Promotoras of Humboldt County is a subcommittee of LatinoNet. The mission of the LatinoNet is to improve the quality of life for Spanish-speaking families on the North Coast.
The goals of the Promotoras subcommittee include:
- To provide a safe place for promotoras to share experiences and provide emotional support to each other.
- To improve opportunities for sharing of useful resources, tools, information, and training opportunities.
- To identify unmet needs in the community and work together to find solutions.
- To serve as a bridge between the Latino community and LatinoNet (the Board and the General Membership) through regular communication between the groups.
- To serve as a bridge between institutions, professional providers and community members.
The subcommittee is open to individuals who identify themselves as promotoras (see definition below). The group is also open to bilingual allies and advocates of these workers who are supportive of the role the promotoras play in providing services and outreach to the Latino community.
Promotoras of Humboldt County meets bi-monthly and meetings are conducted in Spanish.
Definition of Promotoras
Promotoras represent a rich spectrum of characteristics that help them provide culturally competent services and outreach to the Latino community. Many promotoras work for a specific agency with a specific focus (eg: diabetes or childcare provider) and have certain duties to complete each day. Promotoras may also be lay leaders in the community who assume a role as a bridge between institutions, professional providers and community residents.
(From Vision y Compromiso)
Promotoras are indigenous to Latino immigrant communities they serve, speak the same language, are intrinsically involved in the host community, and are committed to providing “servicio de corazon” (heartfelt service). As a result, they are able to provide culturally sensitive service, establish trust in the community and receive feedback from communities.
The Promotora continuum includes diverse titles and roles within health and human service agencies such as peer educator, health advocate, outreach worker, block parent, community health worker, and Promotora, among others.
The Promotora Network uses the term Promotoras to honor the high female representation in the Promotor/a workforce. It is also recognized that males are an important part of this labor force and both males and females are important elements to the network.
***Humboldt County Promotoras is open to both men and women.