Empowering the Latino Immigrant Family as Partners in Education -What you Need to Know

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Category child education,children learning,latino immigration,Latino Immigrant Family,partners in education,educational technology,lack of education

Deadline: September 06, 2018 | Date: September 07, 2018

Venue/Country: Online, U.S.A

Updated: 2018-07-12 18:15:06 (GMT+9)

Call For Papers - CFP

Friday, September 7, 2018 | 10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT

Overview: Empowering the immigrant parent as a partner in their children's education is

critical if we desire immigrant students to be successful and stride to a higher level of

academic achievement.

This workshop is designed to help professionals and paraprofessional in the task of

facilitating the engagement of immigrant families who may not be accustom to taking an active

role alongside teachers and administrators. It is also essential to understand that

parents/guardians absence from school activities does not mean a lack of interest but rather a

different perspective in their role as parents.

In this presentation you will learn these and many more areas of interest that will assist you

in moving forward with parent engagement. An initial step prior to engaging the parents is to

learn and understand your immigrant population. Understanding what they went through and what

their current stressors are will help you in being mindful when planning an activity.

Find out their experiences of coming to this country; who are the guardians, as some children

live with relatives other than their parents; what kind of community do they live in and how

the community can help in this endeavor; educational level of the parents/guardians will also

give you a better understanding of your population, etc. Another essential factor that will be

addressed is the importance of having an appreciation of the cultural differences when working

with Latino parents and to avoid assumptions that can alienate your immigrant parents.

What is "normal" for you may not be "normal" for them, how they communicate may be different

from the American style, linguistic abstraction should be avoided so as to not to cause

confusions and misunderstandings. These and other differences will be covered.

Another cultural factor to consider is the difference in the concept of "time." The concept of

"Latino time" where they tend to come late for everything must be interpreted not as a sign of

disrespect but rather as a cultural difference and how to consider this difference when

engaging Latino families. Having a healthy outlook regarding this will decrease your negative

perspective and help to figure out ways to get them to attend on time. The final section of the

webinar will address the "HOW" in terms of "how" to make them feel welcomed and what the school

can do with its physical environment, its written communication and how best to utilize

bilingual staff.

For example, a welcoming environment would include signs in different languages, a greeter who

speaks their native language, school brochures in their native language to name a few. These

and other changes can make a family feel that this school system is cognizant of their needs

and will help to reduce their anxiety of this unknown system and ease their transition into

this new role as partners in education.

Once the immigrant families are genuinely connected and comfortable with the school system,

another opportunity can be offered which is that of having them partake in decision-making with

regards to future parent activities, a Latino type "PTA" if you will. This is the ultimate goal

of engagement which is that of having families/guardians be true partners in their children's

education.

Why should you Attend: Have you tried to engage Latino immigrant parents to attend school

activities or parent teacher conferences to no avail? At times professionals and

paraprofessionals need to take a step back and recognize that we need to do things differently

when working with Latino parents then with Anglo parents.

Having a better cultural understanding of best practices may facilitate this important work.

With the numbers of Latino immigrant youth entering United States schools on a daily basis it

is imperative that we acquire the most up to date information on helping both youth and their

parents be an active and responsible partner in this endeavor. Only when there is a true

partnership does all the pieces fall into place for the success of the student.

As a one of the partners in this ever challenging goal, you must be equipped with knowledge of

the strengths and cultural background of immigrant families. You will gain better insight into

their family dynamics, cultural differences and cultural assumptions so as to avoid pitfalls

that may derail your parent activity.

In this way, you are better prepared to use this knowledge base to engage them to connect and

partake of the school system. This workshop will provide the missing link and vital cultural

information to make your next parent teacher conference or parent activity more successful.

Areas Covered in the Session:

The importance of learning about your immigrant population

Cultural factors to consider when engaging immigrant families

What can be done to make them feel welcomed and partake of the educational system

Who Will Benefit:

Social Workers

Psychologist

Mental Health Workers

Guidance Counselors

Case Managers and universities students in the behavioral health field of study.Those working

in the area of Immigration Advocacy

Speaker Profile

Vilma E. Matos is a clinical bilingual social worker with over 35 years of experience working

with the Latino community. In the past 20 years she has been providing individual, group and

family interventions for Latino immigrant youth. She has presented on this topic to school

districts, mental health clinics and at conferences on best practices when interfacing with

this population. Her dedication goes one step farther as she has designed a board game uniquely

suited for Latino immigrants. My Journey to the United States - Mis Pasos a los Estados Unidos

Board Game© has been used by social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors and mental

health workers throughout the United states as a facilitating tool to help these youth open up

about their past and present experiences. Once trust is established, significant interventions

and healing can begin.

Ms. Matos is also Vice President of the National Association of Puerto Rican/Hispanic Social

Workers and currently works part-time as a bilingual therapist, school social worker,

consultant and presenter all in the area of Latino immigrants.

Price - $139

Contact Info:

Netzealous LLC - MentorHealth

Phone No: 1-800-385-1607

Fax: 302-288-6884

Email: supportmentorhealth.com

Website: http://www.mentorhealth.com/

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