Trusted By
(Our Clients)
Case Study: 3+ years of Acompanamiento and Outcomes!
Interactive Case Study
Erika × Intercambios · A 3+ year journey of acompañamiento
DVSA Communities
A survivor-centered, culturally grounded partnership supporting Erika’s transition from advocate to Executive Director— and a volunteer initiative into a federally funded organization.
Focus
Culturally specific victim services (Latina & Indigenous communities)
Where
Illinois, USA
Acompañamiento Modes
Journey Highlights
From crisis-born cafecitos to federal funding and operational strength.
BEFORE INTERCAMBIOS ENGAGEMENT
Cafecito Community Conversation (National Org)
A rapid-response space, born during COVID-19, to honor connection, saberes, leadership, and dreaming—long ignored by institutions.
Founder of Intercambios continues Cafecito independently (2 more years)
We kept holding the circle after leaving the national org—prioritizing care, consistency, and cultural accountability. Erika named the vision: from a volunteer initiative to DVSA Communities—an established, grant-funded organization.
Founder leads an Exchange of Saberes & Healing retreat (Puerto Rico)
Five cultural leaders (incl. Erika) gather for healing, strategy, and peer exchange with Líderes Puertorriqueños.
DURING INTERCAMBIOS ENGAGEMENT
First Federal Win: OVW
DVSA Communities becomes federally funded; legitimacy + momentum to scale survivor-centered services.
Grant-writing & Budget Partnering (Intercambios)
We walk with Erika as writer, strategist, and cultural mirror; flexible fees while seeking support to cover our time.
OVW Renewal & Expanded Ops Support
OVC Award
With this win, Erika became a full-time ED and ended the two-job juggle.
Intercambios Secured
$925.000
In Awards
Federal: OVW (first award)
OVW (U.S. DOJ)
Role: Intercambios as grant writer & budget partner; supported meetings & submission.
Impact: DVSA Communities became a federally funded organization.
Dunham Foundation: Grant-writing support (salary buffer)
Writing support micro-grant
Role: Closed the grant-writing funding gap—together we secured salary support for Intercambios (replacing volunteer/low-cost hours).
Impact: Sustained acompañamiento capacity without burdening the org.
Federal: OVW (renewal/refund)
OVW (U.S. DOJ)
Role: grant writting; funded again
Impact: Sustained growth & program stability.
Leadership & Grant Capacity
The Network (IL Coalition)
Role: Secured additional funding for grant writing and leadership accompaniment
Impact: Institutionalized grant-writing and leadership support, strengthening federal compliance readiness.
Federal: OVC (award)
OVW (U.S. DOJ)
Role: Grant-writing (presentation format) and coached/acompañé Erika during delivery.
Impact: Enabled Erika to transition from full-time external job to full-time ED.
Principles in Practice
How acompañamiento shows up in real deliverables.
Acompañamiento
Walk-with-you approach rooted in confianza, not extraction.
Trauma-Informed
We honor pace, safety, context, and identities—and center them in every workstream: grant writing, budgeting, administration, IT, and communications.
Cultural Lens
Center saberes; bilingual/bicultural framing; Honor the lived and inherited wisdom of our communities.
Grant & Budget Co-Learning
Peer networks, narrative strategy, and compliant budgets tied to on-the-ground practice.
Leadership Mirror
Affirm the ED within, especially for leaders long seen only as advocates.
Healing-Woven Coaching
Healing is integral, not separate. Every interaction creates a moment to reflect, support, and uplift.
Comprehensive Offering
Integrated Admin, Budget, IT & Communications delivered with trauma-informed, culturally rooted acompañamiento.
Outcomes & Signals
Simple snapshot of growth across the relationship.
Lessons & What We’d Do Again
Portable insights to apply with other partners.
- Affirm cultural leadership. Name and validate the ED within.
- TA = relationships. Trust before tools; start with a cafecito.
- Trauma-informed pacing. Slow the timeline to protect people & quality.
- Storytelling = visibility. Invest in Communication
- Interconnected capacity. Weave Admin × Budget × IT × Storytelling from day one—no silos, all matter in the first years.
- Invest in healing & leadership retreats. Create spaces where leaders name the dream (e.g., PR healing retreat → clarity for Erika’s ED path).
- Peer budget networks. Learn budgets together—templates, scenarios, and review circles.
- Healing is the sazón that makes capacity stick. Pace, pause, restore.
- Trauma-informed across teams. Train IT and Communications staff when working with cultural leaders.
Our offerings
Power Building
Our offerings are designed to unleash individuals' and communities' collective strength, resources, and influence to drive systemic change.
Digital Communications
We offer tools, including one-on-one support, to form or maintain your communications goals and strategies to connect with others.
About us
Intercambios is a bilingual cultural strategy enterprise that ignites, mobilizes, and restores the inner power of Cultural Leaders through healing and economic justice.
Resources for you!
Healing Though Stories
Creating room for stories can unveil the complex web of chains that trap us in an unending cycle of shame. We propose a shift in perspective. Instead of wondering why individuals from TQLGB communities are hesitant to share/disclose their stories, let's redirect the focus inward and ask:
"How might I or my agency be contributing to the narrative of shame?"
Ritualitos para el Bienestar de tu Vulva
Los diez rituales compartidos en este Mini-Libro son una invitación que te brinda un enfoque simple pero poderoso para acercarte a tus genitales desde un lugar de alegría y poder.
Healing Though Stories
Creating room for stories can unveil the complex web of chains that trap us in an unending cycle of shame. We propose a shift in perspective. Instead of wondering why individuals from TQLGB communities are hesitant to share/disclose their stories, let’s redirect the focus inward and ask:
“How might I or my agency be contributing to the narrative of shame?”
What are they saying
"I am highly satisfied and very grateful for Intercambios contributions in their role as cultural consultant. Specifically, they attend to small details that make a big difference in improving communication and connection with the community advisory board. On top of it all, Jorge is personable and friendly, and I appreciate how his values guide his work. I highly recommend Intercambios Consulting, especially if centering racial justice and building authentic relationships are important qualities you are looking for in a consultant."
Meredith E. Bagwell-Gray
PhD, MSSW, Assistant Professor School of Social Welfare at The University of Kansas
“My work with Jorge changed lives. We worked together to train Minor League Baseball players in the Dominican Republic on healthy relationships and made a connection with our audiences with compassion and empathy that created a phenomenal learning environment. I would work with Jorge again anywhere and anytime. He was an intuitive partner who was respectful of the knowledge in the room of participants and worked to engage all in the educational environment. He brought out the best in me as a trainer and together we succeeded in reaching our participants and changing minds.”
Ramona A. Gonzalez
Presiding Judge, La Crosse, WI
El trabajo de Jorge Vidal tuvo un impacto muy positivo y significativo en nuestra capacitación virtual en como involucrar a los hombres. Su experiencia personal, su conocimiento profesional y su compromiso con la justicia social y la equidad han dejado huella en los esfuerzos de nuestra institución por erradicar la violencia de género. Además, nos permite tener una mirada internacional de cómo se observan las distintas formas de violencia fuera de Puerto Rico y nuevas maneras de atender esta problemática.
Dra. Angélica Torres-Sotero
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Carolina
Jorge's work had a significant impact on our organization. His expert, compassionate, and skillful facilitation of our race equity conversations was original and refreshing. Our team felt very safe and we were able to go much deeper than a standard webinar or questionnaire. This has had an impact on our connection as a team and how we see the work we do with our clients and service provision.
Jeigh Billingly
Founder & Executive Director of My SUSPIRE