Cultural and Linguistic Opportunities

We’ve all seen the headlines about New Mexico being at the bottom of the child wellbeing list in the United States.  Despite every financial investment, every hour of professional and volunteer time devoted to supporting children and families, we seem to still be in the same place.  Why do you believe this to be true?  What is your role in participating in the work that can generate more positive results for the communities we serve?  What role do you think greater cultural and linguistic humility will play in our quest to create better outcomes and generate new headlines?  If you’d like to know more and you’re ready to engage in a courageous conversation and critical analysis of our personal and professional responsibility for creating a vibrant community where all of our children and families thrive, please attend this 3 hour training offered by the New Mexico Black Leadership Council. The training will include specific assessments and experiential analysis related to understanding cultural and linguistic humility and how it applies to our role as behavioral health professionals.

New Mexico is a “majority- minority” state, meaning more than half the population self-identifies as what is considered a minority in the United States. Yet, the same unequitable health outcomes and systemic racism exists for minority populations in New Mexico as nationwide, meaning that more than half the people in the state have been historically excluded from equal opportunities to meet their full potential through equal access and fair treatment of services that have been set up to serve them.

In this 4- hour workshop, participants will learn why culturally, and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) are needed, what the CLAS standards are, common barriers, and implementation strategies within complex systems.

This is an introduction course to set the stage for this challenging yet rewarding work. There is no quick fix to end the hundreds of years of systemic racism that has caused the dire need to teach and prioritize cultural humility, and the success of this effort will depend on leadership’s commitment to make this work a priority in the organization’s strategic planning.