Centro Hispano Inc

Youth - youth programs provide culturally congruent academic support, parent engagement, and leadership development to latinx youth and their families. Currently youth programs operate in nine madison metropolitan (mmsd) schools serving over 300 young people and their families in a high-intensity partnership with mmsd. Youth programs provide quality, consistent, intensive support across key transition points in youth development from middle school to high school and post-secondary life to ensure a strong sense of belonging and to ensure latinx families thrive in wisconsin.

Workforce - workforce programming advances the business climate locally by empowering and supporting a latinx and bilingual workforce in collaboration with madison college and a diverse group of employment partners. Programming at centro (caminos) addresses workforce inequities in key industry sectors, by addressing employment, upskilling, retention, and advancement for the latinx community. Caminos began with an industry-specific track through our certified nursing assistant program and has now expanded to other pathways. These include the health care sector/emergency response, including certified peer support, and the finance industry, and growing technology sector. The work also addresses how to best cultivate wealth for trainees and community, ensuring strategies that are inclusive of immigrant families and their needs.

Immigration - as one of the only bilingual/bicultural doj accredited agencies in wisconsin, the immigration program at centro screens the needs of thousands of individuals year around. The team of attorneys, paralegals, and doj accredited rep provide support, coordination, and case management around a variety of legal issues, including daca, naturalization and citizenship, family petitions and other needs of asylum seekers and wisconsin residents.

Evaluation - centro's vision of a latinx community empowered to reach their goals and dreams because they have the tools for success, is defined by how we measure program impact in the community. At centro we believe in capacity-building that uplifts the already existing assets in our staff, clients and community partners with the necessary tools to navigate systems and feel a sense of belonging and true empowerment. Through our evaluation program, we engage in conversation around public health practice, data collection and evaluation, and focus on leadership and voice, so staff and community can all have the shared knowledge and tools to shape the future of wisconsin; one reflecting an active, engaged and thriving latinx community.

Community engagement - central to community engagement work at centro is our weekly mercadito or community market, providing a space for local immigrant vendors to vend, pilot new ideas and network as they grow their businesses. Mercadito offers business development, placed-based arts programming for youth and families and a social support space for latinx adults of all generations. Centro's trust in the community is gained through community engagement ensuring centro programs fulfill the mission and potential to make an impact in the community.