Discussion Boards

Projects

The RAICES/Promotoras Project: Culturally Competent Research on Children's Mental Health with Latino Communities

About the Webcast

The presenters will describe the RAICES/Promotoras Project at the University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, in Tampa. The RAICES project was funded by NIDRR to develop a training curriculum that integrates the "promotora" outreach model with the local school-based case management program. Promotoras are community members who use their knowledge of local resources and their neighborhood's health and social issues to promote healthy living and help community residents access needed health and social services. Promotoras often work as cultural brokers by helping providers better understand targeted Latino communities.

The RAICES project targets at-risk limited English speaking and Spanish monolingual Latino children or those with serious emotional disturbance enrolled in grades K-5. Very often, such children and their families fail to link with available services because of language, cultural and other barriers. "RAICES," which stands for Resources, Advocacy, Integration, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Services, means "roots" in Spanish and symbolizes building healthy school and family ties upon the foundations present within the family and community.