As trusted messengers who share their lived experience with Latino and other residents of color in Central and East Contra Costa, MI’s promotores live in the neighborhoods we serve. They reach thousands every year with information about health and other resources and are connected to clinics and the John Muir Mobile Health Clinic that serve immigrants with language barriers.
“Mentes Positivas en Acción makes it more accessible to talk openly about mental health. ”
Pablo Medina, MPA Promotore
Pablo Medina has been a Monument Impact promoter for 10 years. He likes to give his free time to organizations that help the community, which is why he started working with MI. He says “MI gives out very important information for the immigrant community. No matter what situation the individual is going through, MI will find a way to help.” When he started working on the program, Mentes Positivas en Acción (MPA), he fell in love with it. Pablo says, “One of the most rewarding factors of working on MPA is that in the beginning the participants have distressed looks on their faces because of the different situations they are facing in their daily lives, but after the 8 weeks of the course they leave that last day full of hope knowing that they can have more control over their lives.”
One of the unique features of MI’s Promotores Program is that they deliver Healthy Community programming. For Mentes Positivas en Acción, promotores complete 40 hours of specialized training to deliver the 8-week curriculum. Supervision and refresher training is provided.
Promotores also lead all physical activity in the parks, are knowledgeable about the kinds of resources their class participants want, and serve as a bridge to other programs within Monument Impact and in the community.
In addition, promotores are regularly out in the community doing outreach (see Advocacy) for diverse campaigns from Census 2020 to our Vaccine Equity campaign. Each campaign is geographically focused within Central and East Contra Costa County to ensure thousands of immigrants learn about health and other resources that can improve their community.
Are you interested in serving as a promotore? Comprehensive trainings are held every 2 to 3 years for facilitators of Mentes Positivas en Acción. Training is also provided for those interested in engaging in outreach and other campaigns.
For more information, contact Lorena Cruz, Managing Consultant, lorena@monumentimpact.org
