The Family Mentoring Program was initiated by the University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Social Work (UNO) in 1996 in response to increased violent criminal activity and low educational attainment and poverty of immigrant and first generation Latinos living in South Omaha.   Originally funded by the Department of Education, the program received additional funding from 1997-2000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.   In 2001   UNO received grant funding through the Juvenile Mentoring Program   (JUMP) from the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs to continue and expand the program under the new name “Aguante” (meaning “to persevere” in Spanish).   That funding ended in June of 2004 with the resulting termination of the project.

Like its predecessor program, the Aguante Project provided academic and personal mentoring for third, fourth, and fifth-grade students from two Omaha elementary schools as well as   extensive family support services.

Program Goals and Objectives

In addition to connecting youth with caring mentors, the Aguante Project included a strong family mentoring component consisting of family assessments, counseling, education, and participation in community activities. The program used mentors, social work students and a full-time Community Coordinator who served as advocates for the youth and their parents in the school systems, and linked families to a broad range of educational, governmental, mental health, substance abuse, and medical services available in the South Omaha community.

A core principle of the program was to honor the important role of the family in Latino culture by having a strong family engagement piece in the academic mentoring program. Alberto Cervantes, the Community Coordinator, a resident of the South Omaha community, is bilingual and bicultural, and well respected in the Latino community.   Together with four paid graduate assistants from the School of Social Work and one to two undergraduate social work students, Mr. Cervantes acted as a conduit between the mentors and families to help families address some of their essential needs and issues.   They included immigration, Social Security and Medicare assistance, navigating the Omaha Public School System, networking with other social service agencies that do not have Spanish speaking professionals, translation support, and assistance with the legal system. Parents were also engaged in informal activities such as group dinners, parties and special community events.

Two attributes that made the project successful, according to founder and former program director, Dr. Theresa Barron-McKeagney, were the emphasis on developing and sustaining personal relationships with families and maintaining a focus on building stronger community.

Profile of Families Served

On average, the program served 45-50 families per year.   Most of the families had two parents,   were Latino immigrants and/or first generation, low-income, and lived in neighborhoods with high crime levels.   Language barriers were a common obstacle for families who struggled to maneuver through formal service systems like the schools, social service providers, and helath care.

Profile of Mentors

IThe program had 42 volunteer mentors working with the children.   Recruited mentors ranged from university students to active military personnel stationed in the area.   Many of the mentors were both bicultural (Latino ethnicity) and bilingual. Many mentors expressed “missing the culture” as a motivation for volunteering. The Project staff relied on the State of Nebraska to provide assistance in conducting background checks of potential mentors. Mentors worked predominantly with the students on school-based academic mentoring, while families received social work support and case management from the Community Coordinator and social work students.

Community Partnerships

The Family Mentoring Program and the Aguante Project developed an extensive network of community partners in order to provide families with culturally appropriate access to services and supports.   A central community partner of the projects was the UNO’s School of Social Work , which offered staff and volunteers for the project as well as qualified social work support to the families.   One of the earliest partners was the Chicano Awareness Center , which provided a rent-free space for the program and its staff during the first year of operations.   Mr. Cervantes, the Community Coordinator, developed elevated visibility of the project through his service on state and local committees dedicated to family preservation, foster care and elder support.   Program staff regularly attended meetings at state-level departments, such as Omaha Public Schools, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Immigration and Naturalization Services to raise visibility about the lack of bilingual and bicultural helping professionals and comprehensive service delivery for at-risk Spanish-speaking populations.   Project staff offered in-service training on cultural competency with county foster care and DHSS staffs. On a local level, the program engaged churches, social service providers and Omaha Public School counselors to recruit the families.

Program Outcomes

While the results of the program outcome evaluations are still pending, the project staff collected extensive data for reporting to the Department of Justice.   Data on youth outcomes such as impact on grades, school attendance, and behavioral issues were collected as well as family and community outcomes. Preliminary findings show that both the Family Mentoring Program and the Aguante Project have contributed to improved school attendance, positive family functioning and improved access to community resources.

Contacts:

Alberto Cervantes

Community Coordinator

Aguante Project
Chicano Awareness Center

(402) 733-2720, x229

 AlbertoCervantes@mail.unomaha.edu

Dr. Theresa Barron-McKeagney

Founder of Family Mentoring Program and

Director, School of Social Work , University

Of Nebraska at Omaha

tbarronm@mail.unomaha.edu