Rooted in Community, Action, and Lived Experience. Inspired by a Broader Perspective.

In 2023, Training To Impact LLC (TTI) was trusted by Familias en Acción to lead the design and delivery of a Climate Action curriculum and training for Community Health Workers (CHWs). This work reflects our approach to culturally responsive training and curriculum development, grounded in trust, culture, and community wisdom.

We led the development of the curriculum and facilitated the training process, working in thoughtful partnership with the Familias team, whose leadership and feedback helped strengthen the content through their deep expertise in climate and health.

This curriculum was made possible through funding from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), which supported Familias en Acción in expanding access to culturally responsive climate education. Together, we designed and implemented a training experience rooted in popular education methods and principles and adult learning theories, ensuring that participants’ lived experiences were not only acknowledged, but centered as a key source of knowledge.

Learning From Each Other

At the heart of this curriculum is a commitment to popular education methods and principles, combined with adult learning theories. This means that participants are not seen as passive learners, but as co-creators of knowledge.

We begin with what participants already know, honoring their lived experiences, cultural knowledge, and community wisdom. From there, we introduce new information and create space to reflect, compare, and build understanding together.

Participants engage through dialogue, interactive exercises, and culturally relevant practices such as Lotería, art, and storytelling. This approach creates learning environments that are participatory, empowering, and grounded in real-life experience.

Building Knowledge for Action

The curriculum was designed as a series of four workshops, each five hours long, for a total of twenty hours of learning. These sessions reflect key pillars aligned with the City of Portland’s Clean Energy Plan, including:

• Family health
• Emotional well-being and resilience
• Latino environmentalism
• Food equity and sustainability

Beyond knowledge, the curriculum encourages advocacy, community participation, and climate preparedness, supporting Community Health Workers to become leaders and messengers of change within their communities.

Implementation and Ongoing Impact

We then trained the trainers and supported the implementation of the curriculum. Since then, Familias en Acción continues to provide Climate Action trainings not only for Community Health Workers, but also for community leaders, continuously adapting the content to reflect both changes in the environment and the evolving needs of the communities they serve.

We hold tremendous respect for Familias en Acción, a nonprofit organization deeply rooted in community. Their work is grounded in values of integrity, compassion, inclusivity, humility, and cultura, honoring the lived experiences, knowledge, and strength of the Latiné community.

Through their Climate & Health Program, Familias en Acción creates spaces for education, engagement, and community organizing, helping participants understand the impacts of climate change on health and equipping them with tools to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. Their offerings include culturally specific trainings, emergency preparedness workshops, and opportunities for advocacy and leadership, all delivered in ways that are accessible, relevant, and community-centered.

We are honored to have such a strong partnership with Familias en Acción and look forward to continuing to collaborate on meaningful and impactful projects like this.

A Collective Effort

This work reflects the dedication and collaboration of many individuals.

The curriculum integrates extensive research led by Marie Dahlstrom, founder of Familias en Acción, and Ana Ruiz Morillo, Founder and Director of Training To Impact LLC. Activities were developed with the support of the TTI team, including Ana Oliveros Armenta and Brian Schmitt.

We also benefited from the guidance of the Climate, Health, and Resilience team at Familias en Acción.

We extend deep gratitude to all who contributed, especially the Líderes Naturales, a group of Latino community leaders, led by Teresa Campos Domínguez. Their insights, participation in pilot workshops, and thoughtful feedback strengthened this curriculum in meaningful ways.

Honoring Our Cohorts

We also want to recognize the first (photo with certificates) and second cohorts (photo with map) of Community Health Workers who brought this curriculum to life.

The first cohort of CHWs participated in pilot sessions, offering critical feedback that directly shaped and improved the final curriculum. Their voices, reflections, and lived experiences are embedded in every module.

The second cohort continued this journey, deepening the work and expanding the impact. Together, these cohorts represent the power of community-led learning and the importance of investing in those who are already leading change.

Earth Day, Every Day

As we reflect this Earth Day, we are reminded that caring for our planet is not only about large-scale solutions or distant innovations. It is also about local action, community knowledge, and everyday choices.

Space exploration may show us the beauty of Earth from afar, but it is here, in our neighborhoods and communities, where that beauty is protected, nurtured, and sustained.

At Training To Impact, we remain committed to building spaces where learning leads to action, where culture is honored, and where communities are supported to care for both people and the planet.

Because Earth is not just where we live. It is who we are connected to.

Helping You Make an Impact

At Training To Impact, we design and deliver culturally responsive trainings, curriculum development, and facilitation for organizations working in health, prevention, and community engagement.

In this project, TTI was trusted to lead the development and training of a Climate Action curriculum for Community Health Workers (CHWs), grounded in popular education methods and community-centered practices.

Interested in bringing a training like this to your organization? We partner with organizations to design and deliver customized trainings for Community Health Workers and community leaders.

Contact us at admin@trainingtoimpact.com