By Dr. Patty Ramirez
KLBRI is wrapping up 2022 in gratitude for the work we were able to accomplish this year. As a young organization, we could not be prouder of what we have been able to accomplish. We hope to continue to build our capacity for this work. Thank you for supporting us and witnessing our journey!
Here are some of the highlights from this year:
KLBRI partnered with the Los Angeles Public Library, Cell-Ed, and Community Power Collective (CPC) to co-develop Community Safety Units as part of the “Be a Successful Street Vendor Initiative”. The Community Safety units were created specifically for street vendors by street vendors to support vendor safety and wellness. The units provide strategies of empowerment to handle harassment and safety and promote an ecosystem of assistance. KLBRI guided the curriculum development process through an eight-week collective centered journey. Through a unique partnership with Latinx Therapy, the eight-week process was accompanied by group and individual therapy series to invite participants to engage in, benefit from, and be supported by a Latinx Therapy mental health provider, at no cost to them. Mental Health services were offered on a weekly basis with over 40% of street vendor participants accessing mental health services.
KLBRI mentored six Master of Social Work graduate students from University of Southern California and Fordham University using our healing-leadership methodology. Together they have shaped the organizational foundation for KLBRI including our organizational brand, strategic planning, grant writing, and conducted research and evaluation around topics such as workplace wellness, burnout, and racial healing. They have now completed their placement at KLBRI and flourished as emerging professionals who are weaving healing centered approaches in their social work practice making our goal of creating a pipeline of healing centered emerging professionals come to fruition.
In August 2022, KLBRI’s Executive Director, Dr. Patty Ramirez was a panelist in the virtual conversation with vendors across Los Angeles in the Street Vendors and Mental Health Open Forum hosted by #CAStreetVendors Coalition and L.A. Taco. Our work was featured in the op-ed “Food Vendors Contend With a Mental Health Crisis on the Streets of L.A.” https://capitalandmain.com/food-vendors-contend-with-a-mental-health-crisis-on-the-streets-of-l-a.
On May 5th, 2022, KLBR co-sponsored Xinachtli Comadres National Colectiva (XCNC)’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Day of Action along with Los Angeles Indigenous People’s Alliance and Justice For My Sister. The campaign theme “ Harnessing our Collective Stories” focused on uplifting and expanding upon the transnational context of violence against native and indigenous women and girls, femicides, gender-based violence and the collective stories that connect the northern and southern movements. Watch our panel platica here.
KLBRI piloted the first cohort of Xinachtli Rites of Passage for Facilitators, a healing-centered leadership development series offering a transformative healing journey based on the Xinachtli Rites of Passage methodology. The aim of this series was to support and guide youth workers in increasing their capacity to show up with youth and the communities they seek to transform. This programmatic offering included a holistic wellness and mental health component in partnership with Latinx Therapy. Our first cohort included 12 initial participants with 9 completing the 12-week collective-centered journey. One participant shared "I feel so blessed to have been able to participate. It helped me to facilitate Xinachtli at the same time from a better spot personally and professionally."
KLBRI published Kolor with KLBRI, a healing-centered coloring book and therapeutic tool for leaders, advocates, and practitioners. You can support our Kolor with KLBRI Fundraiser here: bit.ly/KLBRIFundraiser
KLBRI published a curated resource page to support our ecosystem of care which can be viewed here: http://resources.klbri.org/
KLBRI co-sponsored the Aztlanahuac Cultural Embassy Opening in Teotihuacan, Mexico City, Mexico. Additionally, KLBRI’s Founder, Dr. Patty Ramirez, served as a Planning Committee Member for the Inaugural opening from August 26th to September 4th, 2022.
KLBRI delivered the first learning and culturally responsive Community Racial Healing and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion capacity building journey, Community H.E.A.R.T Academy, with Children’s Bureau’s Best Start cohort of staff, stakeholders, and community members in Lancaster and Antelope Valley
We have so much to look forward to for 2023 and we hope you will be part of our journey!