“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to viewpoints@wchl.com.
Nurturing Relationships With Latinx Students and Families
A perspective from April Crider
Research shows that students who don’t complete high school are more likely to be “unemployed, earn lower salaries, and become involved in the criminal justice system”. Last year in North Carolina, 28% of students who dropped out of high school were Hispanic/Latino/Latinx, yet they make up less than 20% of the population in our schools. Our local Juntos program is working to change this. For the third year in a row, 100% of our participating students have graduated high school and many go on to pursue higher education.
Juntos works to engage students and their families, both in and out of school to ensure they feel supported as they look towards higher education. Our program serves between 15 and 22 students a year by offering one-on-one success coaching, mentorship, and family engagement opportunities. Helping develop the relationships between families and students as they progress through high school and begin their road to post secondary education — and their future — has been really rewarding in my role as a Juntos Coordinator. I love all the relationships that I have developed with the Latinx community in Carrboro.
Orange County is in good company with seven other counties across the state with an established Juntos program. This summer, NC State University is hosting Juntos’ annual Summer Academy, and three of our local students will attend. At the academy, students will work with others across the state and be immersed in education and possibility. And, most importantly, they’ll bring that experience back to our community. To donate and learn more about Juntos visit https://juntos.dasa.ncsu.edu/donate/.
– April Crider, School Social Worker and Carrboro High School Juntos Coordinator
(featured image via juntos.dasa.ncsu.edu)
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
