To honor the dedication and commitment of their training, promotores who participated in the Campo-Sano Community of Practice for Farmworker Health were celebrated at a graduation ceremony on December 13, 2024 hosted by Center for Community Advocacy in Salinas.
Promotores attended trainings throughout the fall of 2024 as part of the first cohort of trainees in the Campo-Sano Community of Practice (CoP) for farmworker health. The program aims to equip CHWs/Promotores with the knowledge and skills necessary to address how climate change compounds health risks for Californian farmworkers. It offers remedies and resources that support the well-being of farmworkers, their families and the wider communities in which they play such integral and important role .
Promotores representing local community-based organizations (CBOs) convened for learning sessions focused on such climate-related risks as extreme heat, air quality, pesticide exposure, water quality, food contamination, and mold. Researchers from UCSC, UC Riverside, UC Berkeley, and Cal State University Monterey Bay initially developed these presentations, which were then fine-tuned by participants in the Campo-Sano community of practice itself.
The trainings also included attention to labor rights and protections for farmworkers, mental health support, and education on how to use the Campo-Sano Risk Map App. Promotores’ feedback on the presentations has been an integral part of the CoP. Their suggested revisions on the content will inform the final version of the presentations, which will be printed and shared with the participating CBOs for promotores to take with them into the field.
In early 2025, three new rounds of Campo-Sano trainings began in Watsonville, Salinas and Huron with graduations of all participants set to occur in February.