WE ARE BHC!
NOSOTROS SOMOS BHC
We believe in taking action with urgency and care to serve those who need us most. Please join us by supporting our efforts to make a measurable difference in the lives of others. It’s time to make real change.
WHO WE ARE
Vision - Our Roots
As a community for racial justice, we find ways to ensure all youth have quality education, social-emotional and physical health, access to green space, healthy recreation, and leadership pathways that fully replace the school-to-prison pipeline. We engage in community-driven planning that spurs new economic opportunities for residents, working to ensure that Black, Brown, and Indigenous residents are not priced out of Monterey County. Instead, we have a voice and leadership in shaping public priorities for generations.
Mission
Activate resident voice and power to build an inclusive, anti-racist democracy and safe, thriving communities.
WHAT WE DO
POLICY AND SYSTEMS CHANGE GOALS
At Building Healthy Communities Monterey County, we activate student, family, and community voices to ensure our schools reflect the needs, values, and visions of Black and Brown communities. We are committed to uplifting resident voices to ensure the resources of local government are used in services of needs, values, and visions of Black and Brown individuals.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP
CICLOVIA SALINAS
Open the streets event led by young people
An entry point to civic engagement and a pathway to organizing
CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (CPTED)
Developing leadership to influence changes to the built environment and the allocation of resources
RACE-VIP
Realizing and Advancing Collective Equity in Violence Prevention Efforts for Young Men and Boys of Color
La Cosecha - Youth Harvesting Knowledge
Building youth voice and power to engage in the school decision-making process
EDUCATION EQUITY AND JUSTICE
VISION
To dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline with an active civic engagement of students, parents, and community members as decision makers and transform the Education System into a more justice and equitable system where all students and families thrive.
Areas of Engagement:
Budget Advocacy Local and Statewide
School Climate and Culture
Black and Brown Solidarity
School Discipline Local and Statewide
Capacity Building and Leadership Development for parents and youth
Leaders Engaged:
Padres Unidos
La Cosecha
Seaside Leaders -MPUSD
Alternative Education
Coalitions:
Dignity In Schools Campaign California
Central Coast Movement Building
Statewide Education Advocacy
Central Coast Early Childhood Advocacy Network
LAND USE & ECONOMIC EQUITY
Ensuring residents are engaged in land use decision-making processes and economic justice.
Work we have (are) engaged in:
City of Salinas Budget
City of Seaside Budget
Regions Rise Together --
Inclusive Economic Development Plan
Alisal Vibrancy Plan
General Plan Update
CPTED
Neighborhood WiFi
Housing Advocacy
MONTEREY COUNTY BLACK CAUCUS
Investing in the leadership of Black Communities to lay the foundation for organizing toward policy and systems change.
This work is focused on three broad areas to support Black power-building and leadership in Monterey County to advance racial equity:
Learning and capacity-building around Black-led organizing
Cultivate a strategy for health, wealth and healing, and wellness in the Black Community and
Establish the Black Caucus in Monterey County as a vehicle for Black-led Organizing
TOWARD A RACIALLY EQUITABLE MONTEREY COUNTY (TREMC)
An ecosystem approach to racial equity comprised of stakeholders in government, community organizing, and philanthropy to achieve equitable outcomes for all people in Monterey County.
A strategy to build resident voice and power by building capacity across multiple sectors
Community Alliance for Racial Equity
Residents and CBO are organizing efforts to shift systems
Racial Equity Learning to Action Cohort
COMMUNITY ALLIANCE FOR RACIAL EQUITY (CARE)
Community-based organizations are dedicated to activating resident voices and power for the policy and systems changes needed to close persistent racial equity gaps.
Banktun 12
CHISPA
Center for Community Advocacy
Centro Binacional para el Desarollo Indigena Oaxageno
COPA
Monterey Cental Labor Council
Mujeres en Accion
MILPA
VIDA PROJECT
Thanks to a $4.9 million program funded by the County of Monterey in partnership with the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC), CHWs are trained and equipped to deliver information about the importance of COVID-19 testing and vaccinations and assist community members with access to resources.
COVID RESPONSE
The collaborative program, named “VIDA” (Virus Integrated Distribution of Aid), began in January 2021 and reaches 7,000 monthly through phone calls, information distribution, and personal outreach. In addition to English and Spanish, one of the partner organizations, Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), is providing information in Triqui, Zapoteco, and Mixteco, indigenous languages from the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero in Mexico.
IN THE NEWS
Stay in the Know
November 24, 2021
Alisal Union came across the idea when community partners already trained in the philosophy, including organizations like Building Healthy Communities of East Salinas and Padres Unidos (United Parents), encouraged the school district to try the method firsthand. This push, plus ongoing requests from community members for more culturally relevant opportunities to get involved, made it clear to Alisal Union that the time for something new is now.
July 5, 2022
Lopez, joined by his fellow county supervisors, is just one of several community stakeholders lending support to the imagined child care act. Other partners and advocates include Building Healthy Communities Monterey County; Cannery Row Co.; Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action; Gonzales Gift Shop; League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Monterey Bay Economic Partnership; Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce; Padres Unidos; Mujeres en Acción; and United Way Monterey County, among others.
"Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference." - Kathy Calvin
Your donations are appreciated and will make a huge impact in our work.
