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For years parents in East Boston have been interested in taking part in Parenting Journey groups and now, in an effort led by Dr. Catalina Laserna, they can.

Dr. Laserna, an anthropologist, mother, and lecturer at Harvard, completed the Parenting Journey facilitator training in May, and immediately set about to launch a group in East Boston. As luck would have it, Dr. Laserna’s daughter, Monica Leitner-Laserna, was able to provide the perfect location for the new group. Monica is the owner of the La Sanghita  and the East Boston Meditation Center, and she was impressed by how highly her mother spoke of the training. The program also spoke to her interests in community-building and self-care. According to Monica, Parenting Journey “ties with holistic health, which is what we’re trying to do.”

This talented mother-daughter team joined up with Parenting Journey to launch a new pilot program. Each Wednesday parents join Monica for a one hour cooking class where they learn to prepare a healthy meal. Then everyone gathers together for lunch, and Professor Laserna and Parenting Journey Faciliator Deanne Dworski-Riggs lead parents through the Parenting Journey session. Parents and community members alike are excited about this opportunity to improve their families’ health and nutrition.