Building Familia: Transforming Latino Youth into Community Conscious Leaders
Emily Key, Education Programs Manager, Smithsonian Latino Center, Verónica Rivera-Negrón, M.F.A., Arts Education and Administration Consultant, Marianna Adams, Ed.D., President, Audience Focus Inc.
Many alumni refer to Smithsonian Latino Center’s Young Ambassadors Program (SLC YAP) as “nuestra familia” or “our family”, because of the intergenerational lifelong friendship and guidance alumni offer each other. Its mission is to foster the next generation of Latino leaders in the arts, sciences, and humanities through networks of support.(1) Adrián Aldaba, 2008 alumnus, shared about YAP’s impact in his personal and professional growth, “This is not only a network, but it really is a familia. Everyone, from 2006 to this new class, have this shared bond. This program is not just five weeks, it really is a lifelong intensity that you carry with you from the time you are 17 to the time you are a seasoned professional down the road,” (“A Decade of Empowerment,” 2015). Aldaba’s passion and belief in the program made him join the SLC’s staff as the first alumni liaison in 2009. He now plays an important role in the management of other SLC’s public and educational programming. Aldaba is one of the many alumni that have contributed to the development of YAP, making it the distinctive program it is today.
[Watch: A Decade of Empowerment: Young Ambassadors Alumni Perspectives]
At the SLC, we realized shortly after implementing YAP that in order to impact the Latino community, we needed to continue offering support to the program’s alumni both personally and professionally throughout different life stages. YAP started in 2006 as a five-week-long summer internship for recent high school graduates with the goal of advancing education equity for Latinos. Three years later, it evolved into a college and early career development network. Every day we witness with appreciation the ripple effect of SLC serving Latinos through YAP’s multiple alumni initiatives dedicated to improving communities. Our long-term commitment to young people, however, did not come from the onset of YAP but is the result of thirteen years of program development co-created with its alumni. In the process, we have learned that if we really want youth programs to impact communities, we need to empower young people to co-create these initiatives and offer opportunities to practice what it means to be a community conscious leader.
YAP’s support for young Latinos during college and early careers is the first step in developing leadership. In the recently completed impact-study of the program, YAP alumni — half of whom are first-generation college students — attest to the significance of this experience in their efforts to complete college. “The most vivid memory I have of the program is that it was the first time I felt there were people that believed in me, even though they didn’t know anything about me aside from my application,” shared Natasha Hakimi Zapata, 2006 YAP alumna, first-generation college student, and daughter of immigrants from Mexico and Iran (“A Decade of Empowerment,” 2015). In 2017, Hakimi Zapata completed a PhD from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and now serves as Assistant Editor in the political blog Truthdig. YAP alumni college graduation rate is 96.4%, with the majority — over 75% — graduating within four years (Adams, 2018). YAP statistics of college graduation rate of first and continuing-generation college Latino students are almost four times higher than national averages.(2) First-generation college students face significant challenges, in addition to financial constraints, when completing a degree: “They’re less likely to have had access to the type of challenging high school classes that increase the chance of success in college and less likely to have confidence in their own academic abilities” (Cardoza, 2016). Therefore, we believe YAP’s familia or support systems are key for its alumni to complete college successfully. These support systems include formal personal, academic, and professional development offerings, as well as continuing-generation college alumni sharing knowledge, resources, and experiences with first-generation alumni.
