TY - JOUR
T1 - Leaders’ Cultural Responsiveness in a Rural Program Serving Latinx Youth
AU - McGovern, Gina
AU - Raffaelli, Marcela
AU - Moreno Garcia, Crystal
AU - Larson, Reed
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the William T. Grant Foundation (Grant ID 10914; Dr. Reed Larson and Dr. Marcela Raffaelli) and the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Hatch project ILLU-793-313; Dr. Marcela Raffaelli).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2020/5/1
Y1 - 2020/5/1
N2 - To provide examples of culturally responsive practices used by leaders of a rural Latinx-serving youth program, this case study focused on a community youth program in a small, rural Midwestern town. Program leaders (one White man and one Latinx woman) were both middle-aged and had postsecondary degrees. Nine Latinx youth participants (four girls, five boys; Mage = 15.5 years) were primarily from Mexican immigrant families. Repeated semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders and youth. Holistic analyses used grounded theory practices and focused on a subset of questions about cultural program experiences. Leaders of Unified Youth supported the positive development of rural Latinx youth through four categories of culturally responsive practices. They cultivated a safe space that affirmed youth’s cultural values and bilingualism; served as trusted allies for youth, connecting across shared experiences and helping youth process discrimination; promoted cultural awareness and appreciation while encouraging youth to explore cultural nuances; and supported youth’s leadership development and advocacy through community events promoting cultural awareness. These rich descriptions of practices contribute to our understanding of cultural responsiveness in context and can be used to inform research, policy, and practice with Latinx youth in rural communities.
AB - To provide examples of culturally responsive practices used by leaders of a rural Latinx-serving youth program, this case study focused on a community youth program in a small, rural Midwestern town. Program leaders (one White man and one Latinx woman) were both middle-aged and had postsecondary degrees. Nine Latinx youth participants (four girls, five boys; Mage = 15.5 years) were primarily from Mexican immigrant families. Repeated semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders and youth. Holistic analyses used grounded theory practices and focused on a subset of questions about cultural program experiences. Leaders of Unified Youth supported the positive development of rural Latinx youth through four categories of culturally responsive practices. They cultivated a safe space that affirmed youth’s cultural values and bilingualism; served as trusted allies for youth, connecting across shared experiences and helping youth process discrimination; promoted cultural awareness and appreciation while encouraging youth to explore cultural nuances; and supported youth’s leadership development and advocacy through community events promoting cultural awareness. These rich descriptions of practices contribute to our understanding of cultural responsiveness in context and can be used to inform research, policy, and practice with Latinx youth in rural communities.
KW - Latinos (U.S.)
KW - culture/ethnic practices
KW - immigration issues (includes acculturation and language acquisitions)
KW - organized activities (afterschool, extracurricular)
KW - positive youth development
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U2 - 10.1177/0743558419873893
DO - 10.1177/0743558419873893
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074001587
SN - 0743-5584
VL - 35
SP - 368
EP - 394
JO - Journal of Adolescent Research
JF - Journal of Adolescent Research
IS - 3
ER -