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Organizer. advocate. fighter

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Courses. Workshops. Trainings. Presentations.
​Available Upon Request

The Child Who Believed He Could : Personal Testimony
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Nonviolent Communication For Inner Peace And Social Justice


A Voice And A Choice : Grassroots Community Organizing Fundamentals
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Black Theology And Liberation

Breaking The Cycle With Dieter Cantu

Economic Development In Low Income Communities

How To Become More Productive In A Distracting World

How To Break Generational Curses Within The Black Community

Civic Engagement And Decolonization

Behind The Masquerade : A Youth Led Dialogue On Grasstop And Grassroots
Organizing To Create Solutions For Dual Status Youth
As a youth he received a ten year sentence and spent close to four years incarcerated for his first offense, where he was with three adults and Dieter was the only individual required to serve time due to the juvenile detention system not having a PR bond system in place. Having experience going to court without proper representation and being coerced into signing a plea bargain due to not knowing his rights, and witnessing extortion, youth being sexually assaulted, and other forms of oppression against youth within juvenile jails,  he knew at an early age how unfair the criminal justice system was designed. While incarcerated Dieter studied Fidel Castro, Barack Obama, and Pedro Albizu Campos on how to turn moments into movements, and decided to give back once he was released by getting involved with community organizing. His passion for youth leadership development movement within marginalized communities, has led him to build a national base of activists dedicated to creating justice and freedom for people of color.

Dieter has experience working in various capacities and advocating for a plethora of issues as a Violence Interrupter for Cure Violence (Chicago) , Lead Criminal Justice Organizer at Texas Organizing Project (Houston), and Program Manager for youth and community engagement at Harris County Youth Collective. He is highly effective at turning social movements into recognizable brands, gaining national recognition for "Cantus Books to Incarcerated Youth" "The Trident Family" and "Respect Women Campaign". 
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Dieter Cantu is a community organizer, activist, and social entrepreneur.
​Using his past experiences as a youth in the juvenile system and experiencing extreme conditions of poverty, he strategies to reform the current systems that are in place. 


For his charitable efforts he has received various accolades such as: 
Reebok Human Rights Award Recipient 
American Express Leadership Academy Fellow
Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40
JLUSA 2020 Fellowship Cohort
NAACP Millenial Gamechanger
 President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
​Proclamation Dieter Day Bexar County
Proclamation Dieter Day City of Houston

He Is a frequent guest on television, radio and online media, as her opinions on critical current events are widely sought after.
More than 1,000 Colleges , conferences, and agencies 
Have hired dieter to speak, host, or provide trainings 
(Non Exhaustive List)

California
Curbs Annual Meeting

Colorado
Denver - Art of Hosting

Conneticut 
True Colors Conference

Georgia
Emory University - Ted X Talk
Spelman University

Hawaii

University of Hawaii Matsunaga Institute for Peace 

Iowa
White Privilege Conference

Illinois

Chicago Peace Not War Rally
Cook County Day of Thanks Annual Giveback

Maryland
Race Forward
​Equity In The Center

Michigan
Facing Race: National Conference

New York
American Express Leadership Institute
John Jay College - JLUSA Fellowship 2020


North Carolina
Wake Forest University Black Law Students Association

Texas
Abilene Christian University - Ted Talk
Abundance Living
ACCEPT Youth Peer Support Coffee Chat
Alamo Colleges Gents Panel

Bexar County Commissioner Court - Dieter Cantu Day
City of Houston - Dieter Cantu Day
​Dream Week - San Antonio
Growth & Development Weekend
HCYC Dual Status Crossover Convening
Edgewood Alternative
Lina Hidalgo Civic Saturday
Our Lady of the Lake - Classroom Presentation
Prairie View Men Etiquette Seminar
Rockdale Juvenile Detention
San Benito Bootcamp
Serenity House
Shamar Hope Haven
St Phillips College 
​TCJC Youth Action Month
Texas Community Service Association - Tyler Texas
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Ayers House
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Cortrell House
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Gainvesville Juvenile Correctional Academy

Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Giddings State School
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Mart
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - McFadden Ranch

Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Roanoke House
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Ron Jackson Stateschool
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Schaeffer House
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Tamayo Halfway House
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Wiloughby House
Texas Juvenile Justice Department - York House

Texas Southern University - Anthony Graves Speakers Bureau
TNOYS 36th Annual Conference
TXSOC x CRCG Conference
University of North Texas - Hispanic Heritage Month
​University of Texas at Austin- Texas Male Student Leadership Conference
University of Texas at San Antonio - Classroom Presentations

Virginia
Envision Experience Inquiry - National Youth Leadership Forum on Law

Washington DC
2020 CJJ Virtual Annual Conference
Annie Casey Foundation National Convening
Georgetown University Juvenile Justice Leadership Network

Pittsburgh - Carnegie 

New York - John Jay College

Virginia - School of Law

Oakland California

Tulsa Oklahoma

Portland Oregon

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New Orleans

Washington DC

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Las Vegas

Kansas

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Organizations that Dieter has developed, incorporated, or worked with

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Having a long history of community organizing and now working for a county agency, he focuses on combining grasstop and grassroots organizing with an agenda that is based off six core principles. 
1. Identifying and understanding a vulnerable community, its root problem(s), and how the existing social system has created the problem(s)
2. Developing a shared solution (and narrative) for how the solve the community's problem(s)
3. Creating an action plan to achieve the desired solution by winning collective power 
4. Building relationships, bringing people together, and educating them on how they can help carry out the plan
5. Keeping the plan moving forward toward its intended goal through trainings, actions, media relations, regenerative support, building solidarity and coalitions, and other movement strategies
6. Identifying and keeping resources in the community, empowering community members to no longer need the system and how to become self sufficient.  
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Issues / Concerns

Skills / Proficiencies

Criminal Justice Reform
Ending Mass Incarceration
Youth Justice and Child Protection
GOTV - Get Out The Vote
​Civic Participation
Voters Registration
Police Accountability
Street Conflict Mediation
Gang Violence Intervention
Art of Hosting
Housing Justice / Hurricane Harvey Relief
Education / Counselors Not Cops
Protests and Demonstrations
Racial Justice


Field Organizing
​Base Building
One on Ones
Phone Banking
House Meetings
Power Mapping
​Long Term Strategizing
Leadership Development
Facilitation
Turnout Math
NGP VAN
Cutting Turf
Protest Chants
Campaign Activities
Engaging Impacted Communities
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  • Home
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  • Public Speaking
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