Engaging Latinx LGBTQ Community and Developing Community Driven Solutions

Leo Martinez, Latino LinQ’s Board President, will share the lessons learned during the process of engaging the Latinx LGBTQ community in the Atlanta Metro area and co-founding Latino LinQ as a result. He will talk about grounding the work, and creating programs that respond to the particular needs of that community. 

In this episode, participants will: 

1. Learn about the process of founding and developing a non-profit organization from the ground up

2. Understand needs assessment as an ongoing project when creating programs 

3. Learning about meaningful collaborations as a tool of development 

Presenter:

Leo Martinez is a Project Coordinator with the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a project of Casa de Esperanza. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina and immigrated to the US in 1997. Prior to Casa de Esperanza, Leo worked as a Consultant for the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Georgia. He is the co-founder and Board President for Latino LinQ, a nonprofit organization providing services to Latin@s of any sexual orientation and any gender identity. Leo has worked for many years as an advocate in the community with Latin@, immigrant and LGBTQ individuals as well as with victims of domestic violence. His expertise includes nonprofit development, cultural responsiveness, working with Limited English Proficiency communities, systems advocacy, Latin@ youth development, batterers’ interventions programs, coordinated community response, homicide prevention, etc. He holds degrees in Early Childhood Education from his country of origin and in Psychology and Human Services from Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia.