CARAS de Esperanza

CARAS de Esperanza

In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CARAs de Esperanza operates on the principle of community-centered healing practices, educates and prevents the misuse of prescription medications, opioids, and psychostimulants. The program diminishes the prevalence of opioid, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse among youth, and fosters a cultural shift in attitudes towards substance abuse within the community. Drawing from the Razalogia Community Outreach Framework, Jerry Telloā€™s Finding your Sacred Purpose, Rx 360 toolkits, and trauma-informed care principles, the program equips staff with a comprehensive toolkit for engagement and intervention. Featured during SAMHSAā€™s Annual Prevention Day in Washington, D.C., the program has been implemented and refined across schools in Pima County. CARAs de Esperanza serves as a practical model for building awareness, empathy, and healthier decision-making among youth.

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My origin story and its alignment with the institutional origin story

I was four months old the first time my parents took me to the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico. Four months old. My parents wanted their daughter, this tiny baby born to two activist parents, to be introduced early to something bigger than herself. They wanted me to know, before I could rationalize or understand it, that I came from somewhere important, and bigger than myself. That I belonged to a people who were smart and creative, who had built pyramids that still stood, who had built whole worlds. They wanted that to be my center, the core of my identity. When you know where you come from, you can move through the world as a more grounded, more secure, more whole person.