Carla Charraga – A Passion To Empower Women

When Carla Charraga was nine years old, she left a comfortable life surrounded by friends and family in Mexico City to enter a new culture and language in California. Her family moved for one central purpose: Carla’s mother saw the United States offered more opportunities for women and she wanted to give her daughters access to open doors. “My mom is a big role model for me,” Carla says. “Because of her, I have a strong passion to empower women to stand on their own two feet, find their inner strength and the inspiration to follow their dreams and goals.”

Carla lives out this passion each day as executive director at Siskiyou Domestic Violence & Crisis Center (SDVCC), an agency devoted to helping domestic violence survivors and preventing domestic violence. According to SDVCC’s website, one in three women has experienced violence from an intimate partner. SDVCC’s services and resources help women and children in a myriad of ways, including the foundational step of recognizing abuse. Acknowledging their situations gives survivors their first key to escape.

Domestic violence is the fruit of social inequity

Before becoming SDVCC executive director in 2018, Carla served as the deputy director for seven years, following stints as a violence prevention educator and a juvenile probation officer. Through these positions, Carla became aware how domestic violence intersects with other social issues. “I realized I was seeing the same families at the domestic violence center as in the juvenile justice system” Carla says. “I was working with the same population, just in different ways. It’s all connected. Domestic violence is the fruit, and social inequities like misogyny, racism, social inequality and trauma are the trunk and roots.”

Prevention is a community responsibility

With this understanding, Carla decided to dig deeper. She began teaching parenting classes to help families and communities build healthy relationships. “The most important thing,” she says, “is to break the silence. Speak up when you see abuse.” The widespread ripple effect of domestic violence makes prevention a community responsibility. “Don’t let it be a private affair” Carla explains, “because it affects everybody. It’s not just inside somebody’s house.” Thankfully, Carla says, the opposite of abuse also has a community ripple effect: “When people respect each other and we have a more equitable society, everybody benefits.”

Taking authentic interest in others

Karen Pautz, executive director of First 5 Siskiyou and a longtime friend of Carla’s, admires Carla’s “amazing integrity and commitment to making life better for those around her.” Carla often achieves this by taking authentic interest in others. From discussing movies and politics with Karen’s 22-year-old daughter, to considering the best strategies for partnerships and community transformation over dinner with Karen, Carla “has a wonderful way of being present and engaged with people of all interests,” Karen says. “She is thoughtful, kind and brilliant!”

Karen’s husband, Mike Pautz, has facilitated parenting groups in remote parts of Siskiyou County with Carla. He has witnessed Carla connect in English and in Spanish with nervous, unsure families. “She uses humor and has this way of lifting others up and creating a safe place for people to be who they are,” Mike says.

Not just treating symptoms

Carla’s humor and genuine care put people at ease, helping her address some of the most sensitive, painful topics families endure. Cathy Scott, the Siskiyou County Local Planning Childcare Council (LPCC) coordinator, speaks of Carla’s unique ability to tackle difficult subjects. This skill makes her an invaluable resource to a number of boards, organizations, and outreaches, including SDVCC, First 5 Siskiyou, Nurturing Parenting, Darkness to Light, the Resource Center Collaborative, and more. “Carla is not just treating symptoms,” Cathy says, “She’s helping prevent the problem in the first place.”

Self-care and spirituality in an emotionally challenging field

To protect herself from potential burnout in an emotionally challenging field of work, Carla emphasizes good self-care. “You can’t help people if you are running away from yourself,” she reasons, “So I believe I have to work on myself too.” Self-care for Carla includes walking, taking creative writing classes and art workshops, and spending time with her husband, Mario Gonzalez, and their 16-year-old daughter, Sophia.

Carla has always valued spirituality and has embraced her husband’s Native American heritage by regularly attending sweat lodges and ceremonies. Cathy enjoys watching Carla and Mario participate in Native American drumming performances. She also is on the board of Spirit of the Wind, an upcoming Native American spiritual non-profit.

In all her efforts, Carla seeks to “nurture people’s self-esteem and self-value.” She says, “The best thing you can tell someone in a domestic violence situation is, ‘You deserve better, and I’m here for you.’”

Fortunately for the North State, Carla Charraga is here for Siskiyou County, cultivating the roots to make the community’s fruit taste of safety and respect for all people