Session 2
Community engagement is at the heart of effective program design, particularly as new competencies and standards for CHWs and promotores shape how organizations plan for the future. Yet many programs still fall short in building authentic trust, integrating community voices, and aligning with federal and local changes.
This workshop introduces participants to foundational and practical approaches for designing programs that reflect authentic community engagement. Participants will explore the role of CHWs/promotores in shaping health initiatives, learn how to apply structured tools such as logic models and design thinking, and discuss strategies for sustaining trust with Latino and other underserved communities. Through a mix of lecture, real-world case studies, and short interactive activities, participants will walk away with concrete steps for strengthening both engagement and design in their work.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Define authentic community engagement and why it is essential for health program design.
- Describe the role of CHWs/promotores in shaping programs and policies, including new competencies for 2026.
- Identify at least two steps for co-designing programs with community input.
- Apply basic elements of logic models or design thinking to program planning.
- Recognize strategies for gaining and sustaining trust with Latino communities.
- Discuss real-world case studies that illustrate effective engagement and program design.
Facilitator
Marlen Ramirez
Founder,
Better Futures Forever
Marlen is a passionate advocate for health promotion and health equity,
evidenced by her work with Community Health Workers and the development
of community health programs. As a Community Health Worker, Marlen has
served as a navigator, connecting individuals to public health resources and
helping them make informed medical decisions. As a Community Health Worker
Instructor, she has significantly improved health education in the communities
she serves. In 2016, she launched Better Futures Forever, a health education
training center for Community Health Workers and healthcare professionals.
Better Futures Forever has trained organizations across the country and is
family-operated under Marlen’s leadership.
Marlen has been recognized for her work in adolescent health by the Texas
Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancies, receiving the David C. Willey Award
in 2018, and in 2023, when she was awarded the Outstanding Former Young
Parent Award by the Health Teen Network for being a former young parent who
has risen to the challenges of early parenting, achieved extraordinary personal
and/or professional success, and demonstrated phenomenal leadership.
Through her work, Marlen aims to continue to improve the health and well-being
of children and families, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations.
Currently, Marlen continues to serve as a CHW, a CHWI, a project
administrator, and a community health outreach specialist. Better Futures
Forever continues to be part of her family’s legacy as it is fully family-operated
and continues to make an impact in community health education.
In addition to her CHW and CHWI certifications, Marlen also holds a bachelor’s
degree in social sciences from Sul Ross State University.
Resources
- Cameron County Public Health. Healthy Aging and Community Resources. Available at: https://www.cameroncounty.us/publichealth
- Compassion & Choices. End-of-Life Planning Resources. Available at: https://compassionandchoices.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/aging/healthybrain
- World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Global status report on the public health response to dementia. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240033249
- National Institute on Aging (NIA). Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Resources. Available at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers
- Alzheimer’s Association. 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 20(3), 611–773. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13711
- Vega, W. A., et al. (2021). Aging and Latino health: Social and cultural determinants. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 33(1), 44–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2020.1762720
- Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2022). Differences between caregivers and noncaregivers in psychological and physical health: A meta-analysis. The Gerontologist, 62(1), e1–e15. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnab123