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| 201 West
Main Street, Suite 100 Durham, NC 27701 |
Phone: 919-687-4635 Fax: 919-687-0401 |
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Women's Program
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The Women’s
Program at El Centro Hispano has the mission of improving the quality of
life of Latino women living in Durham County through education, support
and leadership development.
The Women’s
Program began in 1992 when Latino women came together and began holding
weekly meetings and English classes drawn by their desire to learn and
connect with other women who shared similar life experiences. They were
seeking to improve their lives and that of their families, and this
strong tradition of solidarity has continued through many generations of
women who have come through the program.
The Women’s Program now includes two spaces for Latino Women: Café de Mujeres which meets every Wednesday from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm and Hablemos de Nuestra Salud which meets every Wednesday from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
Both groups accomplish their mission through the implementation of four interconnected strategies: Education, Leadership, Support and Community Organizing. 1. Education Workshops, trainings and classes through which women can learn new skills which benefit them, their family and the community. Some examples are English, Computer & Literacy classes, Parenting Workshops, Family Literacy, Exercise Classes and Workshops in a variety of health topics chosen by the women based on their needs and interest.
2. Leadership A supportive space is created in which women can learn, develop and put into practice their skills and abilities.
3. Emotional Support Participating in the program allows Latino women to create broader and stronger networks of support with other women so that they feel less isolated and more connected to the community in which they live.
4. Community Organizing Women play an important role in solving problems that affect families and the community which is why the Women’s Program at El Centro Hispano provides an excellent venue for women to create solutions to the most pressing problems in our society by connecting to each other and to other groups.
All strategies are greatly supported and carried out with support from partnering agencies. In the past the Women’s Program has completed special and on-going projects with agencies such as: Durham Partnership for Children, Duke Center for Documentary Studies, Durham Technical Community College, Welcome Baby, SeeSaw Studio, Durham County Public Schools, the Office of Minority Health, Durham Crisis Response Center and March of Dimes.
The Women’s Program is open to all women. Latino women and others who are interested in learning more can contact one of our two full time Women’s Program Coordinators at El Centro Hispano.
Adult Education: Women’s ESL Program
English as a
Second Language (ESL) classes for female adults focus on practical
English skills and American culture. Classes are multi-level and
incorporate listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Classes are also available for women (with free childcare available, although space is limited) on Tuesday & Thursday evenings from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and Wednesday evenings from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.
If you are interested in taking an ESL class or volunteering in the class, please call El Centro Hispano.
These classes are part of the Women’s Program and Mother’s Empowerment
Adult Education: Men’s ESL Program
English as a
Second Language (ESL) classes for male adults focus on practical English
skills and American culture. Classes are multi-level and incorporate
listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
If you are interested in taking an ESL class or volunteering in the class, please call El Centro Hispano.
Adult Education: General ESL Program: Please call El Centro Hispano for more information on the times and meeting place of other English classes for men and women.
Future ESL classes for men and women are dependent upon the availability of instructors. If you are interested in teaching an ESL class in the evenings, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 687-4635.
Circle of Studies and Literacy – Classes at every level of Spanish literacy are offered in a small group setting through a collaboration with El Centro Hispano and the Mexican Consulate of North Carolina. Community members can learn to read and write as well as take courses from elementary through high school. Graduates earn a high school degree certified by the Mexican government. Call Francisca Fragoso at El Centro Hispano for more information or to volunteer.
Family Education: The women's ESL classes also promote Family Literacy. ESL students learn how to read a bilingual children's book each week. They learn and practice pronunciation and then go into the children's room and practice reading to their child. El Centro Hispano has a small library of bilingual children's books available for currently enrolled ESL students to check out on a weekly basis.
Mothers can earn the same bilingual books when they read to their young children at home at least 4 times a week for 4 weeks.
Durham County's Public Library also operates a small, mobile branch of the library at El Centro Hispano on Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Durham county residents may apply for their library card and check out books during these times.
The mission of El Centro Hispano’s Health Program is to work with the Latino community in Durham to improve their overall health and well being as well as their access and utilization of health care services. In addition, the Health Program works to improve the capacity of Durham County’s health care agencies to serve the Spanish community.
The Health Program works with men, women, youth and is inclusive of all Spanish speaking communities in Durham County. Throughout the last few years, the Health Program has intentionally reached out to include the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Latino community.
The Health Program at El Centro Hispano accomplishes this through a three-pronged approach: health education and support; access to care; and physical activities; and focuses its efforts primarily on providing education and information in the areas of: HIV/AIDS and STD (sexually transmitted disease); diabetes and obesity; women’s health; and access and utilization of care. A team of three Health Educators and various Lay Health Educators provide education and information in homes, worksites, local churches and community centers, local parks and stores, as well as local health care agencies and organizations.
