Employing Strategies for Community and Parent Engagement Facilitated by Dr. Tedla Giorgis

Program Overview School officials and other community advocates recognized that mental health problems of immigrant and refugee youth were interfering with their ability to learn and form positive peer relationships. The Explorer’s Program was designed to meet the unique mental health needs of immigrant and refugee youth.

The Explorer’s Program delivers services in a variety of ways to its participants and their families, using the Narrative Therapy Model. Weekly Individual Sessions Weekly Small Group Sessions Daily Youth Skills Coaching Daily Cultural Mentoring Monthly Home Visits

Explorer’s staff will provide evidence-based, culturally appropriate therapeutic services and supports to refugee and immigrant children and their families. Explorer’s staff will promote positive social interactions among Explorer's participants and their peers. Parents of Explorer’s participants will be involved in the progress their children are making and participate in school events. Project Goals

Target Community This program was initially developed to serve Bosnian, Sudanese, Liberian, and Somali immigrants and refugees in grades 3,4, and 5. We have expanded to serve immigrant and refugee children in grades K-6 from several countries, including those initially targeted as well as: Egypt, Rwanda, Guinea, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Germany, Kenya, Bhutan, Sierra Leone, Burundi, China, Congo, and Native American

Strategies to Engage Parents in Development, Implementation, and Evaluation We maintain non-threatening language, and present parents with 6 focus areas: Discover Strengths Develop Goals Build RelationshipsFace Challenges Recognize Moral Character Honor Personal and Family History

Strategies to Engage Parents in Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (continued) We avoid “mental health” terms and focus on “social and emotional skills.” We have adapted our treatment plans and many other forms to use simple language. We have developed relationships with interpreters. We have hired a Cultural Mentor. We conduct regular home visits, and share victories as well as struggles, using progress notes.

Strategies to Engage Parents in Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (continued) Face-to-face notification of school events. Facilitate parents coming to school events. We allow flexibility within the therapeutic relationship – removing the “expert stance;” social gatherings during non-school days; relaxed, personal home visits. Gaining an understanding of various cultural backgrounds. Surveys to parents, staff, and students.

Strategies to Engage Community Partners in Development, Implementation, and Evaluation We join the collaborative efforts of other agencies serving the same population: MPTA, Inter-Agency Network for New Americans We include services (Coach and Cultural Mentor) that directly support two primary partners (school and CHARISM) We participate in local trainings and events put on by our community partners: Building Bridges Conference, Multi-Cultural Picnic, Pangea, etc

Strategies to Engage Community Partners in Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (continued) We provide trainings to our partners, through the use of other partners (August school staff training) Regular partner meetings (average every 2 months) Regular contact with teachers and school staff to recognize growth and struggles Positive community response is a great indicator of positive program evaluation: being invited into Discovery Middle School, expanding from 20 participants in year 1 to 40 in year 2; gaining school referrals and sibling referrals, etc.

What Facilitates Collaboration Building relationships of trust Informal relationship building Directly addressing the needs of the partners (mentoring at CHARISM, skills coaching on the playground at school) Our Youth Skills Coach and our Cultural Mentor focus greatly on diffusing situations as they arise, so the need for traditional discipline has diminished. This decreases the negative interactions between staff and student as well as between school and home, thus creating a more positive and welcoming environment for all parties.

What Hinders Collaboration “Turf wars” between different partners who had pre- existing difficult relationships. Differing beliefs about the role of mental health and the proper setting for these services Differing beliefs about the need for integration versus targeted programming Differing beliefs about what “mental health” issues are across various subcultures

Closing Comments or Questions