Celebrating Cultural Brokers

In her first term with Intercambio nine years ago, Iris Prieto Media met staff member Norma Fuentes Gallo, who helped set her on the path to getting involved. She was invited to work as the class coordinator, helping fellow students engage in their classes and the community. “I started saying ‘yes’ to everything,” Iris says.

Iris has since worked with countless individuals and organizations. Since 2017, Iris has been serving as a promotora, establishing links between local organizations and community members, primarily Spanish speakers. She says “I see the things that Intercambio or other [Latine] community groups are sharing and share it with my community. It’s as easy as that!”

Iris has recently been working with the Family Leadership Training Institute to create a Spanish version of their training, which will be presented in collaboration with the OUR Center in Longmont. She is also proud of her work with the Equitable Climate Action Team to create equity-focused sustainability programs for Longmont.

At Intercambio, we are privileged to be a part of her success story. The English skills she learned and confidence she built to navigate the community are tools she uses to be a force of good in Boulder County.

About Cultural Brokers

A cultural broker is someone who works to connect people from different cultural backgrounds to promote positive change and better understanding in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural brokers in the community helped with:

• establishing trust with the immigrant communities they serve
• spreading information about resources
• helping families navigate systems in the U.S.
• and so much more

This is one of the many awesome stories in our 2021 Gratitude Report! Read the whole report by clicking the button below.

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