San Francisco Bay Area Evaluators Week: Towards and Emancipatory Inquiry Method: The Work at Flourish Agenda Inc., by Oscar Cerna
Greetings fellow evaluators! I am Oscar Cerna, a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Evaluators (SFBAE) and the Director of Evaluation, Research and Impact (ERI) at Flourish Agenda, Inc., which is a national education consulting firm based in Oakland, CA. For more than 30 years, our training and youth camp teams have worked with schools, youth-serving organizations and government agencies to build and implement strategies that allow young people of color to flourish. Flourish Agenda’s healing centered engagement (HCE) introduces a more holistic approach to fostering well-being by recognizing that trauma is not an isolated experience—but instead that trauma and healing from trauma are experienced collectively. We equip system leaders and youth service providers with curricula, training, and tools that are grounded in this understanding.