Sign up for Bilingual Courses at CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute

Coalitions serving Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and abroad won’t want to miss CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute July 24-28, where several courses will be offered in Spanish. The courses, led by CADCA’s Dr. Eduardo Hernandez and Eric Siervo, and CADCA trainers George Vasquez and Michael Sparks, will cover environmental strategies, policy and advocacy, and community mobilization strategies.

On Wednesday during the Mid-Year, “Advanced Environmental Strategies” will be conducted in Spanish by Vasquez and Hernandez. Sparks will train on “Community Mobilization for Policy Change,” which will include the “knock-and-talk” strategy in English. Then, on Thursday during the training, Vasquez and Siervo will teach “Community Mobilization for Policy Change” to include the “knock-and-talk” strategy in Spanish. Community mobilizing and organizing are essential tools to successfully implement environmental strategies.

There are many models with differing tactics and styles. And while the alcohol and other drug field has no one specific model, there are key aspects of the process that when coalition implemented increase the likelihood of both changing community norms and adopting policies capable of improving community-level conditions. In many communities, health promotion educators, or Promotoras de Salud, use the “knock-and-talk” strategy in raising awareness of health issues and affect policy change by organizing and mobilizing a neighborhood by simply “knocking” on someone’s door and “talking” with them. This training will focus on the key principles of mobilizing and organizing and put special emphasis on building the skills necessary to engage in the “knock-and talk” process.

CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim, Calif. Online registration is now open! Hurry because early-bird registration ends June 20. The Mid-Year is the only intensive, coalition-specific training opportunity of its kind, providing in-depth courses specifically designed to address a community leader’s biggest concerns and obstacles. View the Spanish courses and other available course descriptions .

And don’t forget: Through CADCA’s “Suite” Deal Challenge, we’re challenging you to get five new attendees to register for CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute by June 8. The first 10 people to bring in five new paid registrants will receive a free upgrade to a 1-bedroom suite at the Hyatt Regency Orange County (based on single/double occupancy only, four-night’s stay) or, if you prefer, a $75 gas card. Interested? Send your recruits’ names and organizations to Laura Steyer at lsteyer@cadca.org by June 8.