TCRP VAWA launches PROMOTORA Program in Austin
On Friday, March 12, 2010, the first PROMOTORA meeting took place at the TCRP office in Austin. Several women and even a few children attended. The participants represented various parts of Texas such as Travis, Burnet, González and Cherokee counties. Participation was in person and through tele-conference.
These women will be the first group of promotoras, community educators and advocates trained through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) program in Austin. Through the program, the promotoras will be able to provide guidance and mentorship to other immigrant survivors of domestic violence within their communities. They will also be able to create sustainable support networks, educate communities on immigrant rights and allow survivors to empower themselves and produce local change.
The first meeting revolved around building group cohesion, discussing different cultural “rules,” understanding the importance of community organizing and evaluating personal knowledge on domestic violence and comfort level with advocacy. Several women shared their stories and provided support to each other throughout the meeting.
There are three more trainings scheduled throughout the month of April which will provide the participants with information, resources and techniques to enhance their advocacy and mentorship skills. Each training integrates time for processing feelings and thoughts that might arise from the material.
Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project VAWA Program 2008
Since the 2008 Retreat in Austin, the VAWA Program at Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project has made great strides to make the VAWA program a success. The VAWA team has gone above and beyond to really be active community advocates and be the best qualified caseworkers for their clients.
Development
Since August 2008, the VAWA team has attended four trainings, participated in five webinars, as well as attended other programs to enrich the VAWA team in becoming well rounded community advocates.
Some of the training topics include VAWA and the U VISA, domestic violence, crimes against children, and VINE awareness. During webinar sessions, we learned about NACARA, safety planning, immigration raids, and the new citizenship test.
The VAWA team has also attended workshops on public speaking, grant writing, and how to effectively give trainings.
Having the opportunity to attend these trainings allows the VAWA team to enhance their knowledge of VAWA and crime victims, as well as be knowledgeable about the resources available to clients and the best ways to service our clients and our Promotora Programs. Attending these trainings, conferences, workshops, etc. is also a good way to make contacts with other community advocates and organizations.
Community Outreach
Since August 2008, the VAWA team as a whole has given a total of 14 presentations to El Paso and its surrounding communities. We have also participated in 11 fairs by providing an information table during those fairs, passing out brochures, and interacting with the community members present.
In August 2008, Paulina and Diana visited the cities of Alpine, Ft. Stockton, Balmorhea, Pecos, Iraan, Sanderson, Marathon, and Terlingua. During this circuit ride, they gave information and presentations to public libraries, clinics, hospital staff, sherrif’s deparments, police departments, as well as posted flyers at local businesses.
Also, we have had four appearances on radio talk shows in El Paso and one in Cd. Juarez, Chih. Elvia has also been interviewed for the newspaper 2 times.
Emily has appeared on television promoting VAWA and the CAMBIO program.
Moreover, Paulina has sent information packets to various parts of Southwest Texas. The information packets were sent to public libraries, sheriff’s departments, daycares, junior colleges, and other community organizations. A total of 15 packets have been sent since August 2008. Cities reached include Hondo, Campwood, Lubbock, San Angelo, Uvalde, Utopia, Zapata, and Zavala. There has also been contact with three radios stations in Uvalde, as well as a newspaper, for possible future collaboration.
Approximate number of people served during presentations, fairs, and trainings: 1475
Furthermore, the VAWA team, along with the rest of the staff at PCRP and other community members, has taken the initiative to begin giving “Know Your Rights” presentations. We gave our first presentation at the Mexican Consulate in the waiting room. After the presentation, the Mexican Consulate was so pleased by our presentation that they asked us to present this information once a month for the next year. This is a great way for us to be known in the community.
The Mexican Consulate has also scheduled one presentation per month for us in different areas of the community for the next year. Collaborations with the surrounding areas of El Paso (such as Tornillo, San Elizario, Fabens, and Socorro) have also expressed an enthusiasm and need to bring these presentations to their communities. These particular rural communities have a lot of contact with border patrol forcibly entering their homes and are excited to learn about what they can do to prevent this and to empower their community with this information.
