As Erica Prather and 24 others gathered at Catalina State Park trailhead, she began advising the hikers not to pick any of the park’s native flora. Moments later, 18-year-old Khadija Saboor ran up holding a large yellow wildflower. The group laughed at the timing.
“But no more out here, okay?” Prather said after Saboor apologized. “Because we’re in their home, right? This is the animals’ home. They live here.”
The outing brought together participants with the Amphi Women and Girls Union — mostly young women and girls, but also a few men — ranging in age from 4 to 43. For many attendees, it was their first hike. They set off along rocky trails surrounded by prickly plants and towering saguaros, with most of the young women and girls laughing and chatting in Dari.
Rose Armendariz is one of the few non-Afghan members of the group and, at just 18, one of the union’s more experienced leaders. She has lived in Amphi her entire life and joined the union nearly a year ago after receiving a flyer from her father. The Amphi, or Amphitheater, neighborhood is a “neat square” in north central Tucson containing some of the city’s oldest schools, a library and a neighborhood park.
“I feel like it would just be better for more people to get together to try and solve issues in Amphi,” she said. Armendariz hopes the group will continue to grow, bringing in more community input and support for changes she wants to see. “Even though we do have a good group right now, I think it would be better if more people in Amphi could join, because then we’d have other people’s input.”
Armendariz said she experiences frequent sexual harassment in her neighborhood, and she’s not alone.
“They don’t know how to take no for an answer,” she said.
Prather later organized self-defense lessons for the group, a decision Armendariz said stemmed directly from concerns raised by the girls.
“I think that was a big part of it,” she said. “And also, just in case anything happens.”
Amphi’s crime rates have made it a target for city reform. The Fort Lowell corridor that runs through it was designated as one of the city’s four Violence Interruption and Vitalization Action sites, based on data showing elevated levels of gun violence and crime.
The idea of forming a union rather than a traditional neighborhood group came from Prather’s background in labor organizing and nonprofit work. A former Amphi resident, she said she grew frustrated watching organizations without deep community ties make decisions on residents’ behalf. As she built relationships with neighbors, she decided she wanted to help shift that dynamic.
“It’s the difference between people coordinating resources who don’t have lived experience here and people who do,” Prather said. When SNAP funding was abruptly halted for many residents, she said, she saw a disconnect between how organizations responded and what neighbors actually needed.
“There doesn’t need to be another food distribution — there’s literally one every day of the week,” she said. “What’s needed is a map you could hand to an unhoused person or a refugee who doesn’t speak English.” Prather created a new map using symbols so people wouldn’t need to rely on English literacy.
Union members shape the activities they take on together. When several women said they didn’t know how to swim, the group organized swim lessons over the summer.
Prather said the union framework helps center community members and recognize their labor, rather than focusing on an organization.
“The people who live there and have lived experience can name what they need and how they need it,” she said. “And when funding becomes available, they can be employed so the money actually changes material conditions for people in Amphi.”
When the Tucson Tenants Union reached out for help canvassing the neighborhood, Prather connected them with 17-year-old union member Tilisa Asukulu, who was paid $500 to prepare food for 25 people.
Asukulu, Armendariz and Saboor are three of four union members working with Living Streets Alliance to help plan Cyclovia in the Amphi neighborhood. Kate Saunders, Living Streets Alliance’s community engagement coordinator, said the partnership has been a success.
“It’s a really great fit because the Amphi Women and Girls Union is focused on building power in their neighborhood and ensuring decisions are made by the people who live there,” Saunders said.
She said the union model, rather than a nonprofit structure, influences how organizations interact with the group.
“It centers the Women and Girls Union as knowledge holders and skilled labor,” Saunders said. “That means their time and energy should be respected and compensated, and we really benefit from working with them.”
For Cyclovia the girls are getting paid to help determine what activities will be at the activity hub in their neighborhood, how to conduct outreach to their neighbors, and what kind of Amphi-specific signage they want.
Saunders said they’re using the occasion as a leadership development opportunity for the girls.
Many union members are refugees, many from Afghanistan, and come from families working long hours. While the group centers women and girls, it does not exclude family members.
“If a kid can’t come, then one of the girls can’t come,” Prather said. “Child care often falls on these girls when their parents are at work, so whoever wants to be there can be there.” Entire families attended the hike, including male relatives. Older men led the head of the group while wives and daughters watched over the younger boys.
As they reached a shaded bend in the trail, Prather called for a snack break.
“Who wants puppy chow?” she asked, handing out the homemade chocolate-peanut-butter snack. When some of the non-native English speakers questioned the name, confusion rippled through the group.
“It’s like dog food, it’s a joke,” Prather explained, the girls laughed as they repeated the phrase to one another. Soon, everyone was gathered under the trees, sharing the snack and joking together.
Prather took the opportunity to give a brief refresh on how to interact with immigration officials before the group set off on their way back home. As they started the walk back, the conversation shifted to the hike itself, with the girls comparing it to the previous hike.
“I like this one,” Saboor said, pausing to admire the canyon views. “Because it’s a little bit up from the ground.” The group agreed and said they were already looking forward to the next one.
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