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Casa en Casa (CEC)
The Casa en Casa, or Home in the Home, program uses community homes as bases for education and community empowerment. The name is based on the program's humble beginnings over fifteen years ago, when Casa CHE Health Educators were invited into people's home to moderate discussions on issues ranging from immunizations and HIV/AIDS to broader social issues such as renters' rights. The Casa en Casa program is based on the idea of "education for action," and aims to challenge people to change the behavior of their communities and move toward action. Health Educators provided information and answered questions, but the organization and implementation of Casa en Casa meetings, and the community action that often resulted, is spearheaded by community members. Over the years the Casa en Casa program has evolved and expanded, now reaching adults not only in their homes, but at other central community sites, including schools. Promotores, trained community health workers, now co-lead the discussions with Health Educators. The community actions developed and implemented by the Casa en Casa groups have often been innovative and highly successful. One group meeting around the subject of hypertension in the community identified the lack of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables as a reason for poor diets and resulting hypertension. The group then proceeded to develop and carry out a cooperative that brought in fresh produce for the community, which ran very successfully until a local area businessman saw the business opportunity and opened a produce store in the neighborhood.

Escuela Para Promotores
The Escuela para Promotores, or School for Health Promotors, developed out of the needs of the Casa en Casa program. Community members were enthusiastic and willing to act as liaisons between Casa CHE and others in the community, but often felt this required skills they did not possess. The Escuela para Promotores provides its participants with an introduction to the philosophy of community action, an understanding of group dynamics, and the skills necessary for leadership, needs assessments, program organization, and evaluation. There are no prerequisites for admittance to the Escuela other than an interest in issues affecting the lives of individuals and the community. Students do not need to speak English nor be able to read or write, but they must agree to attend all of the 12 sessions (24 hours) of the Escuela, and to participate in the development and implementation of a community action. Access to the training is facilitated by providing child care and by ensuring that the training is somewhere easily accessible by public transportation, usually at the agency. To date the Escuela has graduated over 100 Promotores, many of whom have continued to work in the Casa en Casa program, gone on to organize elsewhere in the community, or have found employment throughout the county. The Escuela's success led to collaborative work between La Clínica and the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health in the School's Wellness Project, where the Escuela was replicated for an English-speaking population.

Casa en Las Escuelas
Casa en Las Escuelas (CELE), or Home in the Schools, is Casa CHE's mode of outreach to youth in the place where they spend most of their time: in schools. Health Educators work with groups of students in local elementary, middle, and high schools for periods ranging from 6 weeks up to an academic year. In their work, the educators cover health topics such as tobacco control, teen pregnancy prevention, Family Life Education, and HIV/AIDS, while at the same time addressing issues from self esteem and values to cultural identity. The program actively seeks to engage students by allowing them to help determine topics covered, and employs teaching styles such as role-playing and discussion. It has been met by overwhelming enthusiasm from the students: classroom attendance on Casa en Las Escuelas days is often markedly higher than on other days, and students repeatedly site the Casa en Las Escuelas program as one of the most important and powerful components of their education. Over the years, the CELE program has reached thousands of children at approximately one half dozen public and private schools. Demand is perpetually high for the classes; a waiting list often exists.

Youth Brigade
The Youth Brigade is a group of students who learn leadership and community action skills and participate in various community-based activities under the guidance of a Casa CHE mentor. The program stemmed from the enthusiasm of some students participating in the Casa en Las Escuelas program, who, when the school year ended, wanted to continue their work with Casa CHE. This original group decided to meet throughout the summer and enact a variety of community health projects. The training received by the Youth Brigade is modeled after the Escuela Para Promotores, but tailored for adolescents 12-19 years of age. Youth Brigade members assist in outreach at fairs and La Clínica events, conduct peer education sessions on a variety of subjects, conduct needs assessments, and community actions. For example, they have conducted a "tobacco sting" in the neighborhood, raising awareness of the ease with which minors can obtain tobacco products at local area merchants. The sting resulted in greater community awareness of the easy access to tobacco, and a strong sense of pride among the Youth Brigade in the work they had accomplished. The Youth Brigade is now in its sixth generation.