“It’s essentially putting all their passions into practice and getting them connected by that point with organizations here in the Valley,” Cuevas said.
And Bloom’s reach is expanding even more! With fellows from cities across the RGV, from Brownsville to San Juan, they are actively working to strengthen connections with parts of the Valley that are often overlooked, like Starr County. The team has already received a certification to help register voters there and is seeking support from local administrators and educators to build new partnerships.
In doing so, they’re rewriting that story many of us grew up with—that you have to leave the Valley to make a difference. With support, mentorship, and a clear sense of purpose, Bloom is showing the next generation that connecting with their community can be one of their greatest strengths.
