How We Started
UVA was born out of a community gathering that took place in late 2017 where, as a community, we discussed the concerns caused by the change in presidential administration. During the community gathering the need for Latino leaders spread across the county to organize and unite was discussed. As a result, six dedicated community members stood up and took on the responsibility to advocate for better representation, to voice the concerns, and to take action on the issues affecting Latinos. This began the formation of the founding UVA Vecinos en Acción board.
The community gathering that launched UVA continues to guide the work we do today. The purpose of these gatherings is to listen and understand the needs of the community. These conversations with the community lead to actionable plans which are then addressed by UVA board members directly.
Working for the community, alongside the community.
UVA’s focus first began in Ukiah, but as time went on we discovered a growing need in other areas, so we expanded our services and reach to support the entire county. With every project we design we ensure that we reach the most vulnerable of our Latinos: geographically dispersed, undocumented and mixed status families, recently arrived immigrants, monolingual Spanish speakers, those who have challenges with literacy, and those whose technology access is limited or nonexistent. UVA understands the barriers our community faces when attempting to access information, that is why dinner and childcare is always provided at meetings we organize. These gatherings or meetings, whether virtual or in person, are always at convenient times so that working families can attend.
As a result of the work UVA has accomplished and the way we have connected with the community we serve, we are trusted to the point where vulnerable information typically not shared with other agencies is shared with us. This vulnerable information shapes our programs to be more effectively targeted. UVA is recognized by the people as well as other agencies as a trusted source for the Latino community. For this reason, agencies contact UVA when they are needing to reach out to and connect with the Latino community.