From Sarita Hiatt at New American Media
SAN FRANCISCO — Guadalupe de la Peña loves to dance. For nearly a year, the health educator has been teaching fitness classes at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), a community organization for immigrant families in the Mission district. In the past few months, CARECEN has launched a bi-weekly dance and fitness class for parents and young children.
The agenda for today’s class features a dancing lesson inspired by Zumba. De la Peña and fellow instructor Norma Carrera lead the group of eight to 10 women and their children through songs and dances fit for kids, before they move on to the more active part of the program. According to De la Peña, the students requested dance lessons during their last class.
“They didn’t know how to dance,” says De la Peña, “so we teach them the steps.” The routine combines cumbia, salsa and merengue.
Understanding that voices from the community are a vital source of information about health challenges and potential solutions, CARECEN strongly encourages feedback from its members. READ MORE
