Research to Results: Practitioner Insights

1
Research to Results Practitioner Insights
2

• Enhancing Cultural Competence in
• Out-of-School Time Programs
• What Is Cultural Competence and Why Is It
  Important?

Elena Kennedy, BA, Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew, Ph.D.,
and Greg Matthews, BA
3
What is cultural competence?

• Cultural competence is a skill or a set of skills
  that practitioners can develop in order to work
  effectively with children, adolescents, and
  parents from diverse racial/ethnic, sexual,
  religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

4
What is cultural competence?

• This includes not only attitudes, but behaviors
  and actions that show a respectful understanding
  of ones cultural beliefs, customs, etc.

5
Why work to achieve cultural competence in
out-of-school time programs?

• Changes in the population of children in OST
  programs require adaptable programming.
• Culture and ethnicity are assets.
• The benefits to youth who attend culturally
  competent programs are numerous.

6
How can programs become more culturally competent?

• Acknowledge differences and affirm your
  commitments.
• Encourage youth and adults from varied
  backgrounds to collaborate toward common goals.
• Include leaders, volunteers, and practitioners
  from a variety of backgrounds.

7
How can programs become more cultural competent?

• Incorporate traditional elements from a number of
  cultures
• Support youths exploration of cultural identity
  and seek to understand them through their own
  self-definitions.
• Conduct evaluations and hold your program
  accountable.

8
Noteworthy info

• Educating youth workers in cultural competency is
  the first step towards socializing children to be
  socially conscious, open-minded community
  members.

9
How can practitioners become more culturally
competent?

• Gain knowledge about how your own culture
  influences you
• Develop knowledge of other cultures that go
  beyond simplistic stereotypes and assessments
• Open communication between yourself and the
  parents of your participants

10
In the Spotlight!Programs from around the country

• CentroNia- Washington, DC
• 2002, Calvary Bilingual Multicultural Learning
  Center adopted the new name CentroNía (a blend of
  Spanish, Swahili, and Esperanto) in order to
  better reflect its commitment to multicultural,
  bilingual education
• Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA)
• In 2005, partnering with Allstate, the BGCA
  initiated a diversity education program called
  Youth for Unity, designed to combat prejudice,
  bigotry, and discrimination. The goals of the new
  program are to help youth appreciate their own
  heritage while embracing and understanding the
  backgrounds of others.

11
In the Spotlight! (cont.)

• Summerbridge Manchester- Manchester, NH
• Summerbridge is an academic program that brings
  together students and teachers speaking
  approximately 23 languages. The program has
  transitioned to build cultural competence in its
  students and teachers through language classes,
  theme days, cultural performances, and the use of
  interpreters for parents who do not speak
  English.
• Teaching for Change Tellin Stories- Washington,
  DC
• Although Tellin Stories is primarily a parent
  program, its methods and use of multiculturalism
  in education provide excellent examples of
  cultural competence. For instance, Tellin
  Stories runs a Story Quilting Series in which
  parents each create quilt squares that represent
  where they come from or a story from their
  backgrounds. Tellin Stories presents workshops
  on topics such as Affirming Cultural Identity
  Through Sharing Stories and Parent Advocacy
  Asking the Right Questions.

12
(No Transcript)