Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has received $10,000 from GreenState Credit Union to help support implementation of "¡Salir Adelante!" in 10 Iowa communities over the next two years. The new, culturally tailored, research-based and evidence-informed curriculum promotes career and college readiness among Latinx youth and their families.
"We appreciate GreenState Credit Union's generosity. Each community selected to participate will receive $1,000 to pay for child care, food, supplies and honoraria for volunteers to facilitate Salir Adelante locally," said Kimberly Greder, a professor in human development and family studies and a family wellbeing extension state specialist.
GreenState Credit Union's mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves. The credit union supports many events and programs.
Interested communities applied in May and six were selected for the first round of funding, July 2022 through June 2023: Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Perry, Storm Lake, Marshall County and Washington County.
Four more communities will be selected for the second round of funding, January-December 2023. Applications are due Nov. 15 and will be awarded by Dec. 31.
ISU Extension and Outreach delivers "¡Salir Adelante! Caminos a Nuestro Futuro (Pathways for Our Future)" in partnership with community-based organizations and volunteers. The curriculum affirms and builds upon knowledge, experiences and strengths of Latinx families, and connects them to information and resources to reach their goals.
Through previous community-based research and extension programming with Latinx families, Greder and her colleagues learned strategies to specifically address the interests of Latinx families and effectively engage them in educational programming.
"The Salir Adelante curriculum was informed by direct research with Latinx families in Iowa. We conducted individual and focus group interviews with fathers, mothers and youth, and surveyed over 1,000 Latinx youth and parents who had previously participated in extension education," Greder said.
"When Latinx families in Iowa talk about education and their hopes for their children's future, they often say 'salir adelante' to describe moving forward to reach goals. That's why we chose this Spanish phrase as the name for this curriculum," Greder said.
ISU Extension and Outreach trains teams of extension educators and community partners to facilitate Salir Adelante locally. Thirty extension educators and 55 community partners from 15 Iowa communities already have been trained. The next Salir Adelante facilitator training is set for Sept. 8-9 in Cedar Rapids at the ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County office.
Anyone interested in bringing the program to Latinx families in their community may contact Greder at kgreder@iastate.edu or Rosa Gonzalez, human sciences specialist in family wellbeing, at rdegonza@iastate.edu, for more information.
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