By offering support to other college-bound Latinos, YAP’s alumni start practicing what it means to be community conscious leaders as civically engaged people who make choices and take action not just for their own benefit but also their community. Like many community-focused organizations, we work towards developing individuals that see leadership as a position of service and not of power. With the term “community conscious leaders,” our purpose is to place a name to this important work. The definition of our term builds on academic coaches Carol Carter and Maureen Breeze’s (2011) foundation of leadership that is equal parts communication, respect, vision, teamwork, ethics, as well as critical and creative thinking; on CASEL’s (or Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) (2017) social and emotional learning competencies; as well as our own culturally specific focus. In other words, we aim to develop socio-emotionally mature leaders who are aware and proud of their own Latino identity, who are confident, self-motivated, respectful, capable of building positive relationships, and making responsible decisions for themselves and their communities. We aim to accomplish this by allowing YAP participants and alumni to meet and develop relationships with Latino professionals in diverse disciplines; learn about Latino cultures in the United States, as reflected in SLC’s programming; and contribute to Latino-focused initiatives with partner institutions in one of 17 cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
We aim to support the development of community conscious leaders by offering several opportunities to give back to future generations of college-bound Latinos through co-created alumni initiatives. As Antonio Díaz Agosto, a 2012 alumnus who currently works at NASA, puts it: “By giving back, whether by donating or volunteering, we show our sincere gratitude to this transformative organization and program. In doing so, we affirm our commitment to this program in bringing in new high-achieving rising Latinos to our familia” (as cited in Adams, 2018). In the spirit of co-designing the “giving back” opportunities for YAP’s alumni, we created the alumni liaison full-time position at the SLC where Aldaba was originally appointed, two part-time positions as outreach and administration coordinators, and an advisory board. The alumni staff and the advisory group are in charge of developing Alumni Network seminars, mentorship and volunteer opportunities, as well as running fundraising campaigns. By giving young people the power to co-design their own initiatives, these projects become more successful. For instance, YAP alumni felt it was important for them to practice philanthropy by donating funds to the program. YAP’s fundraising campaigns were originally run by SLC but the alumni felt the approach did not connect with them. Since then, the alumni staff and advisory group have run the campaign and, consequently, they have raised three times more funding than SLC did four years ago.
While co-creation results in more engaged alumni and a program that reflects the needs of its participants, it also comes with its challenges. First, we need time and people to administer all aspects of YAP. SLC addresses this challenge by continually expanding its capacity through the creation of one full-time and two part-time alumni-filled contract positions. Second, we need financial resources to continue supporting the Alumni Network. Therefore, we are constantly seeking sponsors, many of whom are alumni. The third challenge is ensuring that the initiatives developed by alumni reflect the mission of the Smithsonian Institution and can be met with SLC’s capabilities. To negotiate this, we continually evaluate alumni’s proposed ideas in light of the Smithsonian’s mission and SLC’s expertise and infrastructure capacity. Furthermore, we prototype or pilot new initiatives which are then evaluated and tweaked before launching or are eliminated altogether. The fourth challenge is making sure that all YAP voices are heard, not just those that are part of the staff or advisory group. To address this issue, we implement surveys, social media polls, and encourage one-on-one relationship building and informal conversations with the dedicated alumni liaison. Through co-creation, SLC fosters mutual respect and trust with its alumni and models what is looks like to be a leader that listens to the needs of its community.
We have realized over time that alumni have taken YAP’s model back to their communities by building support systems for other professionals of color. It is humbling to hear from YAP alumni how the program has inspired their community service efforts. This is evidenced in the words and experience of Jazmín Morales, a 2009 alumna who started Fortissima, a leadership program for young women of color in classical music. “[Fortissima] seeks to empower girls to own their artistic voices and pursue careers in the field. I would not have created this in my wildest dreams without my experience in YAP,” stated Morales (as cited in Adams, 2018). Morales is one of the many alumni actively engaged with YAP since the moment they started the program. In fact, she served in the community outreach position in 2013. During her appointment, she continued developing SLC’s Alcancemos Summer Reading Days, a program that encourages childhood literacy and was piloted in 2012. Morales’ model for Alcancemos partners with local libraries, connects with Smithsonian’s collections and traveling exhibitions, and assigns volunteer YAP summer participants and alumni to co-host these storytimes and enrichment activities across the United States. This initiative is still practiced by SLC today and reaches over 500 children every summer. This professional experience gave Morales the tools to be the community advocate she is today:
YAP empowered me to empower others. My experience as a Young Ambassador showed me that there are high levels of excellence in the Latinx community and we should be proud and amplify those stories. Now it is my life’s work to nurture and amplify those stories in a meaningful way — something I get to do with my husband [also a Young Ambassador] with whom I share this mission. (as cited in Adams, 2018)
Morales married Carlos E. Hernandez, 2006 YAP alumnus, who is currently starting his own talent agency, IKIGAI Management, to bring underrepresented artists to the entertainment industry. “I am grateful for the ongoing growth I have been able to accomplish through my involvement with the Smithsonian Latino Center. It is truly my familia,” shared Morales (as cited in Adams, 2018).
