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Roots
L aughter rings out of the cozy meeting
space at the Manatee Women’s
Resource Center (WRC). It’s Monday night
and the women who make up the Latinas
of WRC are trickling in. There is wonderful
energy and a blend of Spanish and English
as they greet each other like old friends. It
is music to our ears.
14 years ago, Maria V. Zavala came
through these very doors of the Manatee
WRC with a vision: To start a support group
for Latina women in the area, and to hold
it at the WRC. Maria believed in the power
of bringing women together to discover
path to success.
The premise was, and remains to this
day, to explore the question; how do you
respect your culture as you are navigating
in the community? At its core, Latinas is
about inclusivity and building bridges that
connect us all.
As the group grew, it attracted women from
across Manatee and Sarasota counties.
The women who participate in this group
tend to stay involved. In fact, there are
that still attend the group. Through this
connectivity, they began to seek guidance
from one another on how to develop
strong, healthy relationships with their
& Wings
d ht d th i t f i d th l f f
daughters and the importance of passing
on Latina culture and identity.
In order to help bridge the generations,
Maria and the Latinas created Roots and
Wings. A bilingual, bicultural series for
Latina mothers and daughters between
the ages 11 to 15. Roots and Wings is
intended to open lines of communication
and help facilitate a larger conversation
between the generations about Latina
culture and identity.
with Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. Five
mother-daughter duos participated on the
original four-part communication workshop.
Response to the session was great; at the
end of the series, all of the mothers felt more
connected to their daughters and more
comfortable communicating and sharing
with each other.
This original group stayed together for
years. The mothers joined the Monday
night Latina’s Self-Empowerment and
Identity Group at the WRC and the
daughters formed Mission Sisterhood, Girl
Scout Troop 494.
The most recent session was held in
October, when Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast
Florida hosted a session of Roots and
Wings at Honi Hanta Girl Scout Camp.
The weekend focused on cultural legacy
and the role of family and community in
identity; the importance of individualism
and authenticity; making healthy, wise life
choices; and becoming the best woman
you can be by incorporating the best parts
of your home culture and American culture.
Reverse role-playing, hands-on activities,
and frank discussions were interspersed
with Girl Scouting’s traditional outdoor
activities like camping, canoeing, archery,
and a low-ropes challenge course, mothers
and daughters felt encouraged to work
as a team while overcoming fears and
conquering new challenges.
One very happy mother said: “It was
beautiful to spend quality time with my
daughter. Sleeping in the cabin together,
eating together and having fun, was a very
special gift for me.”
By participating in Roots and Wings,
daughters and mothers can connect
with each other as individuals, and most
importantly, strengthen their relationship.
Each will learn to see the value in each
other’s life experiences and increased
respect for each other’s feelings.
about Roots and Wings, the Latinas