Although Gilroyan Robert Castro started down an at-risk path as
a youth, he turned his life around and committed himself to the
Latino community and its culture.
Although Gilroyan Robert Castro started down an at-risk path as a youth, he turned his life around and committed himself to the Latino community and its culture.
For his efforts, Castro was given the Adult Role Model award from Project Cornerstone, an area organization aimed at helping children. Castro was given the award at the organization’s 10th annual Asset Champions Breakfast, held March 19.
Castro was an original organizer of San Jose’s End Barrio Warfare organization in the mid-1980s. His involvement with the Black Berets for Justice led him to the American Indian movement and the Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl University, where he learned about the indigenous cultures of America and was first exposed to Aztec dance.
In 1987, with his wife Laura and daughter, Yolanda, Castro founded Izkall, an Aztec dance group. Izkall, which means “resurgency,” exposes youth of all ages to indigenous cultures and teaches them the value of discipline and remaining drug- and alcohol-free while helping ensure that the traditions of indigenous cultures continue.
Izkall has had a profound impact on the lives of its participants. One such example is a young woman who Castro met when he was called to a junior high school after a student was shot. The young woman was a gang member who had been living in foster homes and was at risk of entering the juvenile justice system. After Castro introduced her to Aztec dance, she turned her life around and is now a medical technician with a family of her own. She still dances with the group.
Through his work as Interventions Community Outreach Educator for MACSA and as a community volunteer, Castro serves as a positive role model for youth several ways. Through a young men’s support group at Gilroy High School, Castro helps students learn the truth about gangs and helps them develop the values they need to stay out of gangs. Through MACSA’s Adelante Mentorship Program, Castro fosters positive life choices for Restorative Justice participants to deter them from gangs, violence, drugs, alcohol, and dropping out of school. Castro also serves as a gang conflict mediator. Castro helps parents find school and community programs that best the needs of their children.
