amexcan nccgp 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Community Partnerships For
Creating Sustainable GardensNovember 9, 2013
What is AMEXCAN?
The mission of the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc., (AMEXCAN), is to promote the active participation of Mexicans and Latinos in their new communities and encourage the appreciation, understanding, and prosperity of the Mexican and Latino community through cultural, educational, health, law and leadership activities.
AMEXCAN is inclusive
The Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc., (AMEXCAN), is a non-profit organization founded in September 2001 . AMEXCAN was formed to support people in North Carolina who are from Mexico and/or Latin America. However, the director of the organization invites all residents of North Carolina to join or become a volunteer with AMEXCAN to enjoy the culture, values, and traditions of the Mexican and Latino people.
A statistical portrait of U.S. Hispanics
Resource/image from Pew Research Hispanic Center, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey.
51.9 million Hispanics lived in the U.S. in 2011…
A statistical portrait of U.S. Hispanics
…and Hispanics today make up 17% of the U.S. population, up from 13% in 2000.
Resource/image from Pew Research Hispanic Center, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey.
Health in the Latino community
AMEXCAN has held a series of community forums to determine what the people living in Latino communities:
feel are major health issues
need information about
have access to
experience as barriers
The people needto be heard!
in their own communities, by people who respect their culture and their families.
Agencies often give statistics to talk about health disparities. The statistics show some common health problems in the Latino communities of Eastern North Carolina.
“They humiliate me because I do not have an insurance.”
“I have a medical problem, I need to see a doctor every 3 months.
Of course, it is expensive.”
“My husband is in the hospital. He is not well treated because he is an immigrant.”
“I have been really sick but I could not go to see the doctor because I do not have
an insurance. I am not qualified for Medicaid.”
What did the community say?
Think about this…
If:
Deporting you will break up your family because your children are US citizens and go to school here.
You are working every day but have no documents to allow you to work “legally”.
Immigration authorities are in the process of deporting you, sending you back to your native country.
In a yearlong investigation, the Applied Research Center, which publishes Colorlines.com, found that at least 5,100 children whose parents are detained or deported are currently in foster care around the United States.
How likely would you be to attend meetings about growing healthy food?
It’s a great idea, and it could work…
How can the families be included in the design of planning and design of the garden?
Then
This work is about the community!
• Opportunities for the immigrant community to come together are not easy to arrange:
• Many people don’t have transportation• Work days are often 10 hours or more
• Programs established and funded for outreach only work for those who can get to the agency’s office. THAT IS NOT COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
• Small groups who speak the language and understand the culture of the immigrant community rarely have funds to work with.
About the people working together…
• Community groups are often approached by universities who would like to do research there; but bring nothing to the table to benefit the community.
• AMEXCAN has been able to collaborate with other organizations to train Lay Health Advisors – Promotoras/Promotores who can teach in their own language and in communities where they are trusted.
• The Promotores have been trained for different health conditions; helping to prevent, recognize and treat breast cancer and diabetes.
Going forward
There is much work to be done and we need people who can operate in a culturally competent manner. Referring to immigrants as “illegal” is offensive. The term “undocumented” is preferred.
It has often been stated that “we all came from somewhere”.
The Latino community needs advocacy to improve the overall health of the community. Advocacy means overcoming the language barrier to communicate their assets as well as their needs.
It also means establishing true partnerships.
Going forward together
The health of many immigrants actually declines when they change from their native diet to what is available and affordable at the grocery stores in their new communities. Often, health disparities are described statistically with no accounting for variables such as the availability of healthier options.
There are many benefits to different ethnicities and cultures working together. Each brings tradition and wisdom to exchange. Eastern North Carolina’s population is changing. We’ve got to hold on to the things that we need, and learn to maximize our resources.
Contact Information
Juvencio Rocha Peralta, Executive Director252 [email protected]
Kathy Whitaker Knight, Program & Grants Coordinator