Cultural Immersion

Nichole D.
Riley
AHS 8100

The culture I have chosen for my cultural immersion paper is the Latino population.
Although they only represent one percent of the riverside community residents, they
attend in larger numbers for the Kingswood Community Center agency services. Some
of the services they take advantage of are the crisis alleviation, childcare, and the food
bank.
The Latino culture is known for its rich history, traditions, and religion. Their
presence in the United States of America dates back hundreds of years. Hispanics
were amongst the first to settle in the Southwestern territory after the Mexican-American
war. This took place after treaty of Guadalupe Hildago was signed to end the war in
1848.
Included in that treaty of Guadalupe Hildago was an agreement for the United States
to pay Mexico 18.2 million dollars. In addition to that, a new international boundary was
drawn in California because of the treaty. The new boundary and treaty granted many
Hispanics citizenship in California. They were also given voting rights as a result of the
Agreement.
The immersion of Hispanics took place during the gold rush in California mines. The
population was predominantly made up of Hispanics. Until word got out and pushed the
settlers out of California. They were essentially outnumbered. And different tactics
such as threats and acts of violence were used to displace them. Between 1848 and
1860, at least 163 Mexicans were lynched in California alone (Wikipedia, 2014).
Demographically, of the 308,745,538 people in the United States of
America 50,477,594 are Hispanic (Census, 2010). In the state of Delaware the
population is 73,221. Which is third most populous race Delaware behind the White

and African American population. Most (47,156) reside right here in the New Castle
County (E. Simon, 2013).
Hispanics are 21.7% below the poverty status compared to the average of 11.2% of
the Delaware population. There are many attributing factors such as occupation and
educational level. Many Hispanics are in construction and service type jobs. And
61.4% have a high school level education. That places the Hispanic median income
level 22% below the state of Delaware average. Statistically, 1 in 5 Hispanics live in
poverty (E.Simon, 2013).
Hispanic culture is heavily influenced by the early Romans. They also have some
influence from the Latin. Especially as it relates to their Spanish Language. The
religious beliefs and cultural traditions of the Hispanic are derived from those of the
Roman Catholicism.
Hispanic traditions and religious beliefs were well represented in the movie I
watched. The movie I watched was Real Women Have Curves directed by Patricia
Cordoso. She did a great job depicting the Hispanic household. The major theme was
about the family unit staying together. Traditionally, the Hispanic family is very
close. And they are known to be highly supportive of each other.
In the movie the Hispanic family was portrayed as having dinner together every
night. They also seemed to make all decisions together as a family. Also, households
are typically multi-generational. Which are usually run by a patriarch.
The women in household typically had traditional roles. They took care of all the
domestic duties such as cooking and cleaning. The stronghold of this tradition showed
once the daughter wanted to do something different than work in the factory. She was

met by a lot of resistance from her mother. This spoke to the educational level of the
Hispanic population. Because of family expectations to remain a family unit many
Hispanics dont continue past high school.
In addition to that, Hispanic household are typically very religious. The movie
portrayed the mother to be devoutly religious. From praying to and believing in statues.
To having her own traditional beliefs about dating and marrying. Unfortunately, the
younger generation seemed to be losing the Hispanic traditions and ways.
My direct immersion experience I chose was a night of Salsa. Although I have
attended many times I believe my first experience is best suited for this assignment. I
first attended a social about two years ago. That was my first lesson the fact that it
was called a social and not a party.
When I arrived to salsa I realized why it was called a social. Everyone there
socialized with everyone. Even if you were a new face. Hispanic women will even bring
their husbands over to you if you look out of place. They want you to be a part of the
celebration. And the men will take their time to teach you how to salsa. The Hispanic
culture truly embraces everyone like family.
One of the norms that stood out most to me was the dance floor etiquette. At
traditional parties we eyeball each other to look for a sign of interest. Then build up the
nerve to ask someone to dance. At a social all the formalities go out the window. No
one has to know your name. Nor do you have to look a certain way or be attractive to
Hispanic men to be asked to dance. The process was rather simple. When you are
ready to dance you stand at the edge of the floor. That signals to the men that you are
ready to dance.

In addition to that, the entire dance routine is led by men. Which is the same of the
Hispanic head of household. I have to admit I am such a leader that it was hard to fall
back and allow the men to lead me initially. I laughed because it made me think of how
I am in life.
This experience was the beginning of me wanting to know more about the Hispanic
culture. And I did this by placing myself in many different learning experiences such as
cookouts and travel to San Juan Puerto Rico. It has also started my process of
Hispanization. Which I am certain will help me as I assume my role in Human Services.
Hispanization is the process by which a place or a person absorbs characteristics
of Hispanic society and culture. Modern Hispanization of a place, namely in the United
States, might be illustrated by Spanish-language media and businesses. Hispanization
of a person might be illustrated by speaking Spanish, making and eating Hispanic
American food, listening to Spanish language music or participating in Hispanic festivals
and holidays - Hispanization of those outside the Hispanic community as opposed to
assimilation of Hispanics into theirs (Wikipedia, 2014).
Summary and Synthesis
I have always been fascinated with the Hispanic culture. From the music to the
traditions. This project allowed me to appreciate them much more. Especially since I
now know a lot more history of the Hispanic culture. The research and movie gave me
a more in depth look at the family unit. And how tightly traditions are held on to. I look
forward to learning more about other cultures as a result of the project. I believe it will
allow me to be a more effective Human Services provider.
Assessing the field Work Agency

Name of the Agency: Kingswood Community Center

Address of the Agency: 2300 Bowers street Wilmington, DE 19802
Agencys Community-Riverside
The community surrounding my agency is very intimidating. Even for myself despite
the fact that I grew up blocks away from Riverside. It is comprised primarily of low
income African Americans. The socio-economic stability is troubling. Drug use and
unemployment rates are at an all-time high. In addition to that, the crime rate is
consistently high. Even the police department falls short in effectively policing this area.
So I definitely feel like the agencys placement is a hindrance to clients needing
assistance.
There are plenty of variety, liquor, fast food, and convenience stores in the Riverside
Community. The grocery stores are about a mile away. There are also plenty of Dollar
Stores accessible to the community. Banks and Corporate facilities dont exist in the
immediate area.
*See attached document A
Access
Fortunately, Kingswood community center is accessible to all areas it services. Its
located along a main corridor which is Governor Printz. And its easily accessible
utilizing public transportation. In addition to that Wilmington is not very big.
*See attached document B
Receptivity
As I walk through the front doors of the agency I do not feel like it is reflective of
myself. All of the dcor is dated. The sitting area is uncomfortable with its

offering of old chairs. There is one positive note about the lobby and that is the
brochures that are available.

On the other hand the noise level can be rather high. The kids for the after
school and teen program run back and forth in the hallways all evening. Also, there are
so many programs run simultaneously that Kingswood mimics utter chaos.
Administration and Staff Training
Everyone at Kingswood Community Center is expected to attend cultural diversity
training. The training does not focus on one population rather many. Staff is generally
taught to be sensitive to the beliefs of others. The cultural diversity training is executed
monthly.
The agency does employee members of the population both as professional and
Staff. It has advantages such as someone to relate to clients. The advantages are
when outsiders want to take advantage of the programs offered by Kingswood. They
are typically in a position where communication and interaction can be challenging. And
Ive run into the same issue as a staff person.
Funding
To date none of the new funding allows for hire practices or training. Guidelines are
specific to implementing programs for clients. There does seem to be flexibility allowed
for educational tools that my vary culturally.
Staff Sensitivity
My experience at Kingswood has shown me that the staff is very culturally sensitive.

This sensitivity applies to all types of client populations. The agency deals with poverty,
Lack of education, anger, seniors, mental illness, and etc. They are very consistent in
the way the communicate to challenging populations. Always respectful and courteous
in their delivery to clients.
Agency Programs and Services
Effort
Outside of the Board of Directors the agency has no outside input on the programs
being implemented. When the agency reaches out to the community its usually to let
them know a program is already in place. And implementation proceeds without
external input. There are no members of our population on committees within the
agency that formulate and design programs.
Quality
The programs and services offered by Kingswood are initially evaluated by looking at
other inner city agencies that service the same population. Mr. Powell looked at how
effective the programs were at partner agencies and decided to implement them. He
believed in working smart not hard. So he constantly implemented what was already
working. Although he did implement new programs from time to time.
The clients think the community center is in the best shape its has ever been in.
They credit the recent change to Mr. Powell coming on board. The community also
feels like they have many more opportunities to be interactive. The sad fact is the
children have this facility as their only means of a place to come together for fun,
education, trips, and games.
Effectiveness

Since the city of Wilmington does not offer a lot by way of entertainment and
recreation the Kingswood is a welcomed facility. The services that are offered are
definitely over utilized by the community. The agency runs out of space and money by
fiscal years end. Also, many of the programs are court mandated in order for clients to
continue to receive public assistance. From everyone I have encountered I can tell
clients are very happy with the programs that are being offered.
In retrospect, I see one critical area of need not being met. Mainly because
Kingswood is not a medical facility. But counseling and drug rehabilitation services are
badly needed. The Riverside community has a terrible socio-economic status.

Efficiency
The Kingswood Community center does a great job of coordinating with other
services to address the needs of the clients. Mr. Powell worked on partnerships
constantly. There are systems in place at Kingswood that allows the staff to refer client
out to other agency if they cannot help them. Some of the agencies referral sources are
for crisis alleviation, education, healthcare, and housing. Some of the resources are the
grants New Castle County school districts, United Way, and Delmarva Power and Light.

NASW Standards for Cultural Competence

The standard I have selected for review was:
Standard 7. Diverse Workforce
Social workers shall support and advocate for recruitment, admissions and hiring, and
retention efforts in social work programs and agencies that ensure diversity within the
profession.

Agency: Kingswood Community Service

Programs and Services: Senior Center, Teen program, Early learning center, and Crisis
Alleviation
During my internship at Kingswood I could not see any Hispanic diversity in the
programs themselves. The only diversity came from the staff-persons delivery of the
program.
Personal Cultural Competencies
Personally, I have learned so much about the population I serve and my chosen
population for this assignment. By increasing my knowledgebase I feel like I will be a
much more effective Human Services provider.

Final Thoughts
This course was a blessing. I will walk away a much more knowledgeable Human
Services provider. As well as a more confident one. I always assumed through the
interview process I would be able to gather enough information about the population I
was serving. I have learned that was incorrect thinking. I now see the value in
researching different cultures before delivering services to be more effective. I will
forever be grateful for this practicum opportunity.

Map of Wilmington, DE

*Document B