MANA de San Diego

MANA de San Diego became a Live Well San Diego partner on January 25, 2016. MANA de San Diego is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 as a local chapter of the national organization.  It is the largest of 17 chapters with more than 3,500 members and supporters. 

The mission of MANA de San Diego is to empower Latinas through education, leadership development, community service, and advocacy. Their goals are to enhance leadership skills through community activism and structured leadership opportunities; promote and assist in the educational achievement of Latinas at all levels; achieve Latino economic parity; empower Latinas to have a voice in local, state and national decisions; and promote a healthier Latino community and address social concerns within the community.

MANA de San Diego has several successful programs, including:

• Hermanitas – A one-on-one youth leadership mentor program that matches middle and high school girls with local professional women for a year to encourage higher education and leadership development.
• Scholarships – The MANA de San Diego Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to Latinas enrolled in community college or university.
• Latina Success Conference – A regional conference designed to empower each participant to succeed by providing women with professional and leadership development workshops and health and wellness programs.

In 2015, MANA de San Diego developed its strategic plan that included an integrated plan on health. This redirected the Health Committee's efforts to integrate health across all MANA de San Diego programs and to provide a greater vision to improve health and well-being among members and in the community. This plan will incorporate activities pertaining to health in MANA de San Diego programs and includes promoting community health events and fairs, coordinating health seminars and professional development in health careers.