How it all began…

In 2018, a group of women came to Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) and shared that there was a need for fitness classes in many Fresno neighborhoods. The cost of gyms and lack of transportation were barriers keeping some residents from participating in group fitness activities. 

In response to these barriers, ENP partnered with leaders in local neighborhoods to launch a Latin Dance Fitness program.

“Dance Fitness is an aerobic exercise where we have music and movement,” says ENP’s Health and Wellness Coordinator, Jennifer Saldivar, “We come, we exercise, and we have lots of fun.” 

Latin Dance Fitness classes involve dance and fitness variations to different styles of beats inspired by Latin and Hip Hop influences. Classes are held Monday through Friday during the school year and take place at local elementary schools. They are intentionally located to make classes as accessible as possible for residents in multiple neighborhoods.

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One Instructor’s Story: Leonor Argueta

Leonor Argueta attended her first Latin Dance Fitness class in 2018. She was asked to become an instructor the next year. Leonor agreed and has enthusiastically worked in this role for five years, motivated by a desire to help her community. She believes these classes promote physical health, social connection, and mental wellness. 

“This fitness program… has served a lot for the community. 

It feels so beautiful [when community members have told me that thanks to these classes,] ‘I have gone to the doctor and they have told me that I am doing better’ or ‘You know, my depression is no longer like it was before.’”

Dance Fitness classes are led by trained community health workers who promote wellness in their own neighborhoods with the goal of supporting community leaders.

“[Before teaching this class,] I was a shy person who did not talk to anyone at all,” says Leonor. “I am already more sociable… I feel more confident in myself [and] I feel that through these years I have grown as a leader. 

“I met [Leonor] almost a decade ago,” says Jennifer. “To see her where she’s at right now is just, I get a little emotional because it’s so amazing. She works hard, she’s so dedicated and we just appreciate her so much at ENP.”

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Community members are the solution to our city’s problems.

Everything ENP does is informed by an approach called Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD for short), including the launch of our Latin Dance Fitness program.

Asset-Based Community Development identifies assets in the community, helps the community see its many positive characteristics, and builds upon those for development. 

Under Asset-Based Community Development, the focus is on assets rather than needs of a community, with community members viewed as the solution to the problem, not a government program or outside group being their salvation. 

Here’s how it works:

STEP 1: Listen 

Listening to the community is vital to Asset-Based Community Development. A community first decides where they want to focus their attention. 

In this example, community members expressed a desire to provide more accessible fitness opportunities in their neighborhood. 

STEP 2: Determine what assets exist within a community

A community is then directed to the means in which the members themselves can be the solution. What qualities, talents, and abilities does the community have that can help solve these problems? 

When addressing the problem of inaccessible fitness opportunities, community leaders like Leonor were empowered to help provide a solution. Leonor is an example of a community leader who has leveraged her influence, relationships, and passion in a way no “outside” force could. 

Leonor has built lasting friendships with the participants in her Dance Fitness classes and eagerly connects them with other empowering opportunities like nutrition classes, mental health groups, and first aid training.

We believe residents are the experts of their own neighborhoods and the most powerful conduits of lasting change.

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