Coachella Unincorporated former youth/now staff Olivia Rodriguez Mendez participated in a panel following the screening of Estamos Aquí (We Are Here) alongside Silvia Paz of Alianza Coachella Valley, moderated by Margarita Castaneda Luna from The California Endowment at the Grantmaker’s for Effective Organizations (GEO) 2024 National Conference in Los Angeles.
In 2018, Coachella Unincorporated (CU) joined the Alianza Coachella Valley (formerly Building Healthy Communities) Environmental Justice campaign to help the community of the Eastern Coachella Valley better understand that Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income.
A team of CU reporters, led by Bryan Mendez and Olivia Rodriguez, produced a mini documentary, Estamos Aqui (We Are Here) that explores key issues related to the Salton Sea and that uplifts the stories of ECV residents who are taking action to advocate for their communities. These young filmmakers sought to shift the attention from the migratory birds and conservations efforts that was the focus for the mitigation efforts surrounding the shrinking Salton Sea to center the public health impacts on the rural, unincorporated community in the development and implementation of environmental policies, laws and regulations.
The film won Best Documentary at the 2019 Latino Film Festival and was awarded the Youth Leadership Award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The film seeks to highlight community voices and the future of Eastern Coachella Valley communities near the Salton Sea. Following the screening, the California Endowment will share updates on the efforts since the documentary to center community voices in green energy efforts in the region.