Our Work - Making Connections

25th Anniversary

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Making Connections
The Essence of our Work

Youth

A Latino church member spends time with a Latina to support and encourage her as she comes to terms with violence at home.
A trained Latina teaches a workshop to other Latinas in the community.
A mother stops at an information center in her neighborhood where she can speak Spanish and locate medical services for her sick child.
A Latino high school student reflects on healthy relationships and participates in the creation of a Spanish language video on the subject.
Latino men discuss how to model non-violent behavior for their sons and promote it to other men.

Change is happening throughout the Twin Cities. Community members are taking action close to home-in their neighborhoods-in the work of ending domestic violence. What could be more effective than Latinos who are involved with one another-supporting, encouraging and pooling their efforts?

These relationships and networks are the foundation for ending domestic violence-they form the core of Casa de Esperanza's work.

Making Connections is the key to empowering Latino communities to mobilize and put an end to domestic violence. We know that change will take place only with everyone's participation--in transforming attitudes and norms and working together.

Spirit and fortitude are integral to Latino communities. Casa de Esperanza looks to our communities for direction; we trust them; and we follow their lead. Community drives our work, showing us the way--the priorities and the opportunities--and we, in turn, engage them by

listening to and understanding their aspirations
informing, educating, and raising awareness about domestic violence
bringing people together and creating networks
tapping into the communities' natural leaders and training them
challenging all to move forward--mobilizing.

And then . . . the community takes up the work! They "make it their own," creating new ways to accomplish the task--one to one; couple to couple; group to group. The movement goes far beyond us.

This process makes sense in Latino cultures because community is vital in our lives.

This vision distinguishes Casa de Esperanza from other domestic violence organizations:
we are mobilizing the community to do it's own work--
we are not applying our solutions to the community.

No one can predict what shape our collective efforts will take in the future. We do know, however, that social capital is being built and change is happening.

If you wish to contact us about:
Making Connections . . .write us at ourwork@casadeesperanza.org