The program welcomes an intergenerational cohort of over 80 participants from across California, including Promotores (Pasa La Voz & Continued Learning Programs), young professionals, graduate school students, college-aged students (Health Justice Fellows), and high school students (ZVYBE).

Z-VYBE will implement an innovative trauma-informed upstream primary and secondary substance use prevention program that educates and builds power among Latinx youth participant cohorts aged 15-24 in Sacramento. The project will fuel youth activism through interactive and cross-cultural civic engagement, peer-led awareness campaigns, leadership development opportunities that will nurture collective efficacy and advance a generation of youth who feel emboldened and empowered to make a difference. In the long-term, we aim to establish long-lasting conducive relationships that reduce youth isolation and loneliness through intentional relationship and community-building activities.

You can learn more about our Z-VYBE program and Elevate Youth partnership on our Voces Blog. Connect with us! You can follow our Z-VYBE work by connecting with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

The Health Ambassadors program was incubated in 2018 with support from the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund. The focus was to demystify the policy process and train Latinx community members in the Central Valley to engage with elected decision-makers to address the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). In 2019, the program received funding from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Cal-Fresh Healthy Living branch in partnership with the Center for Wellness and Nutrition (CWN) and the Public Health Institute (PHI). The Health Ambassadors Initiative (HAI) has flourished and built capacity in over 9 cities across the State via 64 intergenerational Latinx and Black leaders to advance policy, systems, and environmental change. These leaders, known as “The Ambassadors,” are shifting power by successfully reshaping civic relationships in their communities through collecting community health data, storytelling, and joining local coalitions to work alongside decision-makers in the State to create healthy communities for all.

The purpose of the ¡Adelante, California! Community Advisory Board is to advance community-driven equitable policy and systems change through multi-sector partnerships, between multi-generational community leaders, grassroots and community-based organizations (CBOs), research institutions, state and county/local agencies, and legislators to eliminate health inequities for all Californians.

Learn more about our 2022 Community Advisory Board cohort here.

The “Pasa La Voz” project aims to spread awareness and education about the COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 general health education, and to provide community resources to Latinx families and individuals in a culturally and community-informed manner. In collaboration with 4 promotoras based locally in Los Angeles, Orange County & Ventura County, we are able to provide community-specific information from reliable and trusted messengers, ensuring optimal dissemination of COVID-19 information and encouraging vaccination in hard to reach areas. The project is funded by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Community Foundation (CCF).

Salud En La Comunidad (SelC) connects low-income, under-insured/uninsured, predominantly Latinx youth and adults in Sacramento with health education, social services, and primary healthcare. LCHC provides COVID-19 prevention, Know Your Rights trainings, and youth engagement and leadership development. In partnership with La Familia Counseling Center and the Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC), SelC also utilizes a holistic, coordinated-care approach to well-being by providing behavioral health and access to primary, vision, and oral health services. LCHC, La Familia Counseling Center, and the Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC) have collaborated for over 3 years to close the gap in healthcare service utilization in Sacramento. This project is funded by CommonSpirit Health.