Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project
Aiding and empowering indigenous Oaxacan immigrants in Ventura County.
Aiding and empowering indigenous Oaxacan immigrants in Ventura County.
Community Organizing
Monthly MICOP community meetings and several currently funded programs help Mixtecs to increase their involvement and their voice in community affairs. MICOP is actively working with local school districts to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate educational services. In El Rio, MICOP activists are playing a leading role in building a “comité del pueblo” to advocate for community needs in collaboration with other stakeholders. And Mixtec leaders are involved in a variety of leadership training opportunities. MICOP collaborates with dozens of organizations and agencies seeking to build stronger communities in Ventura County.
Healthcare Outreach Workers-Promotores de Salud
MICOP actively promotes the training and employment of Oaxacan outreach workers as healthcare promotores/as within their communities. MICOP-trained promotores have logged thousands of hours in Mixteco-speaking communities, helping families access medical care, enroll their children in school, and other activities that promote health and self-sufficiency.
Bebe Sano Well-Baby Classes
Because the majority of Mixtecs living in Ventura County are young familities with small children, MICOP offers Bebe Sano (well baby) classes that teach the basics of well-baby care while simultaneously training Mixteco-speaking community health workers to conduct the classes in community settings. The classes are designed to accommodate low-literacy learners, with linguistically accessible and culturally appropriate curriculum.
Monthly MICOP community meetings and several currently funded programs help Mixtecs to increase their involvement and their voice in community affairs. MICOP is actively working with local school districts to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate educational services. In El Rio, MICOP activists are playing a leading role in building a “comité del pueblo” to advocate for community needs in collaboration with other stakeholders. And Mixtec leaders are involved in a variety of leadership training opportunities. MICOP collaborates with dozens of organizations and agencies seeking to build stronger communities in Ventura County.
Healthcare Outreach Workers-Promotores de Salud
MICOP actively promotes the training and employment of Oaxacan outreach workers as healthcare promotores/as within their communities. MICOP-trained promotores have logged thousands of hours in Mixteco-speaking communities, helping families access medical care, enroll their children in school, and other activities that promote health and self-sufficiency.
Bebe Sano Well-Baby Classes
Because the majority of Mixtecs living in Ventura County are young familities with small children, MICOP offers Bebe Sano (well baby) classes that teach the basics of well-baby care while simultaneously training Mixteco-speaking community health workers to conduct the classes in community settings. The classes are designed to accommodate low-literacy learners, with linguistically accessible and culturally appropriate curriculum.
Interpreters and Cultural Competency
MICOP-trained interpreters work in the courts, local clinics and hospitals, and other agencies and organizations. Interpreter training emphasizes confidentiality, professionalism, impartiality, and compassion. MICOP interpreters work to develop a common vocabulary, as many western concepts have no literal translations.
MICOP's popular cultural competency presentations help medical, legal, educational and public agencies and organizations learn best practices for working with Mixteco-speaking clients.
Education and Literacy
MICOP believes that education is a key to future achievement. Pre-school enrichment, school entry and retention, adult English and Spanish literacy, and citizenship promotion are all areas of current MICOP focus.
Special Cultural Events
MICOP sponsors celebrations to help keep alive the rich Mixtec cultural traditions, while sharing these colorful celebrations with the broader community.
• Dia de los Ninos: a springtime celebration of children and reading, featuring a children's book fair and free books for all children who attend
•Dia de los Muertos: members of the Mixtec community erect a traditional Day of the Dead altar to celebrate their ancestors
•Fiesta Navidena: a spirited celebration of the holidays, featuring live music, traditional dance, and gifts for all
MICOP-trained interpreters work in the courts, local clinics and hospitals, and other agencies and organizations. Interpreter training emphasizes confidentiality, professionalism, impartiality, and compassion. MICOP interpreters work to develop a common vocabulary, as many western concepts have no literal translations.
MICOP's popular cultural competency presentations help medical, legal, educational and public agencies and organizations learn best practices for working with Mixteco-speaking clients.
Education and Literacy
MICOP believes that education is a key to future achievement. Pre-school enrichment, school entry and retention, adult English and Spanish literacy, and citizenship promotion are all areas of current MICOP focus.
Special Cultural Events
MICOP sponsors celebrations to help keep alive the rich Mixtec cultural traditions, while sharing these colorful celebrations with the broader community.
• Dia de los Ninos: a springtime celebration of children and reading, featuring a children's book fair and free books for all children who attend
•Dia de los Muertos: members of the Mixtec community erect a traditional Day of the Dead altar to celebrate their ancestors
•Fiesta Navidena: a spirited celebration of the holidays, featuring live music, traditional dance, and gifts for all
