In the Spotlight Project Voice
The Empowerment Center
Temecula, CA – The Empowerment Center (TEC), a community-based organization in Temecula, CA, is responding to the critical shortage of mental health professionals in the Inland Empire, which is affecting service delivery and access to disadvantaged populations, youth, and families. TEC is tackling this issue through a holistic approach to community health worker training, Building a Resilient Workforce Training Program. This program is funded by the California Workforce Development Board, California Division of Apprenticeship Standards, and the City of Temecula. Launched in April 2024, the 12-week course is designed to train frontline mental health professionals in competencies of trauma-informed care, health and social service navigation, mental health first aid, career readiness training, and mentorship. The program’s goal is to fill this critical gap in care while providing participants with a pathway to stable employment. TEC’s Building a Resilient Workforce Training Program aligns with the goals of the High Road Training Partnership Initiative by focusing on job quality, equity, career advancement, and regional needs. Program participants receive wrap-around support, including mentorship, to ensure access to employment opportunities in mental health services with benefits for long-term careers. By prioritizing the recruitment of disadvantaged groups—including youth, justice-involved populations, and racial minorities, TEC fosters greater workforce diversity and addresses regional disparities. Additionally, the program’s hybrid training model has increased student participation while reducing transportation barriers. To learn more about the Resilient Workforce Career Readiness Program and its statewide supportive services approach for registered apprentices visit https://www.theempowermentcenterintl.com/.
Jasmin Duran
TEC Graduate
Jasmin Duran knew there was a healthier life outside of the reservation she called home. As a single pregnant mother with limited formal education, Jasmin described a life built around low-quality employment, including long commutes to work, minimal career development, and low wages that would make providing for her new baby a daily struggle. With this outlook, she connected with High Road Training Partnership grantee, The Empowerment Center and became a member of their shared housing network. Jasmin shared how beneficial TEC’s services were during this critical time in her life giving her a new perspective on her future: “[TEC] supported me through bonding with my newborn baby, provided mental health resources, and employment training that led me to my current role in disability law.”
“I turned pain into power. To all women, single mothers, and fellow Native Americans, you can make it. ”
As a new mother working in a full-time remote position for a disability attorney, she decided to enroll in TEC’s Building a Resilient Workforce Training Program. TEC’s training made a lasting impact on Jasmin that she will pass on to her family. “The training gives you language for things you knew you w
ent through, whether it’s abuse, trauma, or something hurtful… and gives you the education and knowledge to understand this, so I’m not going to perpetuate it.” Jasmin uses her formal training every day in her work and sees a future of upward mobility, livable wages plus benefits, and growth in an industry she loves. Jasmin has grown into a happy, inspired woman who is confident about her family’s future because of her commitment to TEC’s community health worker training. “I turned pain into power,” said Jasmin. “To all women, single mothers, fellow Native Americans; you can make it. There is hope deep inside you. If I can overcome being a statistic, then you can too.”