Women, Health and Leadership

The goal of the MSL program is to improve the health of Latina women and their families by offering skills-based trainings (i.e. time management, budgeting, project planning, community outreach, advocacy, health seminars, reflection on leadership styles, peer networking, and expanded access to community resources) for 35-50 Latina Peer Leaders from Alameda and Contra Costa Counties each year. MSL values the women’s individual skills and acknowledges the women’s sharing, caring and helping roles in their family and community.

msl

Peer Leaders learn to design and implement a “learning project” that meets a need they see in their community. Projects include peer support groups, community surveys and educational forums that bring women and their families together and contribute to individual and community empowerment while helping The Latina Center reach 3,000 Latina women, men, young people and children each year with information about topics such as nutrition, physical activity, domestic violence, child abuse, cancer, diabetes, child development, financial literacy, art, cultural heritage and parenting.

Every year, The Latina Center coordinates the Latina Legislative Day offering Latina women from throughout the Bay Area an opportunity to visit Sacramento. Women walk the halls of the State Capitol meeting with California legislators and Latina/o leaders. The Legislative Day gives participants the opportunity to speak on behalf of their community and educate legislative staff about critical issues affecting families. For many women, this is the very first time that they go to Sacramento and meet with our legislators. It’s an incredibly empowering process.