[Click for English, which follows Spanish.]

A la Comunidad Promesa de la Mission la conocí por medio de mi sobrino que estaba en un programa de Seven Tepees Youth Program, uno de los socios fundadores de la Comunidad Promesa. Era el año 2014, hubo una feria de recursos en la que personal de MEDA estaba entregando información sobre compra de vivienda y el concilio de familias. Me interesó porque en ese tiempo quería información sobre cómo comprar una casa. Hice una cita con ellos y ahí empezó todo. 

La primera persona con la trabaje en Comunidad Promesa fue con Ada Alvarado Freund, que hoy es la gerente del programa de Aprendizaje infantil. Tenía mis dos hijos pequeños y estaba buscando un programa preescolar de alta calidad. Le pedí que me ayudara a encontrar una escuelita. La verdad no conocía mucho sobre Comunidad Promesa o sobre los recursos que hay disponibles para las familias antes de esos primeros contactos con Ada y el resto de personas que trabajan en MEDA. Mi mamá trabajaba mucho cuando recién llegamos a Estados Unidos, descansaba unas cuatro horas, y no le quedaba mucho tiempo para involucrarse con la comunidad. Luego se sorprendía cuando yo le mencionaba sobre los recursos que había. Algunas vez tuvimos el apoyo de Good Samaritan, pero desconocíamos que era una organización parte de Comunidad Promesa. Es un alivio saber que alguien te puede ayudar sin tener miedo que te juzgue por necesitar un poco de apoyo para salir adelante y dar lo mejor a tu familia. 

Mi segunda gran conexión con MEDA fue a través del programa de Mission Techies. En ese tiempo trabajaba limpiando casa, que es un trabajo digno, pero también tenía otras metas. Era consciente de mis privilegios por ser bilingüe, tener un estatus migratorio regularizado, y saber operar una computadora. Debía tomar el programa porque iba a cumplir 25 años y en ese entonces sólo se aceptaban a personas entre 16 y 24 años. Mi madre y mi esposo me apoyaron bastante. Ellos iban por los niños a la escuela. Trabajaba limpiando casas de ocho a doce y media, para luego venir a Techies de una a cinco de la tarde. Fueron semanas largas, de mucho esfuerzo. 

Recibí asistencia de MEDA en la búsqueda de empleo y la primera oportunidad que apareció fue como contratista Comunidad Promesa para el programa Making Connections del Distrito Escolar de San Francisco. Aquí se enseñaba a padres o tutores de estudiantes a usar una computadora Chromebook. En un momento tuve la oportunidad de ayudar a cambiar el currículo para que fuera culturalmente relevante para nuestras familias. También me enfoqué en que tuvieran acceso a internet de bajo costo. Más adelante los conecté con el servicio de preparación gratis  de impuestos de MEDA y así empecé a trabajar con las familias. Un año después me contrataron de tiempo completo, dividía mis labores entre Making Connections y Guía de éxito familiar. Estuve asignada a Bryant Elementary,  luego a John O’Connell y después a Felton Institute. De ahí pasé a ser Especialista en participación de padres y jóvenes con la organización.

Ahora estoy en Promise City* con la meta de siempre: apoyar a las familias para que tengan una voz y un espacio donde digan lo que les está sirviendo y lo que no, lo que les está ayudando y lo que no. Siento que puedo llevar su voz a espacios en los que regularmente no son invitados.

He pasado junto a la Comunidad Promesa ocho de sus diez años. Le he dicho a mis supervisores que más allá de que hoy tenga ingresos y vivienda estable (sí, compre una casa), la Comunidad Promesa me ha ayudado a crecer en lo profesional, emocional y personal. Gracias a todos los  entrenamientos que me han dado he aprendido a conectar con las familias, entre ellas la mía.  Tengo un hijo transgénero que no quiero que crezca en la sombras por ser transgenero, quiero que vea la misma luz de los demás, que no sea tratado diferente. He aprendido a entender a mi hijo y no juzgarlo. Dejo que él me guíe en su vida y que él decida cómo quiere vivir su vida en el futuro.

Soy una madre que se involucra en el Comité asesor de padres ( English Learner Advisory Committee) de las escuelas. Con mi hija me he involucrado desde el principio. He hablado en foros públicos sobre la importancia de la interpretación. Por mi hijo fundé un pride club, en donde los niños aprenden sobre la comunidad LGTBQ. Quiero que mis hijos sepan que estoy allí por ellos, para ellos y con ellos.

La Comunidad Promesa ha sido más que un trabajo para mí.

Ahora visualizó a la Comunidad Promesa abriendo  el camino para otras comunidades en la ciudad. Las necesidades de los latinos no son tan diferentes a las necesidades de nuestros vecinos asiáticos o afroamericanos. Las familias merecen tener vivienda estable y segura para ellos y sus hijos. Me gusta el abordaje de la Comunidad Promesa porque se enfoca en el bienestar de todos, no solo una persona, por eso es importante el rol de cada socio de la Comunidad Promesa. Sabemos que se requiere de todo un pueblo para criar a un niño. 

*Promise City es una iniciativa para compartir el modelo Promise Neighborhood en todo San Francisco en consonancia con el Plan de Recuperación de la Alcaldía

Ana Avilez: My Journey Through Mission Promise Neighborhood

I first learned about Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) through my nephew who was in a program with Seven Tepees Youth, one of the founding partners of MPN. It was the year 2014, and there was a community fair where MEDA staff were handing out information on home buying and the family council. It interested me, because at that time, I wanted information on how to buy a house. I made an appointment with them, and that’s where it all started.

The first person I worked with at Comunidad Promesa was Ada Alvarado Freund, who is now the manager of the Early Childhood Learning program. I was looking for a high-quality preschool for my two young children. I asked Ada to help me find an escuelita. I didn’t know much about MPN or about the resources that are available to families – before those first contacts with Ada and other MEDA staff. My mom worked a lot when we first arrived in the United States, she was resting for about four hours daily, and she didn’t have much time left to get involved in the community. Later she was surprised when I mentioned to her about the resources that were available. I believe we had some support by Good Samaritan, but we were unaware that it was an organization that was part of MPN. It is a relief to know that someone can help you without being afraid that they will judge you for needing a little support to get ahead and give the best to your family.

My second big connection with MEDA was through the Mission Techies program. At that time I was working cleaning houses, which is a decent job, but I also had other goals. I was aware of my privileges for being bilingual, having regular immigration status, and knowing how to operate a computer. I had to take the program because I was going to turn 25, and at that time only people between the ages of 16 and 24 were accepted. My mother and my husband were very supportive of me. They went to pick up the children from school. I worked cleaning houses from eight to twelve thirty, and then came to Techies from one to five in the afternoon. Those were long weeks, a lot of effort.

I received job search assistance from MEDA and the first opportunity that came up was as a contractor for MPN for the Making Connections program that was funded by the San Francisco Unified School District. Here parents or guardians were taught how to use a Chromebook computer. At some point,  I had the opportunity to change the curriculum to make it culturally relevant to our families. I also focused on helping families obtain low-cost internet access. Later I connected them with MEDA’s free tax preparation service, and in a blink of an eye I was connecting families with resources. A year later I was hired full time by MEDA-MPN as a Family Success Coach, dividing my duties between Making Connections and as Family Success Coach. I was assigned to Bryant Elementary, then to John O’Connell High School, and later to Felton Institute. Later I became MPN’s Parent and Youth Engagement Specialist and was based at Plaza Adelante.

Now I work for Promise City* with the same goal: supporting families so that they have a voice and a space where they say what is working for them and what is not, what is helping them and what is not. I feel like I can bring their voices to spaces where they are not regularly invited.

I have been with MPN for eight of their ten years. First as a client and later as a team member.  I have told my supervisors that beyond the fact that today I have a steady income and stable housing (yes, I bought a house), MPN has helped me grow professionally, emotionally, and personally. Thanks to all the training they have given me, I have learned to connect with families, including mine. I have a transgender son, and I don’t want him to grow up in the shadows because he is transgender. I want him to see the same light as others, not to be treated differently. I have learned to understand my son and not judge him. I let him guide me through his life and let him decide how he wants to live his life in the future. 

I’m a parent who gets involved in the schools’ English Learner Advisory Committee. With my daughter I have been involved from the beginning. I have spoken in public forums about the importance of interpretation. I also started a pride club at my son’s school, where children can learn about the LGTBQ community. I want my children to know that I am there for them and with them.

 MPN has been more than a job for me. 

Now I envision MPN leading the way for other communities in the city. The needs of Latinos are not that different from the needs of our Asian or African American neighbors. Families deserve stable and safe housing for themselves and their children. I like the MPN approach because it focuses on the well-being of everyone, not just one person, which is why the role of each partner organization is so instrumental. We know it takes a village to raise a child. 

*Promise City is a citywide initiative to share the Promise Neighborhood model across San Francisco in alignment with the Mayor’s Recovery Plan.

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Ana Avilez-Blog

Housecleaner Ana Avilez initially learned of MEDA’s Mission Techies program while watching Univision with her family one evening. Then Ana was introduced to MPN at a 7 Tepees resource fair, so she decided to make an schedule time to come to MEDA’s Plaza Adelante. As Ana headed upstairs to her appointment, she saw a Mission Techies flier by the door of the Digital Opportunity Center. Her attention was piqued.

Ana headed into the tech center and was greeted by Technology Training Coordinator Leo Sosa, who explained the free program and asked Ana if she could commit to the time required. After discussing this opportunity with her mother, husband and employers, Ana diligently stuck to the three-month commitment and graduated from the Mission Techies program. “The interesting thing is that ‘Ana’ means perseverance,” states Sosa.

Ana-InsideAs a Mission Techie, Ana (pictured) took the first step into the MPN community. She was referred to Early Learning Family Success Coach Ada Alvarado, who helped Ana enroll one of her daughters in a bilingual preschool in Potrero Hill. Ada noticed that Ana was always prepared and on time to every meeting with Children’s Council and Potrero Kids. As MEDA staff worked with Ana, they recognized the community member’s leadership abilities, eventually referring her to the Mission Promise Neighborhood Community Advisory Council. Ana and other parents now advise the community about Mission Promise Neighborhood’s work and share opportunities to support their children. “I’m fortunate to have been introduced to and work with such a driven person, now on the path to achieve her dreams of academic and economic success for herself and children,” says Alvarado.

When MPN was asked to partner with SFUSD to lead Making Connections—a digital literacy course for parents that teaches how to use myON, an online reading platform for students — Mission Promise Neighborhood Director Raquel Donoso turned to Sosa for a promising, bilingual instructor. With her experience as a mother of two young learners, complemented by her technology background, Ana was chosen for the opportunity. She is now working with MPN Education Manager Laura Andersen to build these courses for parents, closing the digital divide and providing access to supplementary tools at home so that all students can continue building their literary skills. “Ana’s example of accessing the supports she needed, which turned into new personal and career opportunities, has been inspiring. Ana seeks to replicate the strong community she has found, at MEDA and her pre-school, with all of the parents in Making Connections,” explains Andersen.

Welcome to the MPN team, Ana! Keep an eye out for Ana in the community.

Watch a video of Ana’s inspiring story.

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Teresa Morales-Blog“I came from Mexico to this country as a teenager with my parents and 13 brothers and sisters. We lived in a labor camp and worked long hours in the fields of the Salinas Valley. After learning English, I was fortunate to get an internship with a local TV station. Thus began a rapidly advancing career in television and community-development programs, plus a hard-won degree in communications from UCSC. This personal history has given me great empathy for the hopes for a better life sought by the mostly immigrant population of the Mission that MPN serves. Now tasked with the oversight of the grassroots outreach for MPN, I work to ensure that our group of community outreach workers, or promotoras, have the tools and information needed to connect the Mission District’s low-income Latinos to the free services available from our network of neighborhood partners. MPN’s goal—and my goal—is to help our families obtain economic success, so that their children can achieve at school. That is the winning formula of the MPN team, of which I am privileged to be a part.”

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640x339px_DonosoIn December 2012, MEDA worked with city agencies and 26 neighborhood partners to be the honored recipient of a $30-million federal Department of Education grant to replicate New York’s successful Harlem Children’s Zone in the Mission District of San Francisco. The goal of the Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) is to guide students on a cradle-to-college-to-career continuum, while helping their families achieve economic success.

Raquel Donoso, Director, Mission Promise Neighborhood, is now spearheading this innovative initiative.

What background do you bring to leading the Mission Promise Neighborhood?
I was a mom at 18 when I was an undergrad at UCLA. This meant I had to weave my way through a maze of public assistance, from Medi-Cal to WIC. I also received state-subsidized childcare. Luckily, staff at UCLA helped me find my way. I see my personal experience at UCLA as a microcosm of what we are trying to do with the four target schools of the Mission Promise Neighborhood. Once I had my son, I switched my field of study from Biology to Anthropology and Chicano Studies. I then earned a Masters in Public Health. When I am now at policy meetings, I can literally bring to the table my experience in applying for services. I empathize with how overwhelming this can feel for our families. My goal is to remove barriers and increase opportunity, as was done for me.

What is the greatest challenge of the Mission Promise Neighborhood?
The gentrification in the Mission has added an extra layer of complexity to the Mission Promise Neighborhood. Many of our families have children who go to school in the Mission, but live elsewhere. It then becomes difficult to avail the families of services. Our Family Success Coaches work with many people who are losing their homes. These families are then left with the difficult choice of whether they should move away to somewhere more affordable. A lack of stable housing creates a challenge for the implementation of a place-based strategy.

What are the greatest successes of the Mission Promise Neighborhood to date?
We have been able to rally dozens of organizations, the school district and people at City Hall, so that everyone sees the possibility of positive outcomes for our families and students. It takes time to build a foundation, but this is in the works. The tech tools we have for our Evaluation team means pertinent data can now be had about our clients. This is being rolled out to our Mission Promise Neighborhood partners. We are also focused on a two-generation approach, providing financial opportunities for parents and educational support for their children, leading to even greater community sustainability. Integrating family financial support is a contribution MEDA brings to the table, demonstrating a model for other neighborhoods.

What is your vision for Mission Promise Neighborhood after its initial five-year grant?
I know that with the support of the community, great things will happen. There will be a fully integrated, shared database to better examine the comprehensive community need. We will be able to look at things at a granular level–for example, knowing that a student has started to showcase chronic absenteeism–so that there can be early intervention for an issue before it becomes a chronic problem. There will also be increased support for a college-going culture. That is already starting. With our two-generational approach, as families succeed the students achieve. This is a simultaneous process. Students begin to see opportunities. They then seize these opportunities. That is my vision.

 

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Richard Abisla Mission Tech

MEDA’s Richard Abisla Named “2014 Broadband Champion”

MEDA is proud to announce that the renowned California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) has named our Technology Manager, Richard Abisla, a “2014 Broadband Champion.” Richard is being recognized for his hard work to close the growing digital divide. The champions were selected by CETF in consultation with dozens of broadband leaders, community advocates and policymakers.

Richard’s first foray into closing the digital divide was when he worked with an indigenous rights group in the Central American nation of Honduras to set up a computer lab and create project-based computer training curricula. This experience laid the groundwork for his current role as project manager of MEDA’s Latino Tech-Net. Richard has the laudable goal of getting every family in the neighborhood digital access.

“MEDA is committed to making sure low-income families have affordable broadband access at home,” zealously exclaims Abisla. “We’ve helped over 150 neighborhood families get connected and we’re working hard to make sure that EVERY student and family in the Mission has access.”

“Really this award is for the whole great technology team we have in place here at MEDA, including Erica Castillo, our Broadband Coach, and Leo Sosa, our Technology Training Coordinator,” Richard explains.

“Erica works tirelessly every day to help families evaluate if they can afford broadband—the answer is usually ‘yes’, with our low-cost offers—and sign up for service, and Leo does a fantastic job making sure that our classes create savvy new users of technology.”

Richard was the impetus behind MEDA’s successful “Get Connected!” classes, with the next such FREE event scheduled for Saturday, May 17th, at Plaza Adelante. This popular event brings in tech-industry and other interested volunteers to teach basic digital skills to low- and middle-income Mission District residents.

“Our ‘Get Connected!’ event in February trained over 100 adults and kids. We are hoping to connect even more Mission families at our May event. These classes are a big part of our vision of having the entire neighborhood enter the digital world,” states Richard.

What are the results so far? Here are some numbers for the last six months of 2013:
Trained: 1,216
Open Lab Access: 753
Certifications: 82
New Broadband Subscriptions: 140
Jobs: 50

Keep up the great work, Richard! MEDA is about solutions.

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Contact

Email
info@missionpromise.org
 
Phone
(415) 569-2699
 
Address
2301 Mission Street, Suite 304
San Francisco, CA 94110

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