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What is Cultural Brokering?

The Cultural Brokering framework has anthropological roots and is defined by nursing scholar Mary Ann Jezewski, as, "The act of bridging, linking or mediating between groups or persons of differing cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change." Jezewski was the first scholar to explore and describe how the process of cultural brokering rendered positive outcomes in linking migrant farm workers with local health care services (Jezewski, 1990). 


 

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Why is cultural Brokering important In
schools?

Through migration, refugee and unaccompanied minors are
stripped of important relationships as they navigate unfamiliar social contexts, including schools. School social workers and other mental health professionals serve as ideal cultural brokers.

CB & Cultural Humility

Cultural Brokering begins with Cultural Humility

Dr. Leticia Villarreal Sosa discusses the importance of cultural humility in school social work with immigrant youth. 

What research tells us about Cultural Brokering in Social Work

CB Research

Lindsay and colleagues (2014) examined the role of social workers as cultural brokers in pediatric rehabilitation facilities and the impact on providing care for immigrant families with a child who has a physical disability.

The study highlighted the importance of social workers utilizing a cultural brokerage framework that incorporates three key requirements:

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Self-Awareness

Cultural Brokering begins with reflexivity, which includes self-reflection/self-awareness, openness to knowledge, and widening perspectives for understanding social problems in order to challenge implicit biases, assumptions, privilege, and social location. 

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Understanding

It is imperative to develop an understanding of the people we serve, their experiences, worldview, identities, cultural values, norms, and beliefs. Social workers must understand that the people we serve are the experts in their lives and we should learn from them. 

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Making Connections

Cultural Brokering involves connecting people and strengthening existing connections to the many contexts within their ecological system. 

What research tells us about Cultural Brokering in SCHOOLS

Yohani (2013) explored the roles of educational cultural brokers in Canadian schools who work with refugee children and families. The educational cultural brokers in the study were from the same cultural, ethnic, and racial community as the students, and were hired to serve as paraprofessionals and liaisons between the student, families, school, and community. Through interviews with eight cultural brokers, the study produced a working definition of cultural brokers as community representatives who provide a welcoming environment for newcomer children and their families.

These cultural brokers perform the following tasks:

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Micro-Level Tasks

Assisting children’s adaptation through direct contact with families, school personnel, and community.

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Macro-Level Tasks

Advocacy

and

Raising Awareness

CB Framework & SSW
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Applying the Cultural Brokering Framework  with immigrant youth in Schools

Cultural Brokering with immigrant youth involves making connections and strengthening already existing relationships between the student and their family, peers, school, and community. It also entails connecting students to resources and supports that can alleviate the resettlement and acculturative stressors. Advocacy is also an important component to cultural brokering as it brings awareness and accountability to school districts in providing a more equitable and anti-oppressive school environment for immigrant youth, especially undocumented and unaccompanied students.

 

Hover over the student and group below to learn examples of connections that can be made through cultural brokering. 

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Family

  • Engage with the family, build trust, and establish safety. Use cultural humility to learn more about the family and their history. 

  • Include family in counseling if possible

  • Involve the assistance of Interpreters and/or community/faith/religious leaders

  • Connect the family to resources and community support.  

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Student

 

 

  • Go to where the students are! This means creating a partnership with teachers to enter the classroom space and introduce yourselves to students and the work that you do. It is important to establish trust, safety, and empathy. 

  • When meeting with an immigrant student for individual and/or group counseling, use cultural humility to learn from the student and their experiences. Learn more about their migratory story and assess for trauma, grief and loss. Conduct a needs assessment to determine which resettlement stressors the student is experiencing and how to best address them. 

 

 

Community

  • CONNECT students and their Families to Community Resources

  • CONNECT students and their families to Community and/or Faith/Religious Leaders/Elders

  • CONNECT to Cultural/Religious Centers and/or agencies that provide cultural and linguistic support/services

  • ADVOCATE in the community for culturally responsive services developed specifically for meeting the needs of unaccompanied minors and their families.

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School

  • Connect students and their families with school staff. Introduce them to administration, teachers, counselors, librarians, custodians, security guards, lunch aides, and other school personnel. 

  • Connect to in-school resources: Tutoring, School-Based mental health services. 

  • Raise awareness: host school events and activities that celebrate the diverse ethnicities/cultures represented at the school and community.

  • Advocate for the equity of unaccompanied youth in schools.

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Community

  • Connect students and their families to community resources

  • Connect students and their families to community and/or faith/religious leaders/elders

  • Connect to cultural/religious centers and/or agencies that provide cultural and linguistic support/services

  • Advocate in the community for culturally responsive services developed specifically for meeting the needs of unaccompanied minors and their families.

Image by Papaioannou Kostas

Peers

  • CONNECT to sports, clubs/activities where they can meet peers with similar interests.

  • CREATE opportunities for peer connections; for example, student clubs or groups where peer mentorship can be provided to immigrant youth who have just arrived to the country. 

  • CONNECT Students and their families with School Staff. Introduce them to Administration, Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Custodians, Security Guards, Lunch Personnel, etc.

  • CONNECT TO IN-SCHOOL RESOURCES (Tutoring, School-Based Mental Health Services)

  • RAISE AWARENESS: Host school events and activities that celebrate the diverse ethnicities/cultures represented at the school and community.

  • ADVOCATE for the equity of unaccompanied minors in schools.

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Conexiones: Brokering Connections with Unaccompanied Immigrant Adolescents in Secondary Schools

written and published by
Stephanie Cedeño, LCSW

click to read the full text  

Cedeño, S. M. (2021). Conexiones: Brokering Connections with Unaccompanied Immigrant Adolescents in Secondary Schools. School Social Work Journal, 45(2), 1-20.

To request an in-person or virtual professional development workshop in your school district or agency on cultural brokering in schools with immigrant youth or other related topics, please fill out this form with your inquiry:

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