Mensaje continuara en Español:

As a Listos California partner, Universidad Popular is committed to serving our community at all times but we are especially concerned about potential devastation that could result from a hurricane. We encourage every family to prepare and know how to protect your family during and after a hurricane. 

For English Click HERE

Nuestro equipo de Universidad Popular en colaboración con el Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS) que se encuentra dentro de la Universidad de California, Davis nos complace invitarlos a una importante capacitación sobre cómo prevenir enfermedades causadas por el calor. En esta sesión informativa, aprenderemos sobre los riesgos asociados con las altas temperaturas y cómo proteger a nosotros mismos y a nuestros seres queridos durante estos días tan calurosos. El equipo de expertos en educación y salud de WCAHS estarán compartiendo valiosos consejos y medidas preventivas para garantizar la seguridad de todos en nuestra comunidad.

Our team at Universidad Popular is pleased to inform you that we are one of eight co-convening organizations facilitating community engagement and planning for equitable economic development as part of the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) in the Southern Border region. 

Our team at Universidad Popular dedicated the last four weeks mobilizing collaborators and resources to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to thousands of individuals and families detained on the U.S. side of the border wall in an open air facility commonly referred to as Whiskey 8 in San Ysidro and in Jacumba, California. Below is our firsthand account.

¡Felices Fiestas y Feliz Año Nuevo!

Para ESPAÑOL

This is a moment of closure and new beginnings. Above all, it is a time for celebration of life, family and culture. We are thankful for your friendship, partnership and collaboration throughout 2022 and invite you to accompany us as we expand our horizons and embark on new learning and teaching opportunities in 2023. 

Our work is interwoven into family and community life. In the spirit of our elders’ storytelling tradition, we wish to share with you a few stories and many photos that emerged from our journey. Many family members, friends, and neighbors answered the call to service and joined us at COVID-19 vaccine clinics, food distributions, ciudadanía classes, civic engagement events and cultural celebrations to ensure that community members received life-saving services.  

We welcome 2023, a year of rejuvenation and growth, and look forward to continue serving our community - addressing COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, preparing for disasters and emergencies, accessing healthy food, increasing civic participation, assisting new citizens, and advancing environmental and economic justice - all while embracing our gente and honoring our cultural celebrations. 

Below are a few stories from our work in 2022.

¡Féliz Verano!

Para español.

Signs of great progress made in our fight against COVID-19 are evident in the hustle and the bustle of everyday activity around us. However, community members who live and work in the hardest hit neighborhoods remain weary and on high alert. They have been disproportionately disadvantaged due to their socio-economic status and many fear getting and spreading COVID-19 to their loved ones. They comprise a large sector of the essential and frontline workforce, live in larger extended family units, are the least uninsured or underinsured, have the lowest levels of workplace protections and already suffered the greatest loss of life due to COVID-19. For these reasons and many more, Universidad Popular remains vigilant and immersed in the strategic COVID-19 response. We are providing direct services to community members and advocating for equitable recovery from the pandemic.

Below we are sharing several snapshots from our current work and are excited to tell you about new projects and initiatives.

Today, the Universidad Popular team had the opportunity to experience the “Street Legacy: SoCal Style Masters” at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. As community educators we understand the importance that the arts have in shedding light on all experiences in our communities and sparking needed dialogue. Street Legacy brings to light valuable diverse perspectives and experiences. While the exhibition contains mature themes and imagery, we appreciate and welcome the space it opens and the opportunity it provides to engage in meaningful dialogue that is timely and necessary.

This is even more important in light of the ensuing controversy over specific works and the mounting political pressure to censor artistic expression. Neither does the Escondido Mayor nor does the Chief of the Escondido Police Department or anyone else have the authority to cancel our constitutional rights and freedoms. We share your unconditional belief in the right of every person to participate in the artistic process and to express their thoughts and ideas freely without fear of persecution. We oppose the singling out of any specific artist or work of art and any censorship attempts. 

We commend the trustees and advisors of the California Center for the Arts, the artists, the curators and patrons for exhibiting art that is representative of our local and regional community. Thank you for elevating, educating, and inspiring us to appreciate diversity of thought, experience and expression.

Read the letter that our Co-Founder & Co-Director shared with the California Center for the Arts, Escondido this morning for consideration during their special meeting.  

Universidad Popular returns with this project to strengthen community leaders, promotores, and community educators in order to cultivate community education and leadership. In this workshop, we will share knowledge about the role, core values, and basic tools of community leaders

For Spanish click here.

On Tuesday December 14, 2021, the County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) adopted the new supervisorial districts map. We are proud to report that the IRC heard our voices and our Latinx community of interest was kept together in a North County district (D5).

The 2021 County of San Diego redistricting process provided us a unique opportunity to learn about county government, to be civically involved and to experience democracy in action. Along with thousands of community members, Universidad Popular stood in front of the County of San Diego IRC, submitted written comments, and called-in to share stories about the places that matter to us, our families, and our neighbors and the values that glue our communities together. We traveled from Fallbrook, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Valley Center, Pauma, Pala, and other North County neighborhoods to participate in every in-person meeting held across the county. 

Message from our Co-Director Arcela Nuñez:

Friends,

It is a fact rarely acknowledged in public discourse that Whites have controlled power within the San Diego County Board of Supervisors since the body was founded in 1850 and the residents and communities they represent have enjoyed the full privileges afforded under representative democracy. This officially nonpartisan body, as required by the Constitution of California, was nonetheless dominated by Republicans until 2020 when Democrats took the majority of the seats.