26 Feb 2017

Carlos dreams of his daughters having futures filled with opportunities

In light of recent changes to federal immigration policy, Puente has accepted the responsibility to stand alongside our participants in solidarity. Puente is ready to lead efforts to work alongside immigrants- — both documented and undocumented — and to share stories of immigrants as contributors and heroes in our local community. As an organization, we believe in the power of individuals and families to advocate and work toward individual and community solutions. One way that we can continue our work is to share stories and specially those untold stories of the heroes that live among us on the coast.

Carlos

Carlos and his family participate in Puente programs. He lives nearby with his wife and kids. On the night of Puente’s Community Action Forum, Carlos came seeking answers. The forum provided a space for community members to ask questions and make sense of all the immigration headlines that have become part of our daily lives under this Administration.

Carlos and I begin to talk. My initial question was simple: Why did you choose to come to the U.S?” Immediately Carlos responded, “-for my family. I wanted my children to have better opportunities and choices.”

Like many of the people on the Coast, Carlos shares a similar story of leaving everything familiar- a country, family, and a home language in pursuit of a better life. Carlos has been migrating since he was a teenager. He first left his home in Oaxaca for Mexico City when he was fifteen years old. His life in Oaxaca was one of struggle. He was the middle child of eight children. His family could not afford to feed and clothe everyone much less provide an education. He left for the big city in hopes of earning money to send back to his parents in Oaxaca.

He describes his first days in Mexico City as noisy. What he remembers the most is the amount of cars. There were so many cars. He found people eager to take advantage of someone like him who had moved from a small town to a large city. He remembers Mexico City as busy, a contrast from his home in Oaxaca. He describes Oaxaca as similar to Pescadero, beautiful and tranquil, surrounded by nature. In Mexico City, he found a job right away in construction. He returned to Oaxaca three years later with his earnings and a desire to study. He finished high school and cartilla liberada (proof of military service). He was content for a long time.

With his education, he returned to Mexico City in search of a better job. Even though he worked long hours in construction, he found time to fall in love. He got married and and his life was all about family and work. Both he and his wife worked. When their firstborn came, his wife stayed home to care for the baby. For a long time, he was doing well. He had a good job with great benefits. Then he decided he wanted to change jobs. He describes this as a big mistake. A change in management at his new job soon resulted in layoffs. Although he kept his job, work was challenging and he worried all of the time.

He worked very hard but he was struggling. He could not make ends meet. In addition, he discovered that his supervisor cheated him out of his full wages. He felt that he could not complain because it would make matters worse. They were very powerful people and he did not want any problems or retaliation. He was in a difficult situation. There were not many options– he could complain to deaf ears or find another job. This was the catalyst that motivated him to seek advice from a younger brother who was living in Watsonville, CA.

Shortly after, he found himself in California. His hope was to work hard in the fields of Watsonville and earn money to send home to his wife and young children. However, when we got to Watsonville, harvest season had ended. There was no work left. He heard of a place named Santa Cruz, where there were sprout fields and the season went through November. The sprout season ended and he found himself again searching for work.

He ended up in Pescadero by accident looking for a mushroom farm. He never found the farm but at the gasoline station when he stopped to ask, they told him of a local nursery. He never found that place and ended up at a large local nursery where they offered him a job on the spot. He was so excited because Pescadero reminded of life in Oaxaca- “un lugar sano y tranquilo – a healthy and quiet place.” It reminded him of his childhood.

Working in the nursery, he longed to be with his family. He saw Pescadero as a lovely place to raise a family and one where his daughters could have a life full of opportunities. He worked and worked. When work slowed down at the nursery, he got another job doing yards. What he loves the most about Pescadero is that he feels connected. He said that when he works, his clients refer him to other people. However, it is hard not knowing whether you are going to have work the next day.

At Puente, Carlos participates in the adult education classes. He comes twice a week to learn English. His whole family participates in various Puente programs. He enjoys his life here and has big dreams for his daughters.

Carlos represents many of the thousands of hard working people that live among us and have a simple wish: to see their families prosper. He came here for his children and he continues to work every day to make sure their lives are better. He is a very involved dad and enjoys being a parent. He likes driving his kids to various activities like sports. Carlos cares deeply and is worried about this new Administration and what it might mean for his family’s future.

Carlos’ story is only one of the many immigrants in Pescadero, the United States and the world. Human beings seek better opportunities for themselves and their families. We all do. Sadly, immigrants are currently caught up in the middle of a political stage that aims to minimize their contributions and the long history of this country of immigrants. For more information about how you can help, contact Lina Mira, Program Director.

19 Feb 2017

Parenting Sunday | Domingo Para Padres

Save the Date: March 12 – 1030 – 430PM, Pescadero Elementary School

Parenting Sunday is a day for parents and their children. The event will be enlightening and fun. The workshops will provide parents with useful skills and methods to improve involvement with their children. Parents will learn about developmental changes in children k-12 and the challenges they will encounter. The workshops will provide information on methods that work and don’t work.