With the completion of the impact-study and by reflecting on our alumni stories, we continue to think about the past, seize the present, and envision the future of the Young Ambassadors Program. What we have learned over the past five years of long-term evaluation is that in order to achieve the mission of YAP we must create a program that is not age-specific but provides support at crucial life stages and transitions. This has required a change in how we define youth and leadership development and ultimately has allowed us to foster a bond of familia with our alumni. Aldaba, Díaz Agosto, Morales, and Hernandez are some of the alumni who have taken the concept of community conscious leadership at heart and are practicing it on a daily basis. As we enter the thirteenth year of YAP’s programming, the SLC aims to continue co-designing meaningful experiences with one of its most important stakeholders: young Latino leaders. This is crucial for us as a museum and an institution, since investing in young people and fostering community conscious leaders develops our future advocates, collaborators, donors, employees, supporters, stakeholders, and visitors.
Emily Key
Emily Key has been the Education Programs Manager for the Smithsonian Latino Center since 2006. She oversees and develops bilingual educational programming and publications for the Center, including the national high school leadership program, the Young Ambassadors Program (YAP). Highlights during her tenure include the ongoing expansion of YAP and its accompanying Alumni Network, as well as the development and launch of the ¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert family program series. You can follow the Smithsonian Latino Center @SLC_Latino
Verónica Rivera-Negrón
Verónica Rivera-Negrón is a puertorriqueña in the diaspora working with and for the Latino community as an arts administrator and educator. She currently works with the City of Austin’s Mexican American Cultural Center developing a science/art-based curriculum and running social media, as well as with the Smithsonian Latino Center diffusing the results of the Young Ambassadors Program’s impact-study. @vriveranegron
Marianna Adams
Marianna Adams’ professional roots began in K-12 public and private school teaching (fine art, English literature, social studies, and special education) and segued into museum education where she headed several education departments in Florida museums. She founded Audience Focus Inc., in 2007 after 12 years of conducting evaluation, research, professional development, grant proposal writing, and concept development for the Institute for Learning Innovation.
Footnotes
(1) While we recognize “Latinx” is more inclusive of people of any gender identity, we use “Latino” across this essay for clarity and consistency with the Smithsonian Latino Center’s official name. In other words, “Latino” is not gender specific as used in this essay.
(2) The Higher Education Research Institute estimates only 25.8% of Latino students (regardless of college generation) complete college in four years, while only 27.4% of first-generation college students (regardless of race or ethnicity) graduate from college in four years (DeAngelo et al. 2011).
References
Adams, M. (2018) 2017–18 Young ambassador program alumni evaluation. Smithsonian Latino Center, Washington, DC. Unpublished technical report from Audience Focus Inc.
Carter, C., & Breeze, M. (2011). Leadership for teenagers: From ancient times to the 21st century. Denver, CO: LifeBound.
DeAngelo, L., Franke, R., Hurtado, S., Pryor, J. H., & Tran, S. (2011). Completing college: assessing graduation rates at four-year institutions. Los Angeles, CA: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.
The Smithsonian Latino Center [Username]. (2015, July 23). A decade of empowerment: Young ambassadors alumni perspectives [Video File]. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=49&v=EBu6kPTLAm8
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies [PDF]. (2017, January). Chicago, IL: CASEL.
Cardoza, K. (2016). First-generation college students are not succeeding in college, and money isn’t the problem. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/01/20/first-generation-college-students-are-not-succeeding-in-college-and-money-isnt-the-problem/?utm_term=.4672269c0120