Health Education and Support: Health Education and Support is provided to men, women, and youth as well as the LGBT community mainly in the areas of: HIV/AIDS, STD, Diabetes and Obesity, and Women’s Health.
Free materials, workshops and information are available to the Latino community in Durham. In addition to the Health Educators, El Centro Hispano has a number of Lay Health Educators that provide one on one and group education to the Latino community. These volunteers dedicate time to reaching and educating community members with prevention health education messages in all areas of health. They are a vital part of the Health Program.
In addition to the outreach, workshops, trainings and special events, the Health Program currently has two education and support programs:
Entre Amig@s -- If you are Latin@, gay, bisexual, transgender or just unsure, come join us for get-togethers the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month at 6pm to learn about discus topics that interest us. For more information contact El Centro Hispano.
Hermanos de Luna y Sol -- is a leadership training program on HIV/AIDS for the gay community. For more information, contact El Centro Hispano.
Access to
Care:
First, LATCH is a multi-pronged approach to working with Latinos and other un-insured members of the Durham community to connect them with resources and services needed. These services can include getting control of hospital and medical bills, transportation for medical services, medicine, and case management.
Secondly, the Members’ Resource Office provides information to the community at large on where to locate services, how to utilize services as well as assistance in understanding health insurance and medical bills.
Physical Activities: Encouraging physical activity is an important aspect of the Health Program, from building self-esteem, to providing opportunities for weight control and exercise. El Centro Hispano collaborates with other agencies in Durham to offer physical activity opportunities.
Soccer Academy --A co-ed soccer academy for children and teens ages 5 to 15. Working together with Durham County Parks and Recreation , all practices and games are held in Spanish, however any child living in Durham County is invited to play. For more information, and to register, contact El Centro Hispano.
Semillitas Latinas -- This dance troupe for kids and youth performs traditional dances from other cultures as a way of getting know other children in their community. Anyone who wants to learn international folkloric dance and get some exercise is welcome to participate. Weekly practices are held at El Centro Hispano; please call for more details.
Women’s Soccer League -- A friendly league for women of all ages and abilities. Call El Centro Hispano for more information and to sign up for this season.
Jóvenes Líderes en Acción (JLA)– Youth Leaders in Action was formed in 1996 by a group of Latino youth with the goal of working together in the areas of race relations, cultural preservation, crime prevention and school improvements.
Since then, Latino and allied youth have come through JLA building relationships amongst each other, learning together about the world that surrounds them all in order to make better decisions in their individual lives and to create change in their communities.
Jóvenes Líderes en Acción holds weekly meetings at local high schools and at El Centro Hispano. Bringing together youth ages 14-20, this group works to increase their network of social support, and become educated about issues around alcohol and tobacco, gang prevention, premature sexual relationships, the importance of staying in school, and access to higher education.
At the same time, youth leaders are trained in community organizing skills in order to develop campaigns and public actions to create social change in their local communities as well as to connect them with other statewide and national campaigns.
JLA works in collaboration with many other groups and organizations to fulfill it’s mission. Some of the past and present collaborations include: Duke Center for Documentary Studies, Student Action with Farm workers, See Saw Studio, El Pueblo, UNC Chapel Hill, Durham County Public Schools, the North Carolina Latino Coalition and Durham CAN.
Youth leaders and other organizations can connect with JLA by calling the Youth Organizers at El Centro Hispano.
Summer Camp for Kids – Each summer El Centro Hispano organizes a week-long summer camp for low-income Latino children who live in Durham county. Camp activities include playtime, arts and crafts, and excursions to various local parks, lakes, museums, and the North Carolina Zoo. Free transportation is included. For more information on camp dates or to volunteer, contact El Centro Hispano.
Members’ Resource Office (Front Office)
The mission of the Members’ Resource Office is to strengthen Latino families by increasing their knowledge and utilization of important community resources as well as to improve their understanding of how the U.S. system works in areas such as health, housing and the legal system. El Centro Hispano accomplishes this by working one-on-one with individuals, families and with groups either in person or via telephone.
El Centro Hispano also works with community members providing income tax assistance throughout the year. General information on tax related issues including how to obtain an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) and how to prepare your annual tax declaration is offered through the Members’ Resource Office.
In addition, in collaboration with VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), El Centro Hispano offers free family income tax assistance during the tax season.
ECH Membership dollars help support this program. This service is completely free and open to everyone. Hours are: Monday and Friday from 1pm to 5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9am to 5pm.
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