Albino Garcia Jr., Executive Director of La Plazita Institute, Albquerque, New Mexico

Albino Garcia Jr. is the Founder of La Plazita Institute, a grass-roots community organization in Albuquerque, NM that engages young people and their families in a comprehensive, holistic approach to youth and community development. A major focus of La Plazita is to help prevent recidivism amongst formerly incarcerated youth and adults.

Garcia was born in Illinois and grew up near Chicago. As a young man, he struggled to relate to the cultural values and approaches of public school and other institutions, but today he draws on a wealth of street knowledge and experience to effectively work with youth. In 1979, at the age of 17, he served in the United States Military as an alternative to incarceration. He served seven years, including in Korea, and received recognition for his service.

In 1994, Garcia founded the New School of Watsonville, CA designed to give youth a second chance for education in an alternative setting more conductive to their needs. He has served as an educator, trainer, and community liaison for the Community Engagement Center at the University of New Mexico, and as a Deputy Director of Training at Youth Development Inc. in New Mexico. He also has several years of experience as the lead program coordinator at Barrios Unidos in Santa Cruz, CA, where he initiated school-based, community-based, and institution programming.

In 1995, he was one of 50 people chosen for the prestigious Kellogg Fellowship which awarded him $130,000 over three years to make a difference in addressing major social issues in the United States and beyond. As a Fellow, Garcia had the opportunity to travel extensively, meeting with noted thinkers and leaders including President Jimmy Carter, the Rigoberta Menchu Foundation in Guatemala City, Samuel Ruiz, the Dalai Lama, Parker Palmer, and others. He visited and participated in forums around civic engagement, leadership, and global issues in Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Peru, Guatemala, Belize, South Africa, Mexico, and cities across the United States.

Apache and Chichimeca in origin, Garcia is recognized as an outstanding leader and spiritual activist in Albuquerque, NM and was recently honored by the Rosebud Tribe. He speaks English and Spanish fluently and has conversational knowledge of Korean. He has been married for twenty-two years to his wife Frances, is the father of three children, Ursula, Albino Jr., and Sylvia, and has two grandchildren, Mariah and Adriana. HealthCare UnTold recognizes Albino Garcia Jr. for all of his many inspiring contributions focused on creating peace and solidarity.