Empowerment Through Integrated Education and Organizing

Runs the We Rise Nanny Training Program, which certifies caregivers and trains them to lead community modules on labor rights and caregiving skills. Since 2023, certified 35 women across three cycles and trained 16 new trainers and 23 participants in 2024.

Conducts Know Your Rights sessions, immigrant rights workshops, and legal orientations to inform community members about their legal protections. In FY24, delivered 20 Immigrant Rights Workshops reaching 525 attendees, generating 30 requests for legal services and 42 for social services.

Organizes cultural events including the Annual Mexican Independence Day Parade on Port Richmond Avenue, park festivities with over 1,500 participants, and other celebrations that promote cultural expression and community unity.

Connects small business owners with immigrant workers to provide low-cost labor while creating workforce development opportunities, fostering equitable economic growth in immigrant communities.

Preserves and teaches Latinx cultural traditions through folkloric dance groups including L'Unicorns and a children’s Folklórico dance group, and supports intergenerational cultural transmission and identity building.

Hosts regular food pantries to support food-insecure individuals and families. In FY24, hosted 38 food pantries and served 2,030 individuals.

Provides direct legal assistance for immigration processes including asylum applications, Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), Temporary Protected Status, DACA renewals, and address and court changes. In FY24, completed 168 asylum applications and 83 EADs, and served 328 unique individuals with legal aid.

Operates the L'Unicorns Committee, Staten Island’s first Latinx LGBTQIA group, offering orientation, legal referrals, community building, and advocacy to support queer immigrant identities.

Empowers immigrant workers and youth through organizing, leadership development, volunteerism, and community integration initiatives. Supports DACA applicants, college readiness, employment opportunities, and combats stereotypes by building bridges between immigrant and non-immigrant communities.

Responded to the March 2020 pandemic by producing and distributing over 200 face masks, including donations to frontline workers such as police officers and bus drivers.

Leads public art projects such as a mural in Port Richmond by issuing artist RFPs and forming community selection committees. Conducted a Commercial District Needs Assessment of Port Richmond Ave and Forest Ave and held three community engagement meetings to share findings and support commercial revitalization.

Hosts Radio Jornalera New York, a radio station run by and for day laborers, focused on amplifying worker voices and issues, and connected to a national network supporting day laborer advocacy.

Co-authored a report on the economic contribution of the Latinx immigrant workforce to Staten Island's economy before and during the pandemic, providing data-driven insights into immigrant labor impact.

Assists individuals in accessing public benefits through programs like NYC Benefits and Promise NYC. Helped over 500 individuals apply for benefits and enrolled 23 children in childcare vouchers via Promise NYC.

Provides OSHA 10 and 30 construction safety training and conducts workshops on wage theft, workplace accidents, and discrimination to protect day laborers’ rights and improve working conditions.

Operates workforce development initiatives including the Uplift Workforce Development Program, which provides hands-on workplace training and workshops in ESL, resume writing, domestic worker rights, and civic engagement. In FY24, provided 1,093 job referrals and completed 25 OSHA-30 training courses (training 613 students) and 26 Fall Prevention and Drug and Alcohol Awareness courses (training 658 students).

Running a campaign to establish a minimum wage of $25.08 per hour in Tompkins County by 2026, with future increases tied to the cost of living, supported by coalition-building and worker storytelling.

Empowers low-wage workers to take leadership roles in campaigns such as the Living Wage initiative and builds organizing skills through training and engagement opportunities to foster long-term activism.