Help Community Advocate & Educator

.Hi all! My name is Alexa Gutierrez Jaramillo from Rio Arriba Valley. I am a mother and environmental activist for the last 6 years.

 

I sustained a car accident on October 16, 2021 when I got a blowout going into the freeway. The blowout caused the car to get thrown off balance and sent me into a guardrail. The guardrail ripped off my drivers door and severely bent the frame to the car on the drivers side. I received no serious physical injuries besides some bruising. The mechanic determined my car is totaled because the cost to repair my car is more than what my car is worth.

 

I have been working in Española, NM, Abiquiu, NM, Dixon, NM, Penasco NM, and Chamisal NM for the last 4 years supporting youth in these communities around environmental and humanitarian aid & education.

 

My work includes:

 

Teen Mentor at Moving Arts Española helping youth develop leaderships skills so they may support themselves better as they grow into adults.

 

Youth Representative for Communities Clean Water Coalition educating the community around helping to protect our local waters from contamination, and also advocate for more stringent protections for our environment.

 

Media Outreach Coordinator for True Kids 1 helping youth within the Española High-Schools create videos educating our communities around environmental and humanitarian issues.

 

Agriculture Coordinator for Northern Youth Project teaching teens Sustainable Agriculture that supports the health of our ecosystems and education on overall healthy bodies through organic farming.

 

Assistant Teacher for Penasco Theatre Collective teaching youth healthy self-expression through circus, gymnastics, and acrobatics.

 

Assistant Teacher for Embudo Valley Library and Community Center After School Program facilitating structured activists around mindfulness and Land-based knowledge.

 

Facilitator for Young Adult Support Circles providing tools and support for young adults to have healthier relationships with Land, Water, ourselves, and each-other.

 

Event Planner for MAS Comunidad Fiestas de Cumpleaños Program organizing once a month events to strengthen community engagement by emphasizing collective family wellness and access to social support services focusing on families with children aged 3-12.

 

Farmer Apprentice with New Mexico Acequia Association learning Land-based knowledge to continue farming in the community and to share this knowledge with others.

 

Organizing Fellowship for the 2019 Uplift: Climate Change Conference helping put together panels and workshops with community leaders to educate others around environmental and humanitarian issues along the Colorado Plateau.

 

You can see a short video of my environmental justice work here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3000145310217643&id=110740242303537&ref=sharing&_rdr

 

My son Eli is always by my side while I do this work for the community. His teachers at school share with me that he is a caregiver and always offers help to those in need and that is the example I continue to work on being. I always teach him and other youth present at these spaces with patience, respect, and a willingness to share wisdom, knowledge, and support.

 

I am requesting any amount that you all could share to help me. Please share among your circles as well to reach those with extra monetary support. The money I receive will be used to purchase a reliable vehicle so I can continue my work with youth in the community and maintain a caring, loving environment for me and my son by allowing me the ability transport my son to and from school and any other needs he has such as: doctor appointments, therapy appointments, and grocery shopping to get food for our home.

 

Thank you<3 Thank you<3