| 2018 Prospera Highligths |
This year, thanks to the ongoing support of people like you, we’ve touched the lives of more than 150 women. We’ve also invested in expanding our incubation programs. You’ve helped us:
Improve Explora tu cooperativa, an exciting, interactive 30 hour curriculum that covers the fundamentals of cooperative business ownership. This year 52 Latinas graduated from the course, this is more than double than in past years, and many more are on a waiting list for the program for next year.
Pilot a brand new program called Únete a una Cooperativa (Join a Coop), a pilot program that supports Explora graduates to join an existing cooperative as worker owners. Congratulations to Brisia Rodríguez and Guadalupe Chan, both graduates from Explora and Únete, for being selected as worker owners of Home Green Home!
Design Inventa, a workshop on innovation that is now one key component of Explora! The goal of Inventa is to plant the seeds of creativity and innovation that are needed to develop social businesses that impact our communities. Participants dare to “unlearn” and “think out of the box” by challenging their comfort zones in search of new ideas and solutions they may not otherwise consider.
Launch our Second Annual Summit for Latina Entrepreneurs in partnership with the City of Oakland with a total of 161 participants: 92 were Latina entrepreneurs from across the Bay Area.
Take 11 entrepreneurs & staff to the National Cooperative Conference in LA and lead several workshops on power and privilege, coaching and conflict management, reaching approximately 130 Latinx worker owners and coop developers from across the country.
Your support also made it possible for:
Anahi Rojas and Itzel Ramirez from Professional Eco Cleaning to celebrate their 1st Anniversary and take their business to the next level.
Jenny Conejo from Karany Arts to access a $4,000 Kiva loan to grow her import business that supports indigenous women’s cooperatives in Latin America.
Nancy Rosales from Pepitos Paletas to double her income thanks to specialized technical assistance by one of our star business consultants, Viridiana Ponce.
Gabriela Arvizu, Prospera collaborator, entrepreneur, freelance and audiovisual artist to create and launch The Power of a Dream, a series of short videos documenting the lives of Latina immigrant entrepreneurs.
Explora graduates to pursue their businesses ideas: Gabriela Arvizu, Prospera collaborator, Nanny Collective, GreenZone, Lil’ Nopalito, a doulas cooperative, and more…
Prospera’s entrepreneurs to grow their leadership as ambassadors representing the organization in several news outlets including Univision and Telemundo.