With increased media coverage of the national immigration debate it has become more difficult for young people to navigate the media messages they receive and formulate their own ideas and opinions around the issue. A young poet in San Jose California, Yosimar Reyes, is helping high school students navigate these confusing messages in a safe and fun environment free of judgment.

A word smith and performance poet Yosimar opens the workshop with a poem painting a picture for the 30 high school students seated of a word of strife and prejudice fueled by international boarders. After the students are warmed up and ready to listen this 19-year-old community activist leads them through a brainstorming process. Without fear of judgment or shame students are asked to shout out words describing both legal and illegal residents to this country. "What does an illegal look like, what do they eat and how do they dress?" Yosimar asks.

As the class begins to warm to the idea of shouting out the first thing on the top of their mind two lists form on the board describing a legal and illegal resident. After this exercise the students are asked to get up from their seats and gather in a circle around their enthusiastic leader. Yosimar then breaks the students into groups of twos and asks own student to pose as an illegal and one as a legal. The illegal student must follow the hand of the legal student wherever it goes. This exercise is designed to show students what it might be like to be an illegal chasing the ever-illusive status of legal.

Please check out our show on Yosimar and his "Power to The Powerless" workshop:

http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098A13200170098D49F/

produced by: Corduroy Media