Youth

Youth (1): Outside Responsibilities

Outside responsibilities, such as translating for family members and working, make it difficult for Latino youth to reach their full potential.

Outsiders' Views

Outsiders working within school and church-based programs often mentioned that Latino youth in Fuquay-Varina experience a double-burden of school and extracurricular responsibilities that exceed those of other students. One outsider stated, "…pressures arise because the Hispanic children have responsibilities that most kids don't have to face."

In addition to academic demands, Latino youth are often expected by parents and family members to help in situations when adults are either at work or unable to communicate in English. Such situations include assisting family members in a car purchase or helping to translate when a family member is in the hospital for illness or delivery of a child, either of which may result in time out of school or mental exhaustion while at school. While these situations may arise infrequently, daily demands on Latino youth include returning home from school and looking after younger siblings, preparing food, and/or helping parents fill out paperwork or pay bills.

The outsiders who perceive this double-burden are ultimately concerned about the implications of these responsibilities. Some implications include poor academic performance and fewer opportunities for youth to get involved in after-school activities with other classmates. These issues may create passive dissatisfaction among younger Latino youth and may contribute to the observed pattern of older Latino youth who drop out of school to pursue employment.

Insiders' Views

Community members did not directly identify extra responsibilities as a barrier to the ability of Latino youth to reach their full academic and personal potential. However, there was frequent mention of general youth dissatisfaction with school. This dissatisfaction was often attributed to miscommunication between teachers and students as a result of the language barrier. Other identified causes of discontent are a sense of rejection by Caucasian and African-American students and a lack of perceived benefits from a high school diploma.

The concerns about poor academic performance and dropping out of school mentioned by outsiders were shared by community members; however, they are viewed as the result of general dissatisfaction, not extra burdens. Community members often attempted to explain youth rationale for dropping out of school by stating that there is little academic future and few professional benefits that come from finishing high school. For example, an undocumented Latino youth who wishes to pursue a college degree must face a number of barriers, such as restrictions on admission, financial aid, and possible discrimination.

Insiders report that some Latino youth enter the workforce full-time before finishing high school and begin to supplement the family income. Many immigrant families have moved to the United States to improve their quality of life and oftentimes economic growth through employment is considered the most viable option. Additionally, one community member shared that "kids are here because their parents came and the parents are working, and they realize that there is a big disparity between what their parents have and what Anglos have." Leaving school and gaining an income through employment is one solution aimed at decreasing that disparity. This solution is not always approved by the parents, however. In general, Latina mothers desire for their children to complete school or pursue a higher education. Other relatives are more likely to be undecided about this issue, which possibly contributes to the confusion felt by Latino youth.

Comparison

A mismatch between outsiders and insiders appears to exist regarding the additional responsibilities of Latino youth. Part of this divergence of opinion may result from certain cultural differences. For example, in many Latin American countries, including Mexico, it is common for youth to take on additional roles within the household. This is seen less as a burden and more as helping out with communal or familial activities. However, in the United States, academics and school related activities often take priority over other activities. Outsiders may be more critical of additional responsibilities, yet unaware of the cultural norms. Latino parents are aware of the dissatisfaction of youth with school, but they tend to attribute the discontent to issues of assimilation to a new culture and language versus being tired from home responsibilities that might keep youth from fully applying themselves in the classroom.

Overall, both insiders and outsiders believe education should be a big priority. However, it was mentioned by some insiders that sometimes Latino male family members encourage older male youth to work instead of attending school to meet the more immediate need of financial stability. This may be appealing to youth who have not mastered English and might see more immediate benefits to working than going to school where they are having difficulties. With greater language support in the schools for students learning English as a second language, more interpreters and Spanish-speaking staff in healthcare settings and more forms written in Spanish, many latino youth would likely be spared some of their extra-curricular interpreting/translating responsibilities, perhaps leaving them with more energy for academics.

Youth (2): Communication Gap Between School/Parents/Students

Gaps in communication and understanding between schools and Latino parents and students make it difficult for Latino youth to reach their full potential.

Outsiders' Views

A second barrier noted by outsiders as preventing Latino youth from reaching their full potential is the inability of schools and Latino parents and students to communicate effectively. This often occurs in interactions between non-bilingual staff and Spanish-speaking only parents. One outsider, concerned that parents may not be fully informed of their child's performance, mentioned, "kids often interpret between parents and teachers. This is not a good idea." Another outsider shared that "there are not enough interpreters or communication between parents and teachers." Outsiders often speculated that Latino parents feel uninformed and frustrated with the process of trying to find out how their child is doing in school.

Some believe that schools are beginning to make efforts to better inform and respond to Spanish-speaking only Latino parents. One such effort involves Spanish-speaking teachers (often English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers) holding meetings to discuss testing requirements of students. One outsider mentioned that Latino parents have become more involved in PTA activities; however, many still face the language barrier during the meetings, and a lack of transportation keeps many more from attending.

