Meet Mi Pueblo

“Mi Pueblo” in Spanish means – my nation, my people, or my village.

Mi Pueblo is a nonprofit Latin American Culture Camp designed for children of Latino heritage and their allies with special outreach to Latino adoptees and their children. The Camp is held the third week of June each year in the Cleveland area.

For more than 30 years Mi Pueblo has brought families together from all over the Midwest and beyond to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, for a fun and educational experience to learn about Latino culture through music, dance, cooking, games, crafts and more.

Mi Pueblo is sponsored by the non-profit adoption family support group, Concern for Children, Inc., which was founded in 1993 by parents of adoptees.

The Camp provides children and teens ages 2 years to 19 years with a positive and fun environment in which they may learn about Latino culture and can gain pride in both their heritage and themselves. Classes in dance, music, games, crafts, culture and Spanish language all focus upon the traditions of Latin American countries and Latino culture in the US.

In addition, campers are treated to special guests throughout the week. Past years have included presentations of live Latin American animals, Latino artists and immigrants who talk about growing up in their native lands and/or cultures. Latino bands, dance and theater groups, and story tellers, have entertained campers. Our kitchen provides a hot lunch of

Latin American recipes each day. Culminating the week’s activities is a Fiesta celebration on Friday night. Campers, dressed in traditional and modern costumes, present dances and songs they learned during the week. Each year Camp activities focus upon a theme. Recent themes have included “Encanto,” “Festivales y Momentos Felices – Festivals and Happy Moments!”, “Latin America Through the 20th Century” and “The Nature of Latin America.”

The classes at the Camp are taught by members of the Cleveland Latino community, giving campers positive role models who share their heritage. All other Camp operations are covered by more than 50 volunteers. Over twenty teens participated in our first full week Teen Program in 2022, and other teens and young adult volunteers, many of who were adopted from Latin America, volunteer to help operate the Camp. The campers develop a special bond with the teens, seeing young adults who are “just like me.” A special evening for the teens is held during the week of camp.

The wonderful thing about Mi Pueblo is how amazing it is to see such a beneficial activity blossom forth seemingly from nothing each year for one week, drawing families from all over Ohio and the country who, in just 5-7 days, rekindle or enkindle friendships and immerse children, teens and adults in Latin American culture and an adoptee-family atmosphere.

Information about Mi Pueblo is disseminated through our newsletter, La Prensa de Mi Pueblo.