As a college intern, you probably expect your summer to be filled with spreadsheets, coffee runs, and standard office meetings. What you don’t expect is to sit in a room and witness a community completely transform the way it communicates.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the latest gathering conducted in Spanish (CLAC en Español) hosted by Healthy Archuleta. The meeting was a unique experience. It was so cool to see the efforts Healthy Archuleta makes for the community to feel more included and involved in the work they are trying to promote.
The organization did an amazing job ensuring our local Hispanic community felt heard, included, and empowered to interact freely. Walking into the room, the first thing that caught my eye was the technology, specifically the specialized earpieces paired with live interpreters. The earpieces were incredible. Because of them, language barriers completely melted away, allowing everyone to understand the conversation in real-time. You could visibly see the joy in the room; people were genuinely happy to have been thought about and actively included in the dialogue.
Because of this intentional environment, attendees felt comfortable asking tough questions and making bold statements. It wasn’t just a presentation; it was a living, breathing conversation.
The heart of the meeting centered around a series of powerful listening and mindfulness exercises. In a world dominated by screens, the room shifted toward deep, face-to-face human connection.
Participants were asked to pair up for a dedicated listening exercise, which sparked some eye-opening reflections from the crowd:
On Mindful Listening: “Sometimes it’s so easy to be listening to someone and constantly interrupting them about your own experiences and it’s very easy to make them feel like we aren’t really listening, my own daughter has told me I do this to her and I also feel this was about my partner, sometimes I’m trying to tell her things and she constantly interrupts me and it makes me feel unheard”
On Face-to-Face Connection: ”Its weird to sit face to face with your partner and actually listen to them normally… all we do is communicate over the phone”
On Stress Relief: The meeting also incorporated grounding techniques: “The breathing exercises were cool and I could actually see myself using them on a regular basis”
There was a great turnout for the event, largely because folks in the group did a great job of bringing a “plus one.” The room was full of people who might normally never cross paths, yet everyone was interacting and deeply engaged. Parents in attendance also took the opportunity to ask pressing questions about their children and family wellness. Healthy Archuleta Team Member and community behavioral health clinician, Debbi stepped up to answer every single question, balancing professionalism with a deeply personal, compassionate touch. Seeing a community come together to practice being truly present for one another was inspiring. People left the meeting happy, connected, and, above all, feeling like their partners and neighbors were actually listening.
Healthy Archuleta continues to pave the way in helping to build a more inclusive community. Visit us on our website to learn more. https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org