Greene says that Juntos — which originated at North Carolina State University (NCSU) — is already having a positive effect on the engagement levels of his school’s Hispanic population — which in turn has had a positive effect on him: “This is my favorite work,” he says. “I put down other stuff to work on this.” That kind of dedication is one of the keys to keeping a Juntos program strong. Doctor Greene — who was named North Carol ina’s principal of the year in 2022 and wrote about his Juntos program in his dissertation — sees Juntos as a long- term solution to, not a short-term bandage for, the challenges Hispanic students face. His vision for his Latinx students is what is sustaining and strengthening Greene County Juntos. Based on the work of educators like Greene as well as on the experiences of Juntos coordinators around the country and on best practices in strategic and sustainability planning, the NCSU Juntos development team has created a sustainability guide for communities implementing Juntos. The guide, which is available from the NCSU Juntos office, recommends a five-step process for creating more sustainable Juntos programs. Here is an overview of the guide, along with tips for creating Juntos programs that will last, from four North Carolina Juntos champions, Patrick Greene, along with Holly Ellwanger, Juntos coordinator from Catawba County; Genevieve (Genny) Merlos-Pulley, Juntos coordinator from Sampson Early College High School in Clinton; and Hope Derry, Juntos coordinator and migrant education teacher for Bladen County.
Holly Ellwanger
“Creating a sustainability
committee has to be an evolving process. We’ve had a Juntos program in Catawba for almost seven years and we had done a lot of work to build a broad support network — through the community college, Extension, and the school system. And within one six-month period, we lost several points of connection because people left their positions. So we had to rebuild our committee — and we focused on building the relationship with the organization, not just a person. You need to have deeper roots in your partner organizations.”
TIPS FROM THE FIELD
Dr. Patrick Greene
“One of the things I didn’t expect was
to find a group of community partners who were willing to donate things like food for our Juntos family dinners — and expect nothing in return. They believe in what we're doing because they see it as a really cost-effective solution to the dropout problem among Hispanic students. If you can promote the economic value as well as the social value of the program, I think you’re more likely to get broader support from partners.”
STEP 1: IDENTIFYING SUSTAINERS AND FORMING A SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
In this step, Juntos coordinators, with the support of Extension educators, assemble a group of people who are in a position (because of personal or professional resources and influence) to help develop in-kind support, advocacy, and actual dollars for Juntos. The guide provides strategies for choosing the right members for this committee (from local employers to educators to individual donors and foundations) and how to ask them to participate and keep them engaged.
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