Running head: CULTURAL IMMERSION AND AGENCY ASSESSMENT

Cultural Immersion & Agency Assessment

Anna Cruz
Wilmington University
AHS 8100
April 19, 2015

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Summary and Brief History
During my internship at the Youth Advocate Program, Inc., I was able to experience
working with several different cultures within Cumberland and Camden counties. Our agency
offers many different services to youth and their families, which come from a diverse
community. I chose to focus on the African American Population for the Cultural Immersion
Assessment. African America consists of several countries throughout Africa, Caribbean, South
and Central America, including various islands within the region. The languages of African
American regions are English, Creole, and Gullah. The most widely used language today is
English, Creole and Gullah are used in Jamaica, Barbados and other islands. I was able to
witness the Creole language being spoken when I went to Jamaica.
Immersion Experiences
I chose to conduct a personal interview for one of the Immersion activities. I had a parent
that was willing to let me sit in on sessions as an intern. Parents have to agree whether an intern
can sit in on their childs session. Therefore she was willing to let me interview her about her
culture. Margrianna was born and raised in Jamaica, and came to the United States 12 years ago.
She is employed as a clerk transcriber for Elwyn Training Center. Margrianna brings her niece in
weekly for outpatient services.
I began the interview by explaining to Margrianna the purpose of the questions I was going to
ask. She agreed, and I started by asking her to tell me about where she was from and how she
came to the United States. Margrianna was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She lived
there with her Mother, father, brother, and sister. She came to the United States to study and
ended up staying. She came first, then her mother, brother and sister. Margrianna followed all the

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proper guidelines to get documentation needed to stay in the United States. Her fianc came
about 4 years ago and they married two years ago. Margrianna now has custody of her niece. In
her home town it was difficult to find a good paying job, although the cost of living wasnt high
at the time. She was working two jobs here to be able to send money to her family before they
came to the United States. The value of American money is worth more in Jamaica; therefore it
was more affordable to live.
I asked Margrianna about her family customs and the roles of members in her family. She stated
that the man was the provider, educator and also the one who disciplined. She also stated the
eldest male is considered the head of the family. The father or the eldest male made the decisions
in the family. The mother was responsible for rearing the children, going to the market, social
functions, and took care of any children whose parents died due to illness. Margrianna stated
that she identifies with her culture as well as the rest of her family. For example, they like to eat
fresh foods, meats, and vegetables. They grow their own vegetables. They go to a fish market to
get fresh seafood, as well as fresh meats.
I then asked Margrianna about religion and she stated they attend a Christian church every
Sunday with the family. She stated that greeting someone with a hand shake and maintaining eye
contact is effective. Margrianna said that greeting a female with a hug and a kiss at work is
considered inappropriate. She stated that in her culture they tend to be formal when addressing
someone such as Mr., Ms., or Mrs. As for her concept of health in her country they used many
home remedies for many things. Since they are here in the United States they rely on medical
care from physicians and specialist. She stated in Jamaica the concept of time is slower and it is
not uncommon to be late for meetings or even work. Margrianna stated that here she cant follow
that concept since she has to be at work on time daily. She stated the following holidays are

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celebrated in her Jamaican culture, New Years Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Labor Day
(May 23), Emancipation Day (August 1), Independence Day (August 6), National Heroes Day
(October 16), Christmas Day and Boxing Day (December 26). I found it interesting that
Thanksgiving Day is not celebrated and some of the holidays are on different dates.
I asked Margrianna how I could better serve African American clients as a Human Service
Administrator in the Youth Advocate Program. She stated that African Americans are sometimes
misunderstood if their English isnt clear. Margrianna stated that their culture may not be
respected by many. She stated that they dont trust easily and the human services workers should
try their best to gain their trust so they may be able to talk more about their issues. Margrianna
said that using eye contact, being friendly, and treating clients with proper etiquette will build
trust between the human service worker and the client.
Autobiography
My second activity for the Cultural Immersion was to read an autobiography about
racism. I chose to read A Family Experience with American Racism by Lloyd Allen Wright.
The book discusses how Wrights family experienced racism throughout their lives. He discusses
how racism had an impact on their lives and how difficult it was to deal with it throughout their
lives. My family did not bow to the mentally ill white racists. We always evidenced dignity,
integrity, and pride of being, and never bowed to the mentally ill racists. Those blacks that acted
contrary to our behavior were labeled as Aunt Jemimas and Uncle Toms, since they were
spineless people who were willing to bow down to white supremacy, out of fear or for a few
crumbs from the table. (Wright, 2014) The book goes on to say that racism is actually being
taught. I believe this to be true since I have since it during my high school years. Yet, many

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white-skinned people, like my mother, maternal grandfather, maternal aunt, and brother were not
afflicted with white racism. Accordingly, I came to the conclusion that if racism was a disease, it
was primarily mental, psychological, and/or cultural in nature, something that was taught.
(Wright, 2014) This autobiography allowed me to identify more of the struggles faced by the
African American population. Although there are many things that I read in the book that dont
exist today, there is still racism going on all over the world. It is important as a human service
worker to be aware of the racism and issues that come from being from a different culture.
Assessing the Field Work Agency
Agency: Youth Advocate Program, Inc.
Address: 3071 East Chestnut Avenue, Suite A-1, Vineland, NJ 08362.
Agencys Community
The YAP office is located in Cumberland County, right across from the high school. It is
convenient for the students in this age group that we service, since they can walk over right after
school. This office serves various cultural background clients. The community is very diverse in
this area. This office is connected with the Salem, Camden and Atlantic County offices. It is
located in a complex with other medical offices and lawyers. Although the office is located near
a high school there is no bus route on the street where the office is located. The office does have
advocates that offer to pick up clients and bring them to their sessions. They also offer in home
sessions to make it easier for some of the parents that dont have transportation.

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Reception
The office is hard to find for some people since the signs are not very visible. When they
do walk in for evening appointments there is no reception, so the only way of knowing if
someone came is by the sound of door. They should have an evening receptionist for days that
there are late office hours. Once you enter the office, there are several chairs, TV, table with an
extensive amount of brochures and pamphlets about general information and the services the
agency provides. The front desk is staffed by our administrative assistant, Francis, during the day
hours. Clients are greeted immediately upon arrival, and therapists are usually ready and waiting
for their client. Our office has a very diverse staff with men and women of different cultures and
backgrounds.
Administration and Staff Training/Funding
The Youth Advocate Program employs several staff members of diverse backgrounds. We
have three African American, four Hispanic, and five Caucasian. It is required of all staff attend
monthly meetings and all trainings held in our county. All Yap staff attends various meetings and
workshops that focus on how the agency can better serve their clients. They are also required to
attend all cultural diversity training, seminars, and meetings. Weekly paperwork is to be
submitted for all their sessions to be reviewed and approved by the clinical supervisor. The staff
are sensitive to the various cultures that they serve as well as the cultures of the employees they
have working for them. There hasnt been a time where I have noticed anyone at the agency be
culturally insensitive to any clients.

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Funding
Funding is provided by State and Federal grants as well as contracts. Corporate and
private foundations also provide funding to the agency. Individual and employee contributions
are also a source of funding for the Youth Advocate Program, Inc. Employee contributions are
made through payroll deduction. Fundraisers such as raffle tickets for items such as airline
tickets, or other valuable items are one example. Another form of funding is having contests such
as quotes that would represent the agency to be put on t-shirts.
Agency Programs and Services
The Youth Advocate Program, Inc. serves over 10, 000 families a year in more than 100
programs across 17 states in rural and urban areas including 25 major metro areas.
(www.yapinc.org). The YAP staff and administrators make a tremendous amount of effort in
setting their hours to accommodate the needs of our clients. 70 % of YAP youth are youth of
color. (www.yapinc.org). The agency receives referrals from other agencies as well as court
systems, schools, counselors, etc. The agency also relies on client surveys to verify their success.
Staff is evaluated every 90 days in the beginning and then once a year. Upon completion of
services clients are contacted by corporate to evaluate the services provided by our agency. They
also periodically call the client to ask how the services are going. In the beginning of services
most clients are not willing to attend, but since they are minors the parent is the one that makes
the decision. Eventually, the client begins to form a bond with the therapist and they get
comfortable coming to sessions regularly.
I believe the YAP provides great services that last a lifetime. 98% of families served
through Improving Families remained safely intact upon discharge. (www.yapinc.org)

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Advocates are available 24/7, when families need them most. I believe that clients trust that the
YAP will support them when they need it. 87 % of youth remain in the community at
discharge. (www.yapinc.org)
The YAP has several programs available for youth. For example, the Life Skills program
is a popular one. The program is provided to youth referred from the Department of Child
Protection and Permanency. The youth are between the ages of 14 and 21. The purpose of the
program is to provide clients with the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare them for the real
world. They learn life skills such as communication, home life, career planning, daily living,
housing, self care, work life, money management, work and study skills, and social relationships.
Learning these skills will help them live on their own. The program runs from September to
August and also includes an assessment at the beginning of program and at the end of program.
A Life Skills Coordinator will provide educational life skills to meet the needs of the youth. The
Life Skills Coordinator will meet with youth in group session once a month and individual
session which is weekly. The group session is 2 hours once a month and the individual session is
2 hours per week in the field.
NASW Standards for Cultural Competence
The standard that I chose to use to assess the YAP agency is Standard number 7: Diverse
Workforce. The NASW standard states that agencies should promote diversity by employing
different cultures within their agency. The Youth Advocate Program, Inc. has employees of
various cultures. With the diversity of the staff, I believe this agency is doing an excellent job.
The agency makes it a point to hire staff from diverse backgrounds to meet the needs of the
clients they serve. I believe that YAP is meeting the standard, where it states that diversity should

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be represented at all levels of the organization. The staff must pay attention to the different
cultures they serve and remember not to compare the clients culture with their own.
My personal cultural competence will be a lifelong learning process. There are many culture
different from my own that I need to learn about. African American is at the top of my list as well
as other Hispanic backgrounds since they are not all the same. I would love to learn the Creole
language. I find other languages fascinating and to be able to communicate with other cultures is
a great benefit in any field.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have truly enjoyed my internship at the YAP. It has giving me many
experiences with a diverse population of clients. In some cases I could relate and in others it has
given me the eagerness to learn more about their cultures. I hope that I will get to work in an
agency that is just as diverse as the one I just finished doing my internship.

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References
Wright, L.A., (2010). A Family Experience with American Racism: An Autobiography of Lloyd
Allen Wright. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corporation
http://www.yapinc.orgindex.html
Youth Advocate Program, Inc. Personnel Policy Manual