La Trenza retreat

La Trenza Leadership concluded its first retreat at the Vallecitos Mountain Refuge in New Mexico. Young women from the first and second cohorts attended the retreat along with La Trenza coaches Eva Young, founder of La Trenza and senior associate with the National MultiCultural Institute; and Zenaida Mendez, director of external affairs at Manhattan Neighborhood Network, founder of the Dominican Women's Caucus, and racial diversity director for the National Organization for Women (NOW). The retreat was led by Linda Velarde, founder and director of Centro Cultural de la Raza: Instituto de Anahuac, co-founder and former co-director of Vallecitos Mountain Refuge, environmental activist and organizer for 35 years, Aztec dancer, and recipient of the 1992 Martin de la Cruz international award for keeping alive the tradition of curanderismo.

This mountain refuge among the wilderness of the New Mexican terrain –without electricity or phone service!—helped La Trenza members (me included) get in more in touch with nature and to remember our connection to this earth and to our ancestors. By spending time with ourselves and in community during meditation and silence sessions, this retreat reminded us of the importance of rediscovering the self. Together, we were able to renew and develop a deeper sense of self-awareness and purpose.

La Trenza is committed to providing holistic leadership training for Latinas or Spanish speaking women of color. Its mission is “to organize and cultivate an intergenerational network of women of color transformative leaders to positively impact ourselves, our families, our communities and the workforce.” Recently, La Trenza received a grant from the Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) to work with Latina girls at a DC public school.

La Trenza: Rebraiding my Grandmother's Hair A Transformative Leadership Initiative

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: La Trenza (the braid) is building a community of transformative leaders by re-braiding the wisdom and power of leadership. Rebraiding includes honoring nuestras abuelas (our grandmothers/ancestors) for paving the way and holding ourselves accountable for leading with heart and courage today and for future generations.

La Trenza's rigorous program includes coaching techniques for reframing negative archetypal patterns, leveraging positive cultural values, strengthening competencies to practice new ways of beings, analysis and utilization of data impacting communities locally and globally, and identifying areas for powerful actions.