Building Relationships/Partnerships
with the Latino Community
- The goal is not to build a program; it is to build a system of healthy
relationships.
- Relationships must be built with individuals and families as well
as with organizations.
- Spend time in the beginning just listening and having conversation
with community members. It will take time to establish a presence and
the level of trust that is critical to future success. Relationships
develop over years of being in the community.
- Become extremely aware of and sensitive to the cultures represented,
including the issues faced in countries of origin as well as those faced
in the local community.
- Identify partners and articulate common goals. Work to keep the focus
on the youth and leave turf issues behind. Address issues of organizational
competition if they arise.
- In some instances you may need to help create partners by building
the leadership capacity and community involvement of the adults. Then
you can move to partnering in support of youth programs.
- Find ways to let partners know how important they are. Help them be
successful and recognize their successes.
- Establish times for partners to meet and share resources, coordinate
activity calendars, and identify issues of concern.
- Recognize that community partnerships exist in layers, and though
you may not be directly involved in a particular partnership (i.e. student/teacher)
the strength of that partnership may impact ones with which you are
directly involved.
- Remember, relationships (with youth, with families, with community)
come before tasks. Forego the task to save the relationship.
These observations are drawn from experiences accumulated in planning
and implementing the Oregon Outreach Project.
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