Meet Dr. Beatriz Villarreal of Mano a Mano Foundation in Encinitas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beatriz Villarreal.

Dr. Villarreal graduated from the University of San Diego 1986 MS and 1989 Ed.D. She has worked with the Latino community for more than twenty-seven years, providing educational workshops, counseling, community resources, and information for the prevention of juvenile delinquency, gangs, drug/alcohol abuse, and violence.

Furthermore, as the Director of a counseling program for eight years at San Diego’s Juvenile Hall, she designed the first program to provide support groups, individual counseling, and education to parents and youth on probation. Throughout San Diego County she has developed various community-based educational programs for the parents and their youth who are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system.

Mano a Mano Foundation was thus created by Dr. Villarreal as a non-profit organization, providing support and education to the Latino community that offers prevention information to parents in order to prevent their children from delving into juvenile delinquency. The foundation’s doctrine promotes the involvement of parents in their children’s lives, therefore stimulating success in school, pursuing a college education, and the American dream.

Advancing her role in the community, Dr. Villarreal partnered Video in the Community (VIC) at California State University San Marcos developing and producing educational videos such as: “Gang Prevention”, “A Way Out,” and, “Teen Pregnancy Prevention”, some available in English and Spanish, free of charge. A copy of each video has been made available in every public school in San Diego County, several community agencies, and in many Latin-American countries.

Moreover, Dr. Villarreal has developed numerous educational summits and workshops to inform the community of juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, and gang prevention. For example, “Cartels and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention”, offered by the Institute of the Americas (UCSD), was attended by government representatives and civil society leaders from the United States and eleven different Latin American countries.

Dr. Villarreal has made an international impact through The United States Embassy in Mexico City, providing a five-day intensive training to more than five hundred people in regards to the prevention of juvenile delinquency. The training was shared with law enforcement, college professors, non-profit agencies, and other government officials.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was the first Mexican woman to received a doctoral degree from the University of San Diego in 1989. After that, I was the director of Spectrum Program At San Diego Juvenile Hall (counseling Program for youth). It was very difficult to work in this place because we established the program from zero. Worked there for 8 years and after that open my non-profit to continue working on the “prevention” site with the Latino community.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Mano a Mano Foundation – what should we know?
Our main purpose is to educate, support and empower Latino families to be active members of their children’s education and prevent negative behaviors that impact directly our community. We promote healthy and disciplined lifestyles that include drug education and prevention, communication skills, violence prevention and intervention, mental health awareness, parent involvement in their children’s education, and how to help their children succeed at school.

Mano-a-Mano is a new 501(c)(3) public charitable organization formed to assist needy Latino students and parents in the San Diego County understand how to steer students successfully through school, graduate, go on to college, and become productive citizens. Our mission is to provide counseling in parenting skills, goal setting, decision making, and anger management, and also address substance abuse and other issues that may prevent school success. There are no other organizations in the area meeting this need.

“Parents learning to be better parents” is a skills-building program that helps face the difficult task of raising loving and responsible youngsters. The program is culturally sensitive and specifically focuses on the challenges facing parents today, like drugs, gangs, communication, self-esteem, violence, and discipline.

This program stresses the importance of loving communication within families.

Parents are encouraged to develop clear and consistent family rules and hold their children accountable for their behaviors. They are reminded of the immense influence they have with their children. They are the most important role models.

Finally, we will stress the importance the healthy values and positive attitudes that contribute to their children’s successes.

“Parents learning to be better parents” will be offered in eight weekly sessions of two hours.

Dr. Villarreal is very well informed of support services around our North Coastal community.

She will provide a list of community-based agencies to the parents if they need any further services/assistance.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My passion to provide support and education to our Latino Community in San Diego County. So many years of dedication to serving our community. My TV show, Mas Que Palabras on Tuesday at 1 pm, it’s the most watched TV show in Spanish at that time!’

I give my personal phone number to all the people who attend my workshops, they call me and I personally answer the phone. Many of them call me to ask information about counseling, mental health issues, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, lawyers, and other related questions. I make time for everyone, that is my job!

Contact Info:

• Phone: 760 492 8897
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dra.Villarrealmanoamano/?ref=bookmarks

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