Reciprocal Mentorship in a Community-Based Program: Fostering Community Cultural Wealth of Latino Students and Families

• In Event: Intentional and Reciprocal Partnerships: Building Networks Between Schools and Communities

Abstract

This case study examines the reciprocal mentoring experiences of participants in Hogar Digital (HD), a community-based program serving immigrant Latino families with school-aged children. University students who served as volunteers in HD shared their technology and college knowledge and grew in leadership skills. Simultaneously, they found a sense of home and familial and cultural support and belonging from their relationships with parents and K-12 aged children. HD fostered familial and aspirational capital and honored, and validated knowledge possessed by Latino university students, families, and community members as they supported one another. Study findings can inform educational leaders seeking to reimagine educational spaces through developing meaningful partnerships between higher education institutions, the K-12 system, and community in mutually beneficial ways.

Authors

• Elizabeth Gil, Fordham Graduate School of Education

• Ceceilia Parnther, St. John's University