Paso Por Paso was founded February 28, 2003 by Johnny Whitaker and two friends in recovery, Greg Butler and Juan Carlos Bernardez. These three found it very difficult to find adequate 12-Step support from recovery facilities that worked with the Hispanic Community in their language of origin.
Currently, Paso Por Paso has found only a few programs in Los Angeles County that serve this greatly under-served population. To our knowledge as of August, 2008, there still are no county, state or privately-owned programs which are specifically targeted for the Hispanic-Speaking community in the Southern California area. There are "anexos" of many Spanish-Speaking 12 step groups that have tried to help this population, however; to the best of our knowledge, in November of 2008 they are not yet formally approved by the state.
Because of this lack of support, Johnny and his friends decided to band together to help this group of addicts/alcoholics. Since all three are fluent Spanish speakers, the first language of support is to help the Spanish-Speaking Addict/Alcoholic.
Paso Por Paso was formed to help ALL Non-English-Speaking Alcoholics/Addicts (primarily Spanish-Speaking at first, then to other languages as the need arises) get help and needed 12-Step support in their primary language (mother tongue).
We hope to be able to do this by:
| I. |
Helping individuals, programs and facilities that choose to work with the Non-English Speaking Alcoholic/Addict in the 12-Step program of recovery. |
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| A. | To help the Individual Non-English speaker at Meetings,12-Step Conventions, and other 12-Step groups, Paso por Paso will help in the Auto Translation of English-Speaking meetings so the non-English speaker can enjoy the fellowship hear and understand the meetings translated into their native language. | ||||
| B. | Helping such recovery programs and facilities with translation of their materials and documents and/or providing materials in the mother tongue to aid the non-English-speaking clientele. | ||||
| C. | Giving financial aid and or Text Books to bi-lingual students enrolled in chemical dependency studies who have committed themselves to helping the non-English speaker. | ||||
| II. | Helping
with and/or providing drug treatment programs and facilities whose
trained bi-lingual support staff, counselors or teachers will work
with and teach the addict/alcoholic in the primary language of the
non-English-speaking clientele and/or providing such facilitators
on a permanent or part-time basis. |
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| III. | To directly aid the non English-speaking addict/alcoholic, giving him/her funds and/or scholarships to attend pre-screened support facilities which have shown an interest and desire to help and support the addict/alcoholic agreeing to teach such recipients in their primary language the 12-Step program of recovery. | ||||
In his early recovery and after having helped to start Spanish-Speaking 12-Step groups to support the addicts/alcoholics in the San Fernando Valley, John Whitaker, realized that the Hispanic addicts/alcoholics still needed more help and support. Success in a 12-step program depends upon maintaining an even balance of Unity, Service and Recovery. Unfortunately the Recovery portion that some needed was not available by just going to meetings, they needed to UNDERSTAND what was going on for them on the INSIDE - In THEIR Language!
Paso Por Paso was founded so that the treatment and recovery of individual addicts/alcoholics could be supported on a larger scale if and only if local recovery programs could support the Addict/Alcoholic in their own language. John Whitaker, and Juan Carlos Bernardez began by translating the C.A. Storybook with the History of C.A. (found in the Prologue of "Hope Faith and Courage" stories from the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous) as well as some of the individual stories found therein.
Paso Por Paso invites other 12-Step programs to contact us and give us a list of their needs for translation. As our funds allow, we want to be able to get the messages of treatment and recovery to as many as possible and are willing to help start groups in Spanish and as our influence expands to other languages, we hope to be able to work with those individuals who can support The Language of Recovery in as many languages as possible.
Currently, Paso por Paso plans to have the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous available in 6 languages available to anyone who needs them.