their languages and cultures, and to improve educational opportunities and student outcomes within Native American and Alaska Native communities. The Department of Education also supports four Equity Assistance Centers that provide technical assistance (including training) at the request of school boards and other governmental agencies in the preparation, adoption, and implementation of plans for equitable access to education for all students. Another U.S. initiative, the College Horizons Outreach Program, has promoted social inclusion and increased access to higher education for over 2,600 African descendant and indigenous high school students in Latin America through diverse (American) English teaching, academic advising, and mentoring in a culturally supportive environment since 2006. The two-year program reaches students who have been marginalized from accessing quality educational opportunities, particularly for those without family and mentor support/experience, and offers them a support network to navigate the complexities of the college preparation process locally or in the United States. In addition to those examples and other programs, the United States vigorously enforces civil rights in schools by thoroughly evaluating, and, where appropriate, investigating and resolving, each complaint received. PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC AND POLITICAL LIFE The United States is firmly committed to ensuring that youth around the world can be active participants in civil society organizations, political parties, innovation, and community action at every level and in all areas. Productive youth engagement with governments promotes global and cultural competencies that drive innovation, promote diversity and tolerance, and build stronger, more inclusive democracies. Conversely, when youth are repressed, confidence in government recedes and can generate frustration that makes youth vulnerable to dangerous narratives that espouse disenfranchisement and violence. We recognize the ongoing disparities in access to quality educational outcomes specifically faced by youth from racial, ethnic, and other minority groups. We support inclusive educational opportunities that produce greater academic outcomes, build economic prosperity, and lead to stronger democratic institutions. We realize that many institutional barriers continue and minority youth engagement must be specific and deliberate in order to produce significant results that have an impact on access to educational outcomes.