The impact of the outreach in these communities is strong. Many times, after presentations, audience members ask to set up appointments at that moment for a VAWA intake. One counselor stated that he was “very happy to see that there will be more access to these services.” Because they live in rural communities, many are not informed that these services are available to them. Many counselors stated also that domestic violence is a big issue in their communities because they are so far away from organizations that can help. They state that they see many abusers taking advantage of this situation.
The VAWA program has developed strong partnerships with other organizations.
Casework
Due to our involvement in the community with presentations and such, we have received a large number of new intakes since August 2008. There have been 44 intakes completed since August 2008. Out of those 44 cases, we have accepted 34.
Since August 2008, nine I-360 Applications have been filed; eleven I-765s; and one I-485.
MUJER
MUJER is continuously making an impact on the life of its members and others. Newly referred clients enjoyed attending the meetings and hope to attend more in the future.
Volunteers
Partnerships with University of Texas at El Paso and the El Paso Community College has provided 4 great volunteers in the past semester as part of an internship requirement they have to fulfill. The students volunteered 20 hours a week and some are planning to continue working with us even after the semester is over.
Future Goals for the VAWA Program
PUENTES LBGT Resources has come to us and asked if we could give presentations about domestic violence, VAWA, and the U VISA to the LGBTQ community. We (with the help of our volunteers) are currently preparing these presentations in hopes of giving these presentations early next year.
We will also be coordinating trainings with PRIDE to give to parents and teens. The presentations to teens will be about how to take preventative measures in not falling victims of a crime. Presentations for parents will be dedicated in educating them on how to identify someone that has been a victim of a crime. We are also working closely with the Salvation Army and PUENTES in preparing these presentations.
In the following weeks, we will be training the members of CAMBIO and MUJER on “Know Your Rights” presentations so that in the future they can give these presentations to the community.
Second Promotora Program Fights Domestic Violence in El Paso
In January of 2008, Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project (PDN: the El Paso Office of the Texas Civil Rights Project) teamed up with Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center to create a community organizing project in El Paso, Texas. The group is made up of VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) clients from both organizations. Like our promotora program in Odessa, these VAWA clients will be trained to become grassroots community educators. They will also be trained to provide basic guidance and education to other domestic violence victims.
The group has named itself M.U.J.E.R. which, in Spanish, stands for Women United for Justice, Education, and Respect. Currently, there are 13 women who are active members of the group. These women have all experienced abuse at some point in their lives. Being a part of this group has given these women the opportunity to establish new and supportive relationships with one another, become active community members, and most importantly, empower themselves.
MUJER has been actively involved in the community by participating in information fairs, and giving presentations on Domestic Violence in their communities. One important and significant project for them was their participation in an event called “Purple Night.”
On October 17, 2008, MUJER and other organizations co-sponsored a commemoration to victims of domestic violence that had been killed by their loved one. The commemoration consisted of a mariachi, a prayer from Reverend Kati Houts of the Metropolitan Community Church, a puppet show for the children and a candle-light vigil. Two survivors of domestic violence, including a member of MUJER, shared their stories with the audience on how they escaped their abusive relationships. MUJER members also made the ribbons that were distributed throughout the night.
Even though the group has only been around for less than a year, there have been many accomplishments. Members are getting trained on issues such as capacity-building skills, identifying needs in their communities, and meditation. These trainings are scheduled once a month. The members themselves choose the topics they are interested in. We provide these trainings to better assist in empowering these women so they can guide and help other victims and at the same time bring about change in their communities.
PDN Introduces Promotora Program
From the PDN Spring 2007 Newsletter
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Program is a unique self-help program that serves undocumented men and women who suffer physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse by their spouses who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
In Midland-Odessa PCRP is incorporating a community organizing component into our usual advocacy program that could potentially reach hundreds of immigrant victims of domestic violence. PCRP will train VAWA clients to become domestic violence promotoras or grassroots community educators. Once trained, the promotoras will provide basic education, guidance, and referral services to their peers.
Training for promotoras began in October of 2006 with each participant sharing her or his story. Despite differences in age, nationality, and even gender most of their stories shared a common thread: fear, violence, and isolation. Several clients remarked, “If we had known sooner, we could have helped each other out.”
