Somos Mayfair

In our hands: the si se puede collective (sspc) is comprised of 5 organizations (the collective includes amigos de guadalupe, grail family services, school of arts and culture, Somos Mayfair and veggielution) in Mayfair working in tandem to leverage our resources and amplify the impact we make in Mayfair. We are guided by a common platform and vision to uplift the families of the neighborhood. Somos Mayfair functions as the backbone organization of the sspc. In fy23 we worked on 4 joint initiatives to address the crucial needs in the neighborhood: jobs to grow to develop and support a workforce of childcare and food entrepreneurs; community development building grants (city of san jose) to support the leadership development of community residents; city of san jose promotor pilot to support a pilot program of promotores to support with outreach and community engagement strategies of the city of san jose; and county of santa clara department of public health to support and align services across the different hubs in the neighborhood to offer a no-wrong door approach to residents seeking services.

Community power: our community-organizing efforts support movement-building in our neighborhood and schools to elevate their needs and decision-making power. Parents and residents engage in participatory action, analysis, priority setting, relationship building, and tactical strategies to advance an equity platform developed by community and for community. This platform includes advocating for dignified resources for our schools, protecting current tenants in our neighborhood, and promoting the smart development of affordable housing without displacement. During this fiscal year, we engaged a group of consultants to help us build a pipeline of potential housing development projects to consider; we continue to work in partnership with the county to explore the creation of a community development corporation in Mayfair; and, we are working with the city of san jose to pass a tenant preference policy in response to the local preference policy that Somos pushed to pass at the state level (sb649). During fy23 we engaged 94 adults and youth leaders in our organizing efforts and outreached to more than 13,000 community members in east san jose to inform them of the issues we are advancing.

Early school success: Somos currently activates three family resources centers (frcs) in east san jose, two of them in partnership with alum rock unified school district. Through our frcs, our programs aim to enrich family strengthening practices and social-emotional learning while providing basic needs assistance and referrals to a larger safety net. During the pandemic, Somos Mayfair retooled its service provision strategies and provided large quantities of ppe, hygiene products, diapers, and formula families. During fy23 we served more than 2200 children, adults, and youth across all sites. In our frcs promotores lead peer-to-peer educational programs, parenting workshops and community activities with parents and children to promote family and early learning practices. Over 200 children and adults participated in our bridge to kindergarten. The family resource center launched a community advisory community, increased training for staff, and developed stronger relationships with other s se puede collective partners.

Leadership development: as community members recognize their strengths and abilities through our educational programs, mentorship, and intentional practice, we sustain a leadership brand that generates more leaders. In Somos' universidad popular de Mayfair (upm), community leaders own their growth, develop their skills, and deepen their analysis of social and economic issues to catalyze changes impacting the neighborhood. During fy23 we trained 169 leaders and promotores in our year long upm; and, 162 community members were active in our mutual aid support strategy, as a way to promote resiliency and cooperativism in the neighborhood. To address the need for self-care and recovery efforts, we prioritized training in somatic and wellbeing practices and trained 18 practitioners across all teams. During this fiscal year, Somos Mayfair recognized over 270 committed leaders (promotores and volunteers) who took on leadership roles across all projects in the organization.economic opportunity: families need increased economic opportunities to break away from cycles of generational poverty. Through Somos fuertes, the organization continues to support two worker-owned cooperatives to further advance economic mobility and justice in Mayfair and the broader south bay. During this fiscal year, the fuertes team increased its professional development efforts, centering their support on workers learning how to navigate virtual spaces and technology. We also convened a cohort of "traditionally excluded workers and staff members working together to map the new iteration of fuertes and identify a new advocacy priority for the team. During fy23, 51 community members participated in our professional development training.