Community Spotlight is on:

"Entre Amigas" (Among Friends) in Minnesota/South Dakota

Who They Are

Entre Amigas is a secular family planning program that offers advice for Spanish-speaking Latina mothers.

What They Do

The goal of the program is to educate Latina mothers in the community by providing information about healthy sexuality and topics related to taking care of one's reproductive system, as well as providing referrals for subsidized family planning services. The program was designed to emphasize the strength of Latinas in the community and to help improve the health of the community.

How They Do It

Each new program brings together eight to ten participants who complete a 12-week practical course. All sessions are held in Spanish. All the written information and support materials for Entre Amigas distributed in the community are also in Spanish. To facilitate attendance, the program provides free child care, help with transportation, and refreshments.

After receiving instruction on each topic, the participants work as peer educators, teaching other people in the community what they have learned. As a reward for their work during the 12-week practical course, they receive a salary based on the amount of education they offer in the community.

How SAMHSA's Hispanic/Latino Initiative Helped

Entre Amigas uses sections of the book "Grandma's Wisdom" to teach Latinas about self-esteem, depression, and healthy sexuality. The activities and advice in the book are especially useful because they are easy to read and participants in the Entre Amigas program can relate to the content. We receive positive comments from participants each time we use SAMHSA's Hispanic/Latino Initiative books or Web sites!

Contact Information

Contact: Migdalia Loyola Meléndez
Latino Community Education Manager
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota,
South Dakota 1200 Lagoon Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Tel. (612) 821-6123
Fax (612) 825-3522
mloyola@ppmns.org
http://www.centromn.org/amigas.html

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