Latin American Association

The LAA recognizes the integrated nature of the challenges faced by immigrant women. Our expertise in these issues have informed the organization’s approach to working with low-income Latinas. With the purpose of empowering Latinas to realize their full potential through economic advancement, the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program at the LAA represents a concerted effort to address the barriers that perpetuate immigrant women’s low economic status. Central to this is the LAA’s strong commitment to gender equality and the promotion of women’s active economic, social, and civic participation. The organization has long provided comprehensive services designed to meet women’s needs, including family services, employment services, domestic violence legal services, and parenting programs. The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program builds on these offerings. 

Program core components include:

- Education: Women in Business Workshops are a part of a schedule of educational classes and workshops provide life skills - including leadership development, conflict resolution, and civic participation - financial education, English language learning, and computer literacy. 

- Vocation Training: industry-specific job training, resume writing support, and curated career fairs.

- Entrepreneurship: a two-year program that includes eight-weeks of business development training, one-on-one consulting, business planning and business education courses, networking and mentorship opportunities, and a micro-loan fund. Clients have the opportunity to participate in ACCIONA, a one-year business accelerator that includes rental space and technical assistance.

- Latina Leadership Conference: a one-of-a-kind regional event brings together Latinas from across north Georgia for a day of workshops, trainings, and community building

Georgia is also home to the demographic group opening businesses faster than any other demographic segment in the country: Latina women.[1] Latinas have the potential to change their own economic status as well as that of their families and the communities in which they live. Yet more often than not, immigrant women’s economic contributions go unrecognized, their work undervalued and their promise unnourished. Unequal opportunities, lack of information, and lack of access to resources continue to hamper the ability of Latinas to lift themselves out of poverty and gain options to progress in life. 

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program provides training, classes, resources, and community connections to ensure Latinas succeed in their careers and as business owners. Through strategic programming that is designed and implemented with the specific needs of Latinas in mind, this program helps lay a foundation towards economic self-sufficiency and employment growth. The program provides resources and training at every step of the entrepreneurial path. From the initial idea to the implementation and accessing the necessary capital, the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is there to support Latinas along the road to business ownership and growth.

[1] 2017 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, American Express

The Latin American Association (LAA) has a demonstrated 50-year history of providing culturally aware and specialized services. The LAA is the region’s oldest fully bilingual agency that provides services and programming for the Latino community. The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is a strategic, comprehensive program designed to provide Latinas with the skills they need to advance in their careers and ensure economic security. This program recognizes and addresses the challenges faced by Latinas in the workforce.

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program aligns perfectly with the Truist Inspire Challenge as the primary goal of the program is to equip and empower Latinas to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Program classes, trainings, conferences, and resources are all available in both Spanish and English and are designed with the specific workforce development needs of Latinas in mind. Additionally, the program is managed by Latinas who have firsthand understanding of the challenges they face. The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is a unique program that provides economic advancement solutions to a community that is often overlooked and underrepresented.

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program serves Latinas looking to advance in their careers and open or expand businesses. This program was launched in 2014 and to date has trained over 5,000 Latinas, with 30 percent beginning their own business and 25 percent achieving career advancement. Latinas add to the vibrant diversity of Atlanta, contribute significantly to the region’s cultural fabric and play an increasingly important economic role in Atlanta, the state and beyond. In metro Atlanta, the rapidly growing Hispanic demographic now stands at nearly 12 percent, and statewide the Latino population in Georgia numbers near one million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). Atlanta's four-county metro core—Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb and Fulton—now comprises over 50 percent of the state’s Hispanic population. Despite this significant growth and the important role Latinos now play in the economic health and well-being of the region, over one quarter of the Hispanic population in Georgia lives below the poverty level. Poverty rates have decreased for many groups across Georgia over the last few years, but racial discrepancies still exist. For Latinas, nearly 30 percent live in poverty – a rate higher than that of women in any other racial or ethnic group.  

This program advances Latinas in the workforce through culturally specific and aware classes, trainings, and conferences. The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is a one of kind solution to many of the challenges faced by Latinas in the Atlanta Metro area.

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program serves Latinas living in and around Atlanta, Georgia. The program is in the process of expanding to Whitfield County in Northwest Georgia.

 In 2021, 380 Latinas attended entrepreneurial workshops and 160 graduated from the eight-week Planifica tu Negocio (Plan Your Business) course. The Latinas that participated in these workshops and classes received education around financial literacy, business education classes, micro-loan opportunities, and ESL classes. In addition to helping Latinas begin or sustain a business through specialized classes, the LAA also hosts the ACCIONA Business Center. ACCIONA serves as a business accelerator by providing nine Latinas with a low-cost business space rental opportunity. 

The LAA also provides support to new and growing Latina businesses through micro-loans. In the last two years, the LAA has provided 30 micro-loans totaling $60,000 to Latinas in the process of founding or expanding their small business. In 2022, the LAA began working with Refugee Women’s Network to provide a micro-lending program. This program is specifically designed to provide access to capital to immigrant Latinas. 

The LAA recognizes the vital role Latinas play within their families and the community at large. Almost 70% of clients served across all departments and programs at the LAA are Latina. This statistic highlights the importance of providing programming that is specifically designed to meet the needs of Latinas. By providing Latinas with the tools they need to succeed, the LAA knows that families and the community at large will benefit.

The LAA acknowledges the best practices for change set forth in the United Nations Development Group Key Principles for Developing a Theory of Change. The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program’s success lies in the fact that it was developed to reflect the needs of the Latinas in business, it constantly adapts to reflect current needs, and is always looking for opportunities to improve and grow the services offered. The program works closely with participants to ensure it provides the most beneficial and needed services, resources, and classes. Additionally, the program strategically focuses on ensuring the program’s long-term success through evaluations and community engagement. The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is a one-of-a-kind program with a proven history of effectiveness. Part of its success lies in the fact that it continues to be adaptable to ensure the program meets needs and does not become stagnant.

Additionally, the program employs evidence-based best practices in women’s economic empowerment programming for Latinas. The program’s foundation is based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), an empirically validated approach to economic empowerment proven highly effective with low-income and minority women. SCCT views participants as active agents who, by changing their beliefs about what they can accomplish, perceived barriers, and expected outcomes, are capable of achieving economic success. At the same time, SCCT recognizes the contextual factors and social, cultural, and political realities that impact a community’s ability to change outcomes. The program’s components are all rooted in SCCT and yield a holistic model for economic empowerment that supports the success of Latina women.   

Every year the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program serves over 2,000 Latinas through its vast but strategic programs. In 2021, the program served 850 Latinas through the Latina Empowerment Conference alone. Over 380 Latinas attended entrepreneurial workshops and over 650 participated in the preliminary Planifica tu Negocio course. Currently, there are nine Latina owned small businesses in the ACCIONA Business Center. Latina small business owners also have the opportunity to participate in ESL, computer, and workforce development event. 

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program has continued to grow at a steady and sustainable pace. Over the next five years, the LAA plans to expand the program to Northwest Georgia by offering classes and workshops to people in and near Whitfield County. The LAA already has a satellite office in Dalton, GA and continues to build relationships with the business community there. Through these already laid inroads, the LAA will easily be able to expand this program and increase the number of Latinas served. Over the next 5 years, the LAA hopes to increase the number of Latinas served by a third.

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program primarily serves immigrant or first-generation Latinas. Additionally, many program participants have a limited understanding of English. This program is specifically designed and adapted to meet the needs of Latinas who want to advance in their careers and begin or expand their business. As the primary stakeholders in the program, Latinas are the driving force behind program content and expansion. 

As an organization, the LAA is focused on building stronger community connections through direct services, resources, and educational opportunities. The LAA’s Advocacy and Outreach Director works closely with the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program to facilitate community conversations and create solutions that directly address the challenges faced by Latinas. The Latina community continues to be the driving force behind the success of the program. Their insight and guidance set the stage for the work that is done.

