Culturally Centered Youth Care: Drop-in Center Bilingual Support Groups for Latine Youth
Thu, Mar 19
|Inter American University of Puerto Rico
Atención a la Juventud Centrada en la Cultura: Grupos de Apoyo Bilingües en Centros de Acogida para Jóvenes Latinos
Time & Location
Mar 19, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Inter American University of Puerto Rico, 100 C. Francisco Seín, San Juan, 00927, Puerto Rico
Summary
Presenter: Charo Mendoza, MSW, School Social Worker at Highland Park High School, IL. (Township High School District 113)
The Highland Park High School Drop-in Center offers a powerful model for aligning culturally-informed clinical practices with institutional policy to promote social justice for Latine youth. This workshop will provide practitioners with a practical blueprint for its most impactful component: bilingual and bicultural support groups.
We detail the mezzo-level cultural-informed integration of narrative therapy with the culturally significant practice of testimonio (collective witnessing). This methodology is proven effective for addressing common Latine youth stressors, including acculturation anxiety, intergenerational conflict, and identity formation. Attendees will learn specific, immediately applicable group facilitation techniques that prioritize cultural humility over clinical jargon, offering students a low-barrier, high-impact space for healing.
Crucially, the presentation will showcase the model’s macro-level impact. We demonstrate how social workers move beyond direct service by systematically collecting and using group utilization data to drive transformative…