Miscommunication is also problematic when played out between teacher and student. A school-based outsider mentioned that teachers often forget about the stages of language comprehension. The "silent stage" is a time when someone understands what is being said but feels unable to speak in response. Some Latino youth who are in the silent stage may be misunderstood or falsely accused; yet, their inability to speak limits their ability to defend themselves or communicate well with their teachers. Such miscommunication may cause Latino youth to become upset with teachers and may complicate the teacher-student relationship.

Insiders' Views

Insiders who are parents of school-aged children repeatedly mentioned that communication with the schools is extremely difficult and troublesome. The WCPSS Survey described in the Secondary Data section revealed that Latino parents are less informed about school activities and have much less contact with school staff, compared to other races. One mother shared a story in which she received a phone call while at work informing her that her son was in trouble at school. The school representative claimed that she spoke Spanish; however, the mother had a difficult time understanding, because the representative's Spanish-speaking ability was poor. The mother was left concerned and confused about her son's situation. It was later determined that the student was not at fault and that the incident had resulted from a miscommunication between student and teacher. This story represents two common problems perceived by community members. First, at a time when communication is crucial to resolve problems, parents express a feeling of powerlessness to discuss their child's situation in school. Second, Latino youth feel targeted and misunderstood by teachers and school staff, resulting from an inability to communicate.

Miscommunication is not only a concern in trouble situations. Latino parents feel hindered from participating in their child's education and monitoring his or her development, as a result of not being able to discuss their child's performance with teachers. Latino parents are frustrated by not being able to attend school conferences or "meet the teacher" night due to the language and transportation barriers. The lack of guidance and monitoring of a child's education may have potentially grave effects on the student's ability to reach his or her full potential.

Comparison

Outsiders and insiders, especially Latino parents of school-aged youth, seem to agree that the lack of communication between schools, parents and students poses a serious challenge. Interviews with both groups revealed a certain degree of despair and frustration from miscommunication. Latino youth, from their parents' perspective, are more sensitive to feeling targeted by teachers and staff than outsiders realize. The outsiders, however, are aware that miscommunication breeds misunderstanding, and some believe that schools are making efforts to improve communication with Latino students and parents.

Youth (3): Lack of Participation in After-School Programs and Recreational Activities

Not being able to participate in recreational or after-school activities makes it difficult for Latino youth to reach their full potential.

Outsiders' Views

The third barrier to Latino youth reaching their full potential relates to difficulties encountered when attempting to participate in after-school programs and recreational activities. Outsiders consistently mentioned that Latino youth are not represented in activities. Some outsiders are perplexed by this and do not understand the under-representation. Others have spoken with students and parents and identified a number of concrete barriers to participation such as transportation, language, and cost. With regard to transportation, one outsider mentioned, "If the parents can not pick them up, then the kids can not participate." The language barrier is evident in the statement: "Often parents will bring in the applications for sports activities to the ESL teacher, so that she/he can help complete them." Finally, in terms of cost, an outsider said, "Latino children love soccer but don't have an organized program…cost is an issue." Some outsiders also mentioned that it may be difficult for Latino parents to trust program staff with their children if they are unfamiliar with the staff and cannot communicate well with them due to a language barrier.

Academic programs like after-school tutorials are requested of service providers by Latino parents because parents often have difficulty helping their kids with homework written in English. Unfortunately, such programs are only available to children whose parents can pick them up, thereby seriously minimizing Latino participation.

Outsiders are aware of a number of programs offered to youth, some of which are free or low-cost and arrange transportation for the youth from school to the activity site. Such programs are offered by the Fuquay Youth Initiative, Pine Acres Community Center, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Fuquay-Varina Athletic Association. All of these organizations mentioned that they would like for Latino youth participation to increase; in addition, some have materials in Spanish or Spanish-speaking volunteers. None, however, have full-time bilingual staff or provide transportation afterward. It is perhaps for these reasons that the programs have experienced limited success through their efforts to recruit more Latino youth into their programs.

Insiders' Views

Insiders' views differ regarding the availability and accessibility of after-school and recreational activities for youth. Interviews revealed a lack of awareness among insiders of organized youth programs such as after-school tutorials and athletic teams. On the other hand, informal and less-structured activities, especially impromptu sports, were often mentioned. Some believe that these informal activities are available for young people, and one insider claims, "There are opportunities to play baseball, tennis, volleyball and basketball." However, other community members perceive a lack of activities. One insider proclaims, "There aren't any parks where we can play soccer. There isn't much in general for Hispanics."

Comparison

The most striking and apparent difference between outsiders and insiders regarding after-school activities and recreation for Latino youth is the degree to which outsiders are aware of a variety of opportunities, while insiders seem uninformed and therefore unaware of these opportunities. Interestingly, outsiders, many of whom are providing after school activities and seeking Latino participation, may not communicate these activities effectively to Latino parents and youth. Another possibility is that some Latino parents know about the activities, yet due to transportation, language, and cost barriers, they fail to see these programs as truly accessible. As a result, Latino youth tend to participate in unstructured activities, mainly sports, with other Latinos. These activities are often short-term, inconsistent and do not provide as developmentally solid an environment as perhaps more established activities do. They also tend to perpetuate situations in which Latino youth only interact with each other and therefore have limited exposure and engagement with youth of different cultures and races.

Housing

Language and Culture