We are pleased to introduce you to Carmen Pineda!
Carmen started with MoveMindfully as a translator in 2019. She was integral in developing the MoveMindfully Español for our website, and Spanish products for Early Childhood and Youth. Her passion and expertise for this work have led to her becoming a Spanish-speaking trainer for the MoveMindfully Team.
Enjoy this interview with Carmen as she shares more about her experience and vision for bringing MoveMindfully Español to Spanish-speaking families.
Q: Carmen, how did you first get involved with MoveMindfully?
I was contacted to be an interpreter for the program. I heard about the work Stephanie Kennelly was doing in the district and I was so excited to get involved. I interpreted with a FFN (Family, Friend, Neighbor Childcare) program. I could tell that Chrissy, the presenter, was nervous. But the moment I got there, there was a huge connection. Everything was going so well, like we had been working together forever. It is the same with Kathy.
Q: What made you want to work with MoveMindfully and bring BREATHE-MOVE-REST practices to Spanish speaking families?
I have been working in education for many years. I have a background in anthropology and I have always been interested in different cultures and connections to nature, body, mind, heart. This connection has been around for centuries, but we are just now rediscovering that.
For me, it is a tool for compassion for myself. How to handle things. How to see things. I am now standing at a point where I can make a difference with families, students, and educators. I feel like I can help people make changes in their lives. It has been a great tool for myself.
Q: How do you incorporate mind-body practices into your work with families?
A: I am the District 197 cultural liaison for ECSE and I am the Coordinator for the Parent Academy program. I also am a teacher with the Parent Academy program for parents who have high school students at Sibley.
I always start with breathing. I talk about the techniques you can use, for your kids and yourself. I work with the Latino families in these classes. Especially during this time with the pandemic, social justice and all the families are going through so many things, it helps to have the tools and just breathe. That can make a difference.
Q: How has your work with the ECSE program been impacted by COVID over the past year?
A: We have been there virtually all year so we are not hands on with the kids. This means most of our work is done with the parents. We work with students that are so little and have special needs. They really co-regulate with the parents. It is special to see.
Q: What are the families you work with struggling with as a result of COVID?
A: They are in survival mode. Struggling with so many jobs. I work mostly with the women, and their husbands who have two or three jobs. They are struggling with all of these things and have no time for themselves. I tell them they can take five minutes for themselves and they can feel better. They can even do the techniques with the kids.
One time I had an activity where they did hand tracing and thought about their favorite place. It was so powerful. There was a lot of crying as families remembered their special place. Many of the families come from another county and they have real homesickness. It was so good to connect everybody and share. Find this activity in the Baraja De MoveMindfully®.
Q: What is your vision for MoveMindfully as a trainer?
A: I see this expanding to all of the cultural liaisons. It takes time for people to realize that MoveMindfully tools and practices work, but once they see it, I think it has an impact. I get so excited because I see the families start to change too. It makes a difference.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the importance of MoveMindfully products and services offered in Spanish?
A: It is so important to communicate with people in their own language. I am so proud and so excited to see all of these materials in Spanish. If we want to impact the Latino community, these tools need to be in Spanish. You can see the families’ faces because they change and feel connected, when they see the materials in Español.
I love the quote, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
I’m excited that we also have our Free Resources available in Spanish as well!
Interested in learning about MoveMindfully’s Spanish products and services? Visit our website to explore in Spanish or in English. Also, hear more from Carmen on our YouTube Channel.
Do you use Spanish tools in your environment? Leave a comment!