Connecting to Opportunity
We have a deep sense of shared values with the communities we serve because of our similar backgrounds and history. We leverage our experience, network, and access to resources to connect people with the right opportunities to drive meaningful change and successful outcomes. Read More
Community First
We recognize that understanding history is essential to realizing the full potential of Southern Arizona’s Latino communities. By engaging directly with community members, we honor their lived experiences, address present-day challenges, and build on the strengths of our cultural heritage. Through this foundation, we mobilize meaningful change and develop culturally responsive services that lead to sustainable success for the community at large and for future generations. Read More
Activating Positive Change
We are a grassroots organization that activates positive change by removing barriers to success. This first starts by treating everyone who enters our programs with dignity and respect – building cultural self-esteem that is critical for progress. This lays the foundation of trust from which we then help individuals navigate a variety of tools and resources to transform their lives for the better. Read More
The White House Selects Amistades for Bright Spot in Hispanic Education
The White House announced on September 15th that Amistades is one of the Bright Spots in Excellence for Hispanic Education. Amistades was selected because it uses a holistic perspective to support Latino families by building from their inherent strengths and providing them with the resources needed to achieve educational and life success.
According to the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, nearly one in four students in our nation’s public schools is a Hispanic youth. Making sure these young people have the opportunity to achieve their dreams isn’t just the right thing to do- it’s also a matter of our shared success as a country. In just the next few decades, Hispanics will represent nearly one in three American workers. It’s clear; the future of our nation is closely connected to the future of our Hispanic communities. When we lift up the Hispanic community, we strengthen our nation. When we create more ladders of opportunity, we provide the chance for all Americans to reach their greatest potential.
Our Definition of Systems Change
We recognize that there are a multitude of definitions for systems change. Amistades has chosen to see this work as a process that makes connections, establishes correlations across systems in a multi-dimensional fashion, while recognizing that this is not static, and that history has significant bearing on the present and the future. Unlike other approaches, Amistades seeks to establish long-term, multi-sectorial alignment that focuses on addressing root causes or changing conditions that allow root causes to thrive. Our organization views this as both a process and an outcome. While health indicators or measures can provide needed information on health-related trends and other related issues over time, it is critical to recognize that they are determined or largely influenced by systems.
OUR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY
- Chicano History Teachings
- Coalition Building
- Cultural Competency Technical Assistance and Training
- Community-Centered Healing Practices
- Grassroots Policy and Advocacy
- Intergenerational Education
- Latino Best Practice Development
- Leadership Development
- Power Building
- Research Collaboratives
- Substance Abuse Prevention
Who Funds Us
- American Medical Association Foundation
- Arizona Community Foundation
- Arizona Complete Health
- Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
- Arizona Youth Partnership
- AmerisourceBergen Foundation
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation
- Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Comcast Foundation
- Commerce Bank of Arizona
- Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
- Connie Hillman Family Foundation
- Cox Charities
- Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Elevate
- Fidelity Charitable
- FORE Foundation
- Forward Promise
- Health Resources & Services Administration
- Hispanics in Philanthropy
- Jim Click Automotive Team
- Justice 40
- La Frontera
- Matforce
- Moriah Group
- Office of the Pima County Attorney
- Partnership for Southern Equity
- PICOR Charitable Foundation
- Pima County Juvenile Justice Court
- Rockefeller Foundation
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson
- Southwest Gas
- Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Terros Health
- The H.S. Lopez Family Foundation
- The Solutions Project
- Tucson Electric Power
- UnidosUS
- University of Baltimore
- US Bank
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Wells Fargo
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation