Gracias, New Mexico: CHC says good-bye to Puentes Para Invitados
Over the past 4 years, due to the generosity of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Puentes Para Invitados (PPI) has been more than just a project in our Collective for Healthy Communities portfolio. It has been a bridge connecting New Orleans to the Southwest, creating spaces for healing, and amplifying the voices of immigrants, refugees, and newcomers. While the grant that supported Puentes has ended, the lessons, relationships, and resources born from this work continue to live on.
PPI began with a vision of standing in solidarity with communities navigating migration into the United States, listening to their stories, and co-creating resources that could support the people caring for these communities. In doing so, we came to understand more clearly what it means to build a trauma-responsive ecosystem that is healing-centered and rooted in community.
Our project’s focus was clear from the beginning: in order to support newcomers, it is also critical to support those who serve them. Therefore PPI was implemented in partnership with a range of individuals and organizations in New Mexico and southern Texas that provide services on the frontlines, all while carrying their own stressors such as communications barriers, systemic and cultural obstacles, and financial hurdles. A key theme that emerged while working with migrant-serving providers is that they are at high risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue from working directly with immigrants, refugee, and newcomer populations who are exposed to trauma at high rates. With this in mind, our team worked to support them with space, opportunity, and tools to strengthen the networks that make it possible for the populations they serve to feel safe, supported, and seen.
Storytelling and narrative change has been another focus of the project. Over the years working with providers and advocates, we were also creating Trails, a documentary film capturing the journeys, struggles, and resilience of people who have experienced migration into the United States and the providers who serve them. To commemorate the 2025 National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) last January, members of our staff traveled to Albuquerque to participate in a week of commemorations and premiere the film in New Mexico, where we held two screenings of two cuts of the film. We were thrilled to partner with ¡explora¡, the local children’s museum, and their teen center XStudio for one screening of a youth-focused version of the film, followed by a youth panel examining the themes of migration, belonging, and racial healing prevalent in the film. We were also honored that the second screening of the original version of Trails was held at the historic Guild Cinema, bringing out approximately 50 attendees, including many familiar faces IWES has had the pleasure of working with over the years. Trails was created by Iman Shervington, IWES’ Sr. Director of Media & Communications, who attended the screening to introduce the film and participate in a Q&A. Following the Q&A, there was a live stream of a documentary from Telemundo created for the NDORH which examined many of the themes in Trails and other relevant topics such as race, color, and hair within Latinx communities. Overall we’re grateful to have had the chance to bring these voices to the forefront and to watch as the film has sparked meaningful dialogue. If you’re interested in watching the original or youth version of the film, it is available to everyone, especially as a resource for educators, advocates, and leaders by following the link below.
We know that challenges remain around the issues Puentes was grappling with, especially in the moment we are living through. Across the nation, providers continue to face significant mental health concerns, and immigrant and refugee communities are facing increasing daily systemic barriers and injustices. Despite these grave concerns, we also see hope through the resilience of young people, the dedication of educators and providers, and the power of community and partnerships to develop, inform, and expand access to wellbeing supports.