Diversity Fellow Project, Katherine Suarez
Increasing Access to Youth Mental Health Awareness Training in Hispanic Communities in Georgia (Suarez)
Increasing Access to Youth Mental Health Awareness Training in Hispanic Communities in Georgia (279 K) Download
Project Narrative
1. Please describe your activities during your Fellowship experience. Describe your final capstone project(s).
My fellowship experience gave me the opportunity to work on various projects and gain a wealth of hands-on experience. I have been able to assist with the Latino Community of Practice, an initiative within the Center for Leadership in Disability, that allowed me to attend conferences to promote programs and resources to the professional and Spanish speaking community, assist in translating our Parent Academy curriculum to make the course accessible to Spanish speaking parents, assist with coordinating speakers and topics for the Adelante Autismo program held once a month for parents with children with Autism, and gave me insight into family and individual perspectives of those with an intellectual disability. Participating in this fellowship has broadened my views and taught me how important it is to make various types of resources available to a community that may have a language barrier that prevents them from accessing these resources.
For my capstone project, I was given the opportunity to become certified as a Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor in English and Spanish. This certification has allowed me to travel throughout Georgia to promote and teach the growing importance of seeing the signs of mental illness among youth. Through this experience, we have been able to bring a culturally inclusive curriculum to various Spanish speaking organizations and community members that work with or live with a youth.
2. Who did your project inform, help, influence or impact? (UCEDD, individual, community, state) How?
This project was brought to the Spanish speaking community to inform them of the importance of seeking help when mental illness or disorder presents itself. Views on mental illness/disorder in the Spanish speaking community can be ignored or overlooked, so this capstone was created to measure how well the information was received in the community and whether it was helpful.
3. Why did you choose to work on that project(s)?
When I heard about this project, I jumped at the chance to become involved because of my own personal experiences growing up with how mental illness was viewed. Growing up I had seen loved ones show signs of depression or anxiety and they never sought help or knew how to because of how they thought they would be perceived. This project hit close to home and I wanted to be involved in the process of bringing mental illnesses to light and showing the importance of learning the signs to better help those in distress.
4. What did you gain from being a Diversity Fellow?
My experience as a Diversity Fellow has taught me so many things that will stay with me after I finish the project. It taught me how so many groups are intertwined and how people have been able to use their voices to advocate for themselves or advocate for a loved one.
5. How will this experience impact your education or career decisions?
After I finish my fellowship, I know that everything I have learned at the CLD will stay with me in my future endeavors. I plan to continue working for underserved populations and use the knowledge I have gained to help bring accessibility to different communities.
6. What are your future goals? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
For my future goals, I would like to continue working in the health outreach field. My goals, since I began college, have been to work with Spanish speaking communities and figuring out what resources are needed to help the community thrive. I want to work in a health-related organization that allows me to continue working with diverse groups and supporting programs that help underserved communities.
7. What recommendations do you have for other fellows?
If you have a project that depends on community outreach it is important to be patient and sincere when waiting on responses. Being flexible on a team is also very important so that the project is able to move forward.