The Impact of the Juntos Program: A Qualitative Evaluation

Abstract

The Juntos Program empowers Latina/o students and their families to gain the knowledge and resources necessary for academic success in high school and college. This is made possible via four interlinking components: Family Engagement; 4-H Clubs; Success Coaching and Mentoring; and a Juntos Summer Academy. Nineteen focus groups with participants in the Juntos Program (61 parent and 24 youth) revealed improvement in five core areas: aspirations, interpersonal communication, leadership skills, technical skills, and family engagement. Seven ripple maps were created by groups of participating parents demonstrating that parents understand the various components of the program and the ways it helps their youth. Various programmatic and research-related implications emerged that can be used to impact work with Latina/o parents and youth.