Monday, January 26, 2009

Challenges

I have to admit that, when I was trying to determine which of the three groups to start with, there was no contest. I was so impressed by the group of adolescents that participated in this project, I just can't wait to share their thoughts with you. I feel we should start at the beginning with the very first question we asked of the teens... what are the challenges that Latino teens are facing today?

It's no surprise that many of the problems mentioned are those commonly experienced during adolescence: peer pressure, school pressure, drugs, teen pregnancy and of course, parents. These answers, however, were rarely their first response. In nearly every place we went, their biggest challenge was related to their identity as Latinos. Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination were described as the root of many of the other problems they face such as gangs and violence, low self-esteem and lack of social networks, and its impact on their ability to succeed. These negative perceptions of Latinos were also very real to them at church.

There was a very interesting dynamic between the western and eastern United States. In the east, where there is a majority of 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Hispanics, youth ministry programs focused a great deal on providing pastoral care. The kids were very grateful and proud of their programs but they were also aware that there was a perception among some in their parish communities that they are "troubled" kids. They often felt uncomfortable and not welcome. In fact, some tried to avoid those situations by only participating in youth ministry activities and not going to mass.
USAMAP Pictures, Images and Photos
In the west, where a majority of Hispanics are recent immigrants, it was more about the lack of support received and the difficulty of developing relationships cross culturally, especially when you share different cultural values.

One thing that was common to all the Latino teens is that their parents don't understand them. They feel that their parents' understanding of what it is to be an adolescent and Mexican or Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian, Ecuadorian... is so far from their reality. They feel very misunderstood by their parents. And, not to give anything away, but they are. In a later blog I'll get into the parents' discussion. On the flip side, these teens have a keen understanding of their parents. They don't appreciate how parents use Catholicism as a form of discipline or the amount of pressure they receive to succeed. Yet, they understand that their parents may not be around as much because they have to work in order to provide a better life for them. They feel the impact but are also grateful for what their parents are doing for them. They want their parents to be happy. The challenge is balancing what their parents want for them with what they want for themselves. Isn't it always?

I'm going to stop here. Don't forget to check in next Tuesday. I'll be sharing with you the solutions that this wise group of Latino teens offered in order to overcome some these challenges. In the meantime, let me know what you think.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Catholic Latino Youth & Parents Project

In September 2008, Ken Johnson-Mondragon and I began the work of investigating the challenges that Catholic Latino families are facing in their daily lives and what we as a Church can do to help.

We began our journey in Washington state and held our last session this month in Orlando, FL.  In between these two trips, we visited California, Ohio, New York and Texas.  To get a 360ยบ view of the reality of Catholic Latinos, we met with Latino teens, parents of Latino teens and youth ministry leaders working with Latino youth.  A total of 135 individuals generously gave their time and openly shared their experiences with us.  I would like to thank all of the participants and the local coordinators for all of their help in making this project a success.

There's lots of work to be done now that we've gathered all of this information, one of which is sharing it with all of you. For the next few months, I will be posting my insights on some of the findings from the Catholic Latino Youth and Parents Project.  I welcome your comments on my reflections and on the challenges described by the project participants. Let us pray that together our voices will be heard and these challenges will soon be met so that Latinos families in the Catholic Church will continue to grow in faith, hope and love. Que asi sea...

Cruz Pictures, Images and Photos