Promesa Boyle Heights Annual Holiday Convivio

Last month Promesa Boyle Heights held its annual Holiday Convivio, a gathering where nearly 150 resident leaders, partner organizations, and allies celebrated all of the collective achievements for 2019 and prepared to bring in the year 2020.

The evening consisted of community-building activities, a delicious tamale dinner, and Cumbia music. Promesa's teams shared highlights and notable moments from the year. Some highlights from the Community Schools Team included student field trips to UCLA and Cal State Fullerton, continuing Restorative Justice circles with parents and allies, and student college pathway supports.

The Wellness team shared that hundreds of residents have received essential training on Empathetic Listening, The Five Protective Factors, and Know Your Rights through the Promotora Network work.

The Organizing Team continued their work in defense of Immigrant Rights, the ongoing efforts to advocate for Education Justice and college access.

The whole team celebrated the groundbreaking of the Mendez High School Wellness Center. Along with community members and partner organizations, Promesa has been advocating for this center for over ten years. The center will be completed this fall. We also publicly welcomed Claudia Lara Vazquez - English Learner Achievement Coordinator and Matt Kronz - Director of Impact and Continuous Improvement, to the team.

A touching moment of silence was held for two resident leaders that passed away in late 2019, Maclovia Enríquez de la O, a parent leader at Roosevelt High School and Daria Nuñez, a longtime leader in the community of Boyle Heights. Both women bore a tremendous loss for the Boyle Heights community. Their memory lives on through those inspired to continue to carry on the work they led.

The night's program concluded when community leaders were recognized for their continued commitment at the parent centers at Mendez High School, Roosevelt High School and Hollenbeck Middle School, the Comite de Parques, the Comite de Lideres, and the Wellness Promotoras.