Roberto Rivera

Keynote Speaker

Professional Expertise

Roberto Rivera is an artist, educator, trainer and author with expertise in the areas of:

  • Developing youth-led community coalitions
  • Mobilizing youth voice to create social change
  • Cultural relevance as it pertains to pedagogy, Developmental Assets, and youth work
  • Creating and Sustaining Positive Youth Development utilizing Hip-hop Culture

Contributions to Search Institute

Rivera brings a unique perspective on how the power of Developmental Assets can be brought to life through meaningful youth engagement, including the use of Hip-hop. He has employed asset-based principles for over five years in community-based youth work in Los Angeles, Madison, and Chicago. He provides inspirational keynotes and powerful learning sessions linking the asset framework to organizational and community efforts with and for young people. His youthful perspective and approach has broadened and enhanced our presentations to youth.

Major Trainings and Presentations

  • Keynote: SBCC School Readiness Conference; Los Angeles, CA 2006-Audience of 1,000 teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and youth
  • Keynote: National MSAN (Minority Student Achievement Network) Conference; Madison, WI 2008-Audience of 200 of the nation’s top minority student leaders
  • Keynote: Dane County Youth Gang Prevention Task Force Conference; Madison, WI 2009-Audience consisted Law Officers, principals, teachers, correction personnel, and after-school youth workers
  • Keynote: A City Wide Event on Positive Youth Development in Hamilton, Ontario 2009-Audience of 100 community development organizations, educators, and key city leaders
  • Keynote: Why Try National Conference-Audience of 700 teachers, counselors, and administrators from around the world in Tacoma, WA 2009
  • Keynote: Wellness Conference; Fox Lane High School, Bedford, NY 2009-Audience of 1,200 students
  • Keynote: All School Assembly and Facilitated Training with Teachers; Puyallup, WA2010-Incorporating Positive Youth Development into the Classroom-Audience of 500 students, and 50 teachers
  • Keynote: PACER-Champions for Children with Disabilities Regional Conference; Minneapolis, MN 2009-Audience of 1,200 parents, teachers, administrators, counselors
  • Keynote: ALLIANCE Management and Children’s Mental Health Institute Conference Washington, D.C 2010-Audience of 300 from 106 Parent Centers that support parents with children who have disabilities in all 50 states
  • Keynote: PEAKS Conference on Inclusion Education Denver, CO 2010-Audience of 500 teachers, administrators, counselors, and school psychologists

Major Publications

Roberto has authored various curricula that have been used by schools, after-school networks, and art centers around the country. He is also the author of five original plays including Common Ground, Seeds of Culture, and Fulfill The Dream. He has also written a series of Hip-hop songs for children such as “You Come Too,” that have won national awards. Roberto is currently in the process of writing a book entitled “Hip-hope,” which discusses the principles, pedagogy and practice of engaging hard-to-reach youth to have hope using youth culture.

Awards and Honors

  • Roberto received the North American Association of Summer Sessions Creative and Innovative Program Award for a class he taught at UW-Madison through the School of Education entitled “The Art and Science of Using Spoken Word and Hip-Hop in the Classroom and Community.”
  • Roberto Rivera was the recipient of the Golden Rule Award in 1999.
  • Roberto received a Community Service Award from Congress Woman Tammy Baldwin in 2001.
  • Roberto Rivera received a special recognition from the White House for his Positive Youth Development work in the community from former President Bill Clinton.
  • Roberto received the Dane County Youth Resource Network Award for his work with youth in Wisconsin.
  • As a student at UW-Madison, Roberto received the American Multicultural Student Leadership Award in 2004.

Professional History

  • President, The Good Life Organization, Chicago, IL
  • Consultant, South Bay Center for Counseling, Los Angeles, CA
  • Founder, Elements of Change “Edutainment”, Madison, WI
  • Consultant, UW-Madison First Wave Learning Community, Madison, WI
  • Program Director, The New Loft Teen Center, Madison, WI
  • Board Member, Centro Hispano, Madison, WI

Professional Activities

  • Roberto is co-founder and facilitator of a Summer Institute for Teachers at UW-Madison, which started in 2006.
  • Roberto is an adjunct professor for UW-Platteville teaching accredited classes to primary and secondary education teachers around the mid-west.
  • He also was on the steering committee that started a Hip-hop Learning Community called The First Wave on UW-Madison campus.

Professional Training

In addition to gaining his Masters of Education in Youth Development, Roberto has developed very close relationships with scholars around the nation such as: Gloria Ladson-Billings (Specialist in Culturally Relevant Teaching UW-Madison), Roger Weissberg (Expert on Social and Emotional Learning UIC-Chicago), Robert Enright (Specialist on Forgiveness Education UW-Madison) Marcella Runell-Hall (Expert on Hip-hop Education NYU), and Eric Rico Gutstein (Social Justice education specialist).

Media Coverage

Roberto’s work has been featured in dozens of newspapers articles, magazines, and television slots in the Midwest. Copies and links to such material are available upon request.
Community Activities

In addition to the work that he does nationally, Roberto oversees culturally relevant, asset-based work in a dozen schools throughout the Midwest. He interfaces with Chicago leaders and youth on a weekly basis and works with them in mobilizing assets to address community issues creatively.

Education

  • B.A. in Social Change Youth Culture, and The Arts, University of Wisconsin Madison
  • M.Ed. in Youth development, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois