As the new school year settles and kids meet new friends, I think about what a sense of belonging can bring to a youth’s life. Being a kid is hard - you’re learning about the world, what you like and dislike, and who you are becoming. These new experiences can become overwhelming if you don’t have a strong support system to guide you through these stages.
At CASA OC, we believe in the importance of belonging. When children are removed from their families of origin, they can lose that sense of belonging, which can lead to a stunt in identity development. This is why our organization needs to recruit volunteers who mirror the demographics of the youth we serve, ensuring that every recommendation our volunteers make to the court considers the youth's identity.
September 15th kicks off the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15th. While recognizing this month, we would be remiss if we did not highlight the need for more Latinx and Spanish-speaking volunteers within our program. 60% of the youth we serve are Hispanic, while only 12% of our volunteers are. We also know that we have an increasing number of youth entering care who have not yet been removed from their families of origin. We have a unique opportunity to support the needs of our Hispanic youth in care and their families so we can preserve the family unit and not add more trauma to the youth's lives.
Becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Orange County provides the opportunity to directly impact your community. Not only is it important for our youth to have a CASA who looks like them and understands their cultural and familial dynamics, they can also bring a sense of cultural humility to the advocacy happening in the courtroom. Being Spanish-speaking in this role can drastically impact practical outcomes when accessing services for our Hispanic youth and their families.
I am proud to lead CASA OC's Diversity Committee, which aims to recruit volunteers that mirror the demographics of the youth we serve. Here are some ways you can help our efforts:
Host an information session: Are you part of a group that would like to learn more about CASA? You can invite our team to present to your group or place of work and help us spread the word about our mission.
Tell a friend: About 40% of the people who attend information sessions learn about our program through a friend. If you know someone who might be a great Advocate, tell them about CASA OC!
Make a post on social media: Social media is a great way to let your network know about what matters to you. Please consider sharing our posts on social media - someone in your network might be ready to take the next step.
Our youth deserve to have a sense of belonging and feel seen, heard, and appreciated exactly for who they are. If you are ready to take the next step to amplify a youth's voice, I invite you to attend an information session and learn more about how you can help your community.
With gratitude,
Norma Mendoza (she, her, ella)
Volunteer Recruitment and DEIB Manager | Diversity Committee Lead
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