Valley Voices

TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND RESOURCES TO ADVOCATE FOR WORKER RIGHTS, INCREASE SOCIOECONOMIC AND HEALTH EQUITY AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION OF OUR UNDERSERVED AND OVERLOOKED COMMUNITIES OF THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

VALLEY VOICES HAS THREE PORTFOLIOS OF WORK THAT ARE FUNDED BY GRANTS AND DONATIONS: CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND WORKERS RIGHTS. OUR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WORK HAS MULTIPLE ASPECTS. VOTER REGISTRATION INCLUDES SUPPLYING VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS AND ASSISTING INDIVIDUALS WITH FILLING THE FORMS OUT, ALONG WITH HOW TO SUBMIT THE FORM TO THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS OFFICE. VOTER EDUCATION INCLUDES GENERAL NONPARTISAN CONVERSATIONS AND WORKSHOPS PRIOR TO LOCAL ELECTIONS THAT EXPLAIN HOW TO FIND INFORMATION WITHIN THE LARGE VOTER GUIDE AS WELL AS HOW TO FULLY COMPLETE AND SUBMIT A CALIFORNIA BALLOT. OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS REGULARLY SHARE ORIGINAL POSTS TO INVITE THE COMMUNITY TO ATTEND LOCAL BOARD MEETINGS ALONG WITH OUR TEAM MEMBERS. OUR TEAM ENCOURAGES MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK UP, IN BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH, ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS, CONCERNS AND HOPES TO ENJOY BETTER REPRESENTATION BY ELECTED OFFICIALS. WE HOSTED CANDIDATE FORUMS AND SEVERAL BALLOT EDUCATION SESSIONS. OUR PUBLIC HEALTH WORK ENGAGES OUR TEAM OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AT LEAST TWO TIMES PER WEEK (AND OFTEN MORE) SHARING FREE RESOURCES SUCH AS PPE (HAND SANITIZER, FACE MASKS AND HAND WIPES), COVID-19 TESTING SUPPLIES (PCR AND/OR ANTIGEN, AS AVAILABLE) AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, FLU, AND OTHER RESPIRATORY DISEASES. DURING 2022 OUR TEAM HOSTED 86 SEPARATE COVID-19 VACCINE POPUP CLINICS WHERE 2,045 INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED COVID-19 VACCINES. WE HANDED OUT 403,336 FACE MASKS, 55,882 BOTTLES OF HAND SANITIZER AND 8,660 PACKAGES OF SANITIZING WIPES. OUR TEAM MADE 2,639 REFERRALS FOR VACCINE APPOINTMENTS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND HELPED 177 PEOPLE MAKE ONLINE APPOINTMENTS FOR A VACCINE BY A DIFFERENT PROVIDER. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE KINGS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, OUR TEAM REGISTERED AND PROCESSED 4,050 COVID-19 PCR (LABORATORY) TESTS. WE GAVE OUT 20,225 ANTIGEN (AT-HOME) TESTS TO THE COMMUNITY IN 2022. OUR TEAM OF 19 EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATED IN COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER/PROMOTORA TRAINING WITH KCDPH STAFF. OUR WORKERS RIGHTS EFFORTS FOCUS ON INFORMATION SHARING AND REFERRAL TO STATE AGENCIES AND/OR LEGAL ASSISTANCE. WE PROVIDE SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TO LOW-INCOME WORKERS WHO MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY ACCESSING RESOURCES DUE TO LANGUAGE OR TECHNOLOGY BARRIERS. REFERRALS TO STATE AGENCIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, CALOHSA, LABOR COMMISSIONER, AGRICULTURAL RELATIONS LABOR BOARD (ARLB), DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED TO STAY UP TO DATE ON THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES RELATED TO WORKERS' RIGHTS.