By Gina Ha, Family Leadership Director

Miami Workers Center (MWC) is a grassroots non-profit organization that organizes and develops conscious leadership within Miami’s working class communities for economic, gender and racial equality. Catalyst Miami recently had the opportunity to expand our partnership with MWC through our Step Up Miami program. Step Up Miami guides participants through an exploration of poverty in Miami-Dade county through systems analysis and identification of asset-based solutions. Throughout the 12-week duration of the program the participants, a diverse group of mono and bilingual members of MWC, were able to work effectively and grow as a stronger unit within the organization.

On June 14, 2016 we had the honor to graduate this cohort, our 9th class since 2014. We dedicated time to reflections from the graduates, MWC and Catalyst Miami staff. One reflection that resonated with us was “overcoming our differences to work together and improve our communities.” Moments like this truly speak to our process, in which the knowledge comes from within the class and we are all humble learners. We look forward to the impact the program’s graduates will have on the community and to opening our doors to future participants.

Our next cohort of Step Up Miami will start in September 2016 when we will host our first Step Up Miami class in Spanish. To learn more about this program or if you're interested in joining the next cohort, contact Gina Ha at [email protected] or (786) 414-1296.