Welcome to the team, Laura!
Mano en Mano would like to give a warm welcome to Laura Thomas, who has recently joined our team as the new Access to Essential Services and Advocacy Director!
Please join us in welcoming Laura Thomas to the Mano en Mano team!
Laura has been involved with Mano en Mano in different capacities for over 10 years, starting in 2010 when she first started working in Downeast Maine as the English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for MSAD37. She says,
“..as the ESL teacher, I worked to serve all elementary schools and high schools in Milbridge, Cherryfield, Narraugus, Harrington and Addison. When I got the position in 2010 I was anxious to start, and wanted to spend time in the area before the school year to connect with the families I would be working with.”
In order to do so, Laura worked as the ESL teacher at the Blueberry Harvest School run by Mano en Mano the summer of 2010 (before the start of her new role). As the ESL teacher, she traveled to-and-from labor camps throughout the blueberry barrens to give classes and connect directly with students and their families.
Having graduated in the year prior (2009) from the University of Maine at Orono with a bachelor's degree in education, that summer working at BHS was her first official teaching position. She shares,
“I learned so much that summer! Not only did I gain knowledge about the area, but I grew alongside my students. I also learned about the resilience and strength in my new community, and the joy there was to be had together. My first real interaction with community members was at a Mano en Mano potluck, and since then my relationship with my students and families has deepened.”
The fall of 2010, Laura joined the board of directors of Mano en Mano, where she served a total of 3 terms, and seeing the organization through 7 years of growth and change. Simultaneously she worked at schools across the Downeast, building relationships and connecting with students, their families, and the community she served through her teaching role as MSAD 37. She says,
“Part of my role was supporting students, but also making space for parents to feel included and breaking down the barriers that families may face that can make it difficult to be included in their child's education and school activities… Together, the students and families I served built deep relationships based on mutual trust.”
In 2017, she transitioned into a new position, as Milbridge Elementary School’s Resource Coach and Community Liaison for Trauma Responsive Equitable Education (TREE). In her role, she worked to bring and support trauma-informed teaching practices into all classrooms at the school, and celebrate all of the unique identities of students and their families in the area.
The TREE pilot project at Milbridge Elementary finished this spring, and Laura was keen to continue similar projects, and elevate the work onto a larger scale. She says,
“I felt like my role at TREE was just the beginning...there is so much more work to be done to create environments that support all students and families in the area. I couldn't help but be frustrated because I wanted to do more to address the root causes of injustice. I often think of the metaphor of a pond with sick fish. Sure, there are many reasons why a fish might be sick, but at what point do we start to think that it's the water they are living in and not the fish? At what point do we realize we need to change the systems and environments we are living in to dismantle the barriers that impede success?”
At Mano en Mano, Laura will lead the Access and Advocacy team and support the development and implementation of strategic goals for the next three years set in collaborative planning sessions between the Mano en Mano board, staff and community members. She will build on the relationships she has formed over the past decade and partner with community leaders to realize events and support community members across the Downeast. In the immediate future, she is currently working to organize and implement welcome and resource fairs to serve workers and their families arriving in Maine for wreath season.
Laura says:
“I came to Mano en Mano because I really wanted to get involved in creating spaces that promote community engagement and environments to help all of us thrive. I have seen how sometimes leadership groups or organizations can deny people's lived experiences and I want to make sure that we honor our community through the creation of leadership spaces and opportunities. It will be a privilege to work alongside the community and see how creating these spaces benefits the health of our entire area.
‘I want community members to know that I want to do all I can to make this role responsive to community needs, and use all ways we can to keep communication open. I think this may look a bit different as we are still in the pandemic and we may not be able to operate in the same way as before.
I envision working with the community to continually develop what the Access and Advocacy program is and does, and to follow the community's vision for growth. I want to adapt and adjust this program based on feedback and regular communication, so that it directly addresses community needs.
I would love feedback on what kind of communication is best, and what kind of community we want to cultivate. I am excited to work toward creating and strengthening environments where we celebrate inclusivity, identity, and culture and value all voices. I’m looking forward to seeing what we create together.”
It is our pleasure to welcome Laura to the Mano en Mano team.
If you would like to contact her directly, please email at lthomas@manomaine.org or call Access and Advocacy at (207) 745-0479l.
Do you have any words of welcome, ideas for potential collaborations, or thoughts you would like to share with Laura?
If so, please send her a message in this anonymous survey.
