Promotores & Public Health Students in a Joint Public Health Internship/Mentorship Collaboration

Founded in 1989, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation began by developing affordable housing for low-income families, but soon expanded to address additional areas of community development to include: health, education and economic development. The community is rich in cultural traditions and hard-working families who face interlocking problems of poverty, chronic health issues, low educational attainment, and sub-standard housing. In the absence of a responsive health network the belief that there could be an indigenous, grassroots leadership model was developed to guide the community to health. The ground-breaking Community Health Promoters/Promotores de Salud Training Program began in 1995 to build and maintain a comprehensive approach to health systems change by training low-income residents to become professional community health workers. The Promotores participate in an intense training of approximately 240 hours, graduate from the program and have the opportunity to participate in an internship component.

Meaningful relationships are built between Esperanza and other organizations, which are essential in the professional development of the

Promotor. The Occidental College’s Community Health Engagement (CHE) collaboration facilitated a joint learning experience for both the Promotores and Occidental College public health students. It offered students and Promotores hands on experience at community health sites, and at the same time benefit from exchanges in the classroom, and through the sharing of respective cultural backgrounds and lived experiences.