Erica P. Sandoval, LCSW, had an idea that took root when she shared the stories of those who contributed to her book "Latinx/e in Social Work." That collaboration became the seeds to create a charitable organization called Siembra Today, a woman-run BIPOC-led nonprofit organization with a mission to transform the lives of communities of color by providing accessible mental health and wellness support. Siembra, in Spanish, means to plant. As the founder and CEO, Sandoval sees Siembra as a go-to organization for education and training for all to become certified culturally humble organizations and social workers when serving the Latine communities.
NEW YORK, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Erica P. Sandoval, LCSW, had an idea that took root when she shared the stories of those who contributed to her book "Latinx/e in Social Work."
That collaboration became the seeds to create a charitable organization called Siembra Today, a woman-run BIPOC-led nonprofit organization with a mission to transform the lives of communities of color by providing accessible mental health and wellness support. Siembra, in Spanish, means to plant. As the founder and CEO, Sandoval sees Siembra as a go-to organization for education and training for all to become certified culturally humble organizations and social workers when serving the Latine communities.
With a partnership with New York University's (NYU) Silver School of Social Work's Latinx Social Work Student Organization (LSWSO), Sandoval and her team recently presented an inaugural launch of the nonprofit which also included discussion panels with 15 "Latinx/e in Social Work" authors, networking opportunities, a job fair and a cultural celebration. Dr. Linda Lausell Bryant, Ph.D, MSW gave opening remarks.
The event, which was about building community and supporting the next generation of social workers, raised $5,000 which Sandoval described as "seed money"—mini-grants to help the university's students purchase special graduation stoles and to support social workers to accomplish their goals. In addition, proceeds from sales of the "Latinx/e in Social Work" have been donated to the LSWSO.
"We aim to donate $5,000 in funds to support the social work profession," she said. "We donated our first $1,000 for graduating students to receive beautiful stoles to identify them as Latinx social workers," she said. "Part of our mission is to have pride in our identity and build community. We are very proud to support them. In addition, we are providing 'seed money' to social workers to build on their dreams such as affording the costs of a licensing exam, starting their private practice or nonprofit, or creating their website."
Sandoval was proud of the overall event and thanked the authors for sharing their stories and connection with guests. She explained that there is much work to do to help these specific communities seek mental health and wellness services and the support they need.
"We knew there was a need in our community," she said. "The authors not only wrote their narratives in these books that are being shared widely across the country, but they came together to serve a need of our community, which is to undo the stigma of accessing mental health support, supporting social workers, and advancing in their careers, building community, and creating healing restorative circles so we can minimize our burnout and feel rejuvenated to continue to do the work that we do. We, at Siembra Today, will continue to undo that stigma by offering training to its communities to provide culturally humble care for them. We want to ensure that the front-line workers are healing, rejuvenating, and continuing to care for themselves as they care for our communities."
Sandoval thanks the following sponsors for their involvement:
Harvest Heroes:
- Hispanic Counseling Center
- Sandoval Colab
Roots of Renewal:
- Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
- Chinese Community Counsel
- Caballero Counseling Services P.C.
- Venezuelan Alliance for Community Support
- CVK Consulting
Growth Catalyst:
- RAIN
- NYC Health + Hospitals | Metropolitan
Sprout:
- LSWSO
- Your Evolved Mind
- #Yo Digo No Mas: I Say No More
- Fig Factor Media
- Lifeskills Counseling Services
- Osim Inspiring Well-Being
- 17 Entertainment
- Latinx/e in Social Work
- Amanecer Feminist Psychotherapy
For more information about Siembra Today, visit this link.
About Siembra Today:
Siembra Today is a women-run, BIPOC-led non-profit organization devoted to transforming the lives of our community by providing accessible mental health and wellness support. In Spanish "Siembra" means to plant, and together we are cultivating a future where individuals feel seen, heard, and supported on their journey towards overall well-being.
We firmly believe that mental health care and support should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic background, age, gender, or ethnicity. We plant the seeds of hope. We understand that vulnerable communities often face unique challenges when accessing mental health resources, which is why we have made it our mission to bridge the gap, ensure support and access and provide culturally humbled trained social workers and organizations to serve our communities. For more information, visit this link. ###
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SOURCE Siembra Today
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