** Reserva la fecha: 

Marzo 12 – Horario: 10:30-4:00PM, Salón Multiusos, Escuela Primaria de Pescadero

Domingo para Padres es un día diseñado para la familia. El evento será informativo y divertido. Los talleres capacitarán a los padres con habilidades y métodos útiles para mejorar la participación con sus hijos. Los padres aprenderán sobre los cambios en el desarrollo de sus hijos de k-12 y los desafíos que encontrarán en las diferentes etapas. Los talleres proporcionarán información sobre los métodos que funcionan y no funcionan.

19 Feb 2017

Puente focuses on farm worker mental health

Puente’s weekly La Sala program, its Sunday afternoon “living room” in Pescadero, is a place for male farm workers to gather, eat, play dominoes, and find some pleasure in the company of other single men working back-breaking jobs from dawn to dusk. Sometimes they play guitar, or swap stories about their hometowns, their wives, their children and their other family members. Some they have not seen for well over a decade.

One thing they almost never talk about: depression. It’s not unusual for male and female farm workers to struggle with depression and other mental health issues. Puente’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Services team works hard to assist them with a constellation of programs, from individual counseling to regular group discussions.

Puente also offers comprehensive mental health services to individuals, couples, families and children by appointment. Its educational services include drug and alcohol prevention, child abuse and domestic violence awareness, and healthy dating groups for students in grades 5-12.

Puente’s recent mental health outreach extends to male farm workers as well. In November, a member of the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services team gave a first-time presentation at La Sala on the topic of mental health. Sheryl (name changed for this story) wasn’t sure how it would be received, but the men listened very attentively and asked several questions, including about how to access to Puente’s mental health programs, which are free.

That was a good sign. “It is a difficult subject, and it can be seen as taboo,” said Sheryl, who talked to the men. “A lot of them have similar stories – these men have encountered major trauma throughout their lives, beginning when they crossed over the border from Mexico. They’re working long hours, and some of them cope by turning to drugs and alcohol.

“They want to overcome this, but without tools and coping skills it’s very hard to break the pattern,” she adds.

A series of federal immigration sweeps in several states in February, including several towns across Southern California, have likely only added to feelings of depression and anxiety.

The presentation covered basic questions, such as how to define mental health and the symptoms of depression. It introduced some basic coping strategies and shared important resources for support from Puente.

To draw the men into the Spanish-language presentation, Sheryl played two classic Mexican songs – one happy (‘El Mariachi Loco’) and one sad (‘Amor Eterno’). She asked the men to notice how the music made them feel – how the sad song triggered feelings of sadness, and how their moods changed after listening to the joyful song. The message: even small coping skills can be uplifting, and choosing how to cope can be empowering.

Sheryl also showed the men photos of other uplifting activities and pursuits that can help improve mental health, such as playing soccer, praying or meditating, and cooking healthy food.

Ben Ranz has closely observed the struggles of male farm workers he has befriended over the years. As Puente’s Community Engagement Manager, Ranz is not a member of the Behavioral Health team but he has made a few referrals.

“I can be their buddy, but the men need more than a buddy. I’m not trained to deal with the kind of trauma that these folks are experiencing, and the life they face every day,” says Ranz, who has been advocating for a Puente mental health staff presence at La Sala for several years.

The need for mental health support “is huge,” says Ranz. From his perspective, living in such close quarters with other men – in bunk beds, sometimes 13 to a barracks, sharing a bathroom – can exacerbate destructive habits.

“In a world where you live with a bunch of men, I don’t think some people are willing to acknowledge that they’re suffering, or to do anything about it,” shares Ranz.

However, the La Sala presentation “definitely struck a nerve,” he adds.

One of Puente’s most recent popular mental health programs initiated a collaboration between two psychiatric social workers, one from Puente and one placed at Puente by the San Mateo County Human Services Agency. This fall, Puente held regular lunchtime mental health sessions for female farm workers, visiting them at their local farms. They discussed everything from self-care strategies to parenting issues. Many of the women are mothers.

Puente has a robust community program to address maternal depression, thanks to the longstanding support of the Bella Vista Foundation. The farm visits built on the foundations of that program. The social workers facilitated discussions about ways of dealing with stress, trauma and anxiety. The women shared ideas amongst themselves about activities to try, and then went out and tried them. They took their kids to the beach, took walks, and made tamales with their families.

The women talked about happy childhood memories, remembering the resonant emotional connections they once shared with their grandparents and extended families. They practiced deep breathing techniques and body scans. And each woman made her own “vision board” to clarify her own goals for self-care and relationships with family.

The county social worker who helped facilitate the sessions shared that the women were able to do some things they hadn’t thought of doing. They found it relaxing and refreshing. In the end, they said they would have liked more of it.

The last session saw nine men participate, because they wanted to be included, too.

“They come here in survival mode,” says Sheryl, who spoke to the men at La Sala. “At the end of the day, it takes priority over mental well-being.”

Sheryl intends to give more presentations at La Sala – with at least one that focuses on treatment options for drug and alcohol abuse.

Ranz would love to see Puente’s Behavioral Health team develop a regular presence at La Sala, to help build trust. “I think it takes a lot of time for the men to come up to me and say, I need help with this or that problem, no matter what it may be. People would realize that mental health support is always there as well.”