It’s not just about the music for one local youth community organization that hosts a Latino radio program.

El Break, a grassroots bilingual youth radio program and organization, discusses issues such as health care and education on air and takes an active role in the local Hispanic and youth community.

Diali Avila, a nonprofit management junior and an El Break member, said the radio program seeks to inform youth about issues ranging from culture to politics.

“Our show is youth-oriented, and all the content is for the youth,” Avila said.

The El Break program, hosted by eight Hispanic young adults, first broadcasted in 2006 on a local Latin station but has changed homes several times.

Luis Avila, founder of the El Break team and ASU alumnus, said the program has transitioned from traditional radio to the Internet.

“We are starting a new show on a local online station and working on short wave radio too,” Avila said “Media is localizing, and our new focus is going even more local, more supportive.”

He said he originally planned to create a magazine but started the organization and radio program instead.

“Since I was in high school, I have always thought that it is important for youth to express themselves and share opinions with the rest of the world,” Luis Avila said. “So a group of friends and I got together to create a magazine, then a radio show, and soon we will be launching our new blog.”

Diali Avila said the group moves beyond the airwaves and into the community.

“We want to do something more and not [host] just a radio show,” Avila said. “We want to get out and help the community.”

The El Break group held a hunger strike in August 2007 in which members did not eat for seven days to inform people about the DREAM Act, a proposed piece of federal legislation with provisions that would give undocumented youth the chance to be eligible for citizenship through higher education or military service and by demonstrating good moral character.

“We wanted to bring attention to this campaign and by doing so, educate people about the problems undocumented students go through to receive an education,” she said.

Luis Avila said the mission of the El Break “is to promote the betterment of communities through education, civic engagement, arts, culture and the production of media for social change.”

The El Break group has distriduted more than 500 scholarship packets to students, given out close to $1,500 in scholarship money, hosted community forums and raised money for charities.

“In October we will have a community forum for the gay community and in November we will have our 4th annual awards show called Stylos which consists of an awards show/fashion show/concert,” Diali Avila said.

The community forum in October coincides with “National Coming Out Week.” A panel consisting of hosts from a parent of a gay youth to a role model in the homosexual community will lead the forum discussion.

She said that most El Break events are for the Hispanic community, but the group does like to reach out to other communities.

Luis Avila said he felt it was El Break’s responsibility to be involved with the community.

“We always say we are lucky to have a microphone, a place to write, a place to express ourselves — and that’s good, but it is not enough if we don’t give that chance to others,” he said.

Reach the reporter at lpalmisa@asu.edu.