CIELO
Comunidades Indígenas en liderazgo (CIELO) is an indigenous women-led organization that works with indigenous-migrant communities in Los Angeles. CIELO organizes to assure racial justice for indigenous-migrant communities who have been marginalized and underserved for many years. We have multiple approaches to addressing the barriers these communities face. We work at a community level by organizing events that focus on decolonizing our perceptions of indigeneity, creating empowerment at an individual level. We accomplish this by hosting events that foment new ways of identity formation, providing mediums that positively frame indigenous identity and languages.
The Center for Indigenous Language and Power (CILP)
CIELO established the Center for Indigenous Language and Power (CILP) to meet the increasing demand for trained interpreters in Indigenous languages in the United States due to the significant population of Indigenous migrants from Mexico and Guatemala. CILP aims to provide interpreters with the tools and resources to deliver the most accurate interpretation while empowering them to become leaders and advocates. We recognize the urgent need for Indigenous interpreters in various parts of the country and strive to cultivate it through continuous education. This includes workshops led by experts in the field and experienced Indigenous interpreters who guide the new generation in breaking down the terminology in indigenous languages. We also organized the first and only national Indigenous interpreters conference to provide a networking space for building relationships within our Indigenous interpreter networks.
At CILP, we understand the importance of addressing the secondary trauma caused by interpreting difficult situations. Therefore, we provide mental health services to the interpreters.
We also offer cultural awareness training to social service providers to educate them about indigenous communities in the U.S and how to identify the best language to use. Additionally, we connect social service providers, federal-local and state courts, and hospitals with Indigenous language interpreters.
CILP is currently working on launching an app that will facilitate the scheduling of interpreters.
