On Friday, September 16th, TVHC kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with the first day of the Fall session of the Spanish Promotores Training Academy!

A total of 24 community members are participating in the 7-week course, covering various topics pertinent to the work the Promotoras do in the community, including effective teamwork, the basis of Popular Education and community participation, and equity/inclusion as essential elements in community outreach.

The TVHC Promotores training is an homage to the Civil Rights and Farm Worker’s Rights movements of the 1960s, with Hispanic heritage playing a pivotal role.

The sessions are based on a model started by Hispanic students majoring in Public Health at U. C. Berkeley, who, in a sense, were the first Promotores and Community Health Outreach Workers. Driven by their passion and purpose to help the immigrant community in the Fruitvale District of Oakland access health care, they were the catalyst for establishing fellow CHCN health center, La Clinica De La Raza.

“Our TVHC values of resiliency and collaboration are also ingrained in these movements built around the Hispanic immigrant experience in California,” said Senior Manager of Community Outreach and Advocacy Sandra Rodriguez. “Our Spanish Promotore training sessions represent this in a very beautiful way.”

Following the training, the participants will also complete a 30-hour shadowing requirement prior to graduation in December.

We are excited for the upcoming sessions and all the great work these future Promotores will contribute to our communities!