Program ResultsEmpowering Community Members
"I was a Camp Health Aide. That's how I started. It made me feel strong."
-Cynthia Jaimes, Certified Lactation Consultant and Outreach Co-Coordinator, Sparta Health Center, MI and former Promotora
Migrant Health Promotion's programs improve the health of farmworkers and border communities. The programs also create a lasting, positive impact on the Promotoras and Promotores themselves. Promotores(as) consistently describe increased feelings of self worth and a greater sense of achievement attributable to their participation: "I will use everything I have learned in my future - Camp Health Aide or not," says a 1999 participant of her experience. They commonly express an eagerness to continue assisting their peers long after their program officially ends, reporting that people in their community continue to seek and receive assistance from them years later. "Once a Promotora, always a Promotora," is a frequent refrain among "former" participants. Similarly, many participants continue their work with Migrant Health Promotion as Program Coordinators and staff members, or they volunteer on the Board of Directors or the Farmworker Advisory Council. Others, inspired by their experiences, complete formal training, launch health careers and continue to improve the health of their communities.
A completed three-year study funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation finds that Migrant Health Promotion's programs have significant benefits for participants. The authors draw several important conclusions about demonstrated impacts on Promotores(as). First, "feeling empowered is critical to being able to help others make decisions about their health." More importantly, "recognizing the personal changes and increased feelings of power that happen while individuals participate in the [program] validates the potential for such programs to change the face of the health care system and change the dynamics of poor, isolated communities."1
Promotor(a) Profiles
Read about how Migrant Health Promotion programs have changed the lives of Promotores(as).
Infórmate Teen Health Program Changes Lives
"Thank you for everything you have done for my son this year. I thank God for putting you and this program in his path. I have a new son. He wants to finish school and then make something better of himself. I wish that more teens could get the chance to be a part of this kind of program."
-Mother of a Teen Health Aide
The youth who become Teen Health Aides care about their communities and their peers and want to make a difference in the world. During the time they serve as Teen Health Aides, they also change their own lives. They inform themselves about critical issues such as HIV and AIDS, alcohol, tobacco, substance abuse, leadership, community building and related issues. They learn about their power to create change by educating their peers, by modeling healthy behaviors and by supporting other teens through difficult decision-making processes.
A pre- and post-participation survey of Teen Health Aides at three sites in Michigan in 2002 reveals that Teen Health Aides recognize the effect the program has on their lives. The post-participation survey illustrates that 80 percent of participating Teen Health Aides reported practicing fewer risk behaviors and 94 percent were both drug and alcohol free or reduced their use. Also, 95 percent of the Teen Health Aides reported that they were much more likely to take care of their own health as a result of their participation in the program.
Profile
Juan Cruz, Teen Health Aide. Read about how Migrant Health Promotion programs changed this Teen Health Aide's life.
(1) Booker, V., Robinson, J. G., Kay, B. R., Gutierrez-Najera, L., & Stewart, G. (1997). Changes in empowerment: Effects of participation in a lay health promotion program. Health Education and Behavior SOPHE, 24(4), 452-464.
