Silvia began volunteering with LCYC in late 2021 after seeing a presentation led by LCYC during Amazon’s Pro Bono Week. LCYC Staff Attorneys presented on homeless youth advocacy in Washington and ways for volunteers to get involved. One of the volunteer opportunities shared was to provide translation support for legal literacy tools and resources. LCYC is making an intentional effort to translate materials to different languages so that we can reach youth who have historically faced barriers to accessing legal support.
Silvia Gaydac, LCYC Pro Bono Champion
Silvia is originally from Lima, Peru and is a native Spanish speaker. While living in Peru, she volunteered at one of the biggest orphanages in the country. She also spent time volunteering with a nonprofit that works to fight extreme poverty by building transitional housing and implementing social inclusion programs. Before moving to Seattle, Silvia lived in Greenville, South Carolina where she volunteered to teach English as a second language. So, when the opportunity to provide translation support for LCYC’s Youth Homelessness Program arose, it was an obvious fit.
Silvia is LCYC’s first translator through Pro Bono Champions, where she is helping to expand legal literacy by translating eight legal education videos from English to Spanish. These videos cover topics related to housing, providing easy-to-understand information on how to identify housing-related legal issues and when and how to seek legal support. Silvia enjoys the opportunity to use her language skills and expertise to ensure that Spanish speaking youth have access to services, tools, and resources in her community. Once complete, the videos will be posted on our website, YouTube Channel, on social media, and shared with community partners.
We are grateful for the support of Silvia to ensure that Spanish speaking youth and young adults can access this important legal information!