STEP 2: CREATING A SHARED VISION FOR SUSTAINING THE WORK
The most successful Juntos efforts are those that have goals in common with the people they serve, so not every Juntos program will — or should — have the same vision for sustaining the work. The needs of the Latinx students and families in a particular community should shape what their Juntos leaders are doing with the program. Many of those needs will be evident in data available from agencies and organizations that are monitoring and analyzing such things as educational access and outcomes among Hispanics. The
sustainability guide walks Juntos leaders through the kinds of data available as well as through questions they should be asking themselves about their current and future participants.
Hope Derry
”One of the assets of the Juntos program in our county is the Juntos elective at Tar Heel Middle School. I decided I wanted to develop the course so that I could meet with our Juntos students every day. Once I aligned the curriculum with North Carolina state standards, I was able to meet with and receive support from school administrators. Our program strives to overcome as many barriers to participation as possible — and we have had several tactics for doing that. In the past, our 4H office and club members have been able to help with childcare during workshop sessions. We have also tried to accommodate students who do not drive yet by providing busses to attend after-school club events. And in general, we try to schedule workshop times that are conducive to our families' various work schedules. ”
STEP 3: ASSESSING THE CURRENT STATE OF JUNTOS IN A PARTICULAR CONTEXT
Knowing the strengths and assets of an existing Juntos program is key to creating a viable sustainability plan. In step three, the guide explains the importance of evaluating current funding and partners in order to know where the gaps are. This is also the step in which a Juntos team should determine if there are similar programs in the community — programs that might provide opportunities to build strength and resources through partnerships.
TIPS FROM THE FIELD
STEP 4: BUILDING A FLEXIBLE STRATEGIC PLAN
The work in steps one, two, and three informs the work in step four: creating a strategy, with measurable objectives, for ensuring the success of Juntos. This part of the
sustainability guide is packed with methods and materials to help Juntos teams set priorities, determine focused goals and tactics, establish a budget, and write a realistic flexible action plan that will keep the strategic plan from gathering dust in a drawer. Flexibility in the COVID-19 era is particularly important, as trends like “the Great Resignation” can affect such things as sustainability committee membership and other partnerships.
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