The LAA has demonstrated over its 50-year history that it is dedicated to serving the Latino community through powerful, culturally aware programming and direct services. Additionally, the LAA and all its departments are led by Latino individuals who are immigrants or first-generation themselves. This leadership gives the LAA unique understanding of community needs. The vast majority of the LAA leadership or staff understand the particular challenges faced by Latina small business owners and endeavor to ensure the programming provides answers and solutions to those challenges.

The goal of the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is to empower Latinas to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Objectives for this goal include:

• Objective 1:   Equip Latinas with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully pursue
• Objective 2:  Provide the tools Latinas need to start and grow their own businesses
• Objective 3: Expansion of programs to Northwest Georgia

The effectiveness of the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program lies in its commitment to its goal that is highlighted through strategic planning and stellar leadership. Program leadership is dedicated to ensure programming meets the ever-evolving needs of participants.  Over the next five years, this program will increase the number of participants served through both geographic expanse and community outreach initiatives. 

Objectives for this program will be met through the continued investment of time, expertise, and funding for the program. Additionally, the LAA works closely with community partners on developing programs and creating inroads for the necessary business community connections. These connections with business community partners and community educators is very important for the success to program participants and for ensuring the objectives are met.

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program is led by a dedicated team of Latina professionals that have a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by Latina businesswomen. 

Program staff includes:

• Monica Cucalon, Managing Director of Economic Empowerment: Ms. Cucalon will supervise the overall program implementation. In addition, she will support the program strategy, analysis/evaluation, and develop program definitions as needed.
• Mabel del Valle, Latina Empowerment Manger: Ms. Del Valle manages the day-to-day Latina empowerment programming, including building community relationships, and setting up workshops and classes
• NEW HIRE, ACCIONA Manager: this positions oversees the ACCIONA Business Center by providing clients with business support, mentorship, and ensuring the office area has a consistent presence
• Caitlin Webb, Adult Education Manager: Ms. Webb oversees course scheduling, program management, and instructor recruitment for all programs related to digital literacy. Ms. Webb also manages and teaches many of the LAA's ESL classes.
• Carolina Ramos, Director of Advocacy and Outreach: Ms. Ramos works closely with community partners and other nonprofits to help advance the mission of the program
• Laura Estefenn, Marketing Operations Specialist: Ms. Estefenn will manage program promotion and develop and update outreach strategies.
• Whitney Gillis-LeHew, Grants Manager: Ms. Gillis-LeHew will aid in evaluation/program outcomes, registration, and develop reports on the impact of the program in the community.

The investment of the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards will allow the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program to continue to provide critical yet otherwise unavailable services that economically empower low-income Latina immigrants. Since the program’s launch in 2014, the program has become one of the LAA’s most in-demand and needed programs. The LAA has worked continuously to leverage this investment to expand the program’s base of support. The support of the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards will this program to have further impact in the lives of Latina women.

The support of the Truist Foundation Inspire Award would allow the LAA to grow the program as well as gain invaluable insight and training opportunities to ensure the program’s effectiveness and sustainability. This partnership would also offer a unique opportunity to learn more about change theory, new business models, and refine our evaluation and monitoring process. The LAA recognizes that this opportunity will strengthen the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program and ensure it is able to provide the best programming possible to Latinas.

Access to WiFi

Opportunities that could help the ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program better achieve its goals include partnerships with tech professionals and companies. Part of this program’s success is because it offers both in-person and online programming. For online opportunities to be successful, both LAA staff and program participants need access to quality software, hardware, and computer literacy classes. In addition to technology needs, the rapid growth of the program over the last two years has led to a need for a better evaluation and monitoring system. 

The ¡Avanzando Juntas! Latina Economic Empowerment Program looks forward to growing and creating new relationships with cities, counties, Mayors’ Offices, Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Administrations, Banks, CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institution), and media outlets. Partnerships with cities, counties, and elected officials are important for both advocacy efforts and funding to support local small business growth. Over the last five years, the LAA has built a strong working relationship with banks, including Bank of America, Truist, and Wells Fargo. Relationships with banks as well as CDFIs are important for Latinas who are seeking to access capital to open or grow a small business.