Mission

The MILPA Collective is a community-based collective in Monterey County whose mission is to Cultivate Change Makers for the Next Seven Generations by creating opportunities for cultural healing, intergenerational leadership, and empowerment through community-driven decision making for healthier communities.

The Big Idea

MILPA (Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement) works to end mass incarceration, dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and build people and community power. The nonprofit believes in applying cultural and inter-generational messaging to produce inner, social, community and institutional change. MILPA uses healing-informed, relationship-centered approaches that incubate next-generation leadership while striving for racial justice. The Big Idea is to support young people who are impacted by the justice system or formerly incarcerated. Do do that, MILPA will offer the Telpochcalli Leadership Academy, 12 sessions focused on civic engagement and leadership development. Young people who participate in Telpochcalli explore their personal and family histories, cultural values and teachings, and how to apply those teachings for self growth.

“To me social justice is fighting for radical change, equity and the end of having marginalized and disenfranchised communities. Every day, we must find the resilient power within us to create a better tomorrow and imagine a world where all people of different backgrounds and all communities of colors can be liberated from the oppressive and institutionalized systems that have been placed before them. It’s about organizing and coming together as a community to stand in solidarity with one another to overcome/resist the barriers and forces above us.”

- Blanca Martínez