A handful of men gather in a quiet room at Sierra Community House in Kings Beach on a Monday evening. They discuss family, relationships, grief, alcohol, and what it means to be a man.
This is "Consejo de Líderes: Hombres Unidos," a support group for Spanish-speaking men that the nonprofit launched this year.
The idea came from a growing need in the community, said Paul Bancroft, the executive director of Sierra Community House.
“Historically, domestic violence, sexual violence was seen as a women’s issue… this is about engaging men. This is a men’s issue, because men are overwhelmingly the ones who cause the harm and are abusive in a relationship,” Bancroft said.
It's about more than accountability; it's about prevention, which starts by giving men the tools and safe spaces they need to talk, he said.
“Men tend to be more isolated, less connected, especially in rural or mountain town communities… there hasn’t always been a forum or opportunity for men to come together and to connect and build community, build relationships with each other and to share stories,” Bancroft said.
To lead the effort, the organization hired Ricardo Oropeza as a promotor, or outreach worker, specifically for Latino men. But at first, he wasn’t sure they would show up.
“I said, ‘I think it's going to be a taboo, it's something very complicated to have to connect, to have to sensitize the male directly... the belief that the Latino man is strong, he doesn't need help, he doesn't need advice, everything is fine, he doesn't suffer, he doesn't cry... but it's not impossible,’” said Oropeza in Spanish.
Attendance at the meetings slowly grew. First three came, then seven and then nine. Slowly trust began to build.
“It was very difficult for them to share something. I had to share [my story] first to give them confidence and now we really need even more time because we don't stop sharing," Oropeza said.
The group is a milestone for the nonprofit, said Aníbal Córdoba-Sosa, director of community engagement.
“The promotores are members of the community, but they are leaders... Ricardo's role today is he is building a new link with the local community... it's the first time we've had a male promotor in, well, in many years actually,” Córdoba-Sosa said in Spanish.
The group met every Monday for three months this spring. Around eight to nine men came regularly, despite work and family obligations. The final session was held June 2, and emotions ran high.
“This group is intergenerational, from a 21-year-old to a 68-year-old ... the young people listened to the experiences of the adults and said: ‘This is definitely going to help me a lot because I don't want to go through what you went through’ ... even I said: if I had met these people here who already have a lot of experience, well, my life would have been different,” Oropeza said.
Now, the participants feel like a brotherhood, he said. But they won't be gone for long. The next session starts in August, and new members are welcome to join.
To join, contact Sierra Community House at (530) 546-0952 or visit their website.
