Press Release
04/20/2023
Contact: Luis Antezana Alba
mediapress@juntoscommunity.org
720-507-3651
JUNTOS RECEIVES MULTI-YEAR GRANT TO CREATE ADVOCACY PATHWAYS FOR UNDOCUMENTED COLORADANS TO EARN INCOME AND LIVE HEALTHY LIVES
[Denver, CO] – Juntos Community, a Techstars portfolio company and community-based nonprofit, was recently awarded $310,000 of grant funding by The Colorado Health Foundation to support the creation of an advocacy program to help Colorado’s dreamers and undocumented families learn how to thrive financially and live healthy lives. Juntos Community’s mission is to help Dreamers learn how to renew and submit their work permits so they can become self-sufficient and self-advocates as they earn wages to help themselves and their families. This funding will support our vision of helping undocumented families access upward mobility and build generational wealth by empowering our families with education. Aligned with our vision, the purpose of this grant is to create advocacy pathways for undocumented Coloradans to earn income and live healthy lives.
“Juntos Community is pleased to receive this grant award and put it towards investing in people and systems to create meaningful impact for undocumented Coloradans so they too can thrive financially and better the health of themselves and their families,” said Luis Antezana, founder and CEO of Juntos Community. “In a time when the future of DACA is uncertain, this grant award is a statement that our undocumented Coloradans matter, and that we will work together towards solutions for all families in our state, regardless of immigration status.”
This program aims to create a team that works closely with community members and partner organizations to develop and implement successful evaluation strategies, monitor implementation of state laws, and mobilize community members to educate themselves in order to take action on key policy issues. Our goal is to create an advocacy system that educates, consults, involves, collaborates, and empowers our communities.
At Juntos Community, we are seeing firsthand the urgent need to invest in our undocumented communities in times where uncertainty and anxiety about DACA and the ability to work and earn a living wage is at an all-time high, and in a time where the state of Colorado is anticipating a talent shortage across various industries. We believe creating advocacy pathways for our community to become self-advocates will have a significant impact to give them the autonomy to choose for themselves and take control of the lives they deserve to live.
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About Juntos Community
The vision of Juntos Community is to help undocumented families access upward economic mobility, which can be defined as helping families access high quality jobs and careers that provide a living wage and help build generational wealth.
Juntos Community is building the biggest pipeline for DACA recipients to access upward mobility by preparing undocumented families for career success. We support them through the DACA application process and the entrepreneurial process in order to earn income. We empower school counselors, educators, colleges, through professional development so they too can continue our vision of upward mobility for our students.
For more information, visit our website at www.juntoscommunity.org