Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI)

Established in 2013, LLI was designed to meet the needs of a growing Latinx population in the U.S. Currently, fewer than 5 percent of social workers in the U.S. are Latinx. Research shows that social work services that are language and ethnic concordant are the most beneficial for Latinx communities. However, the dismal number of Latinx social workers in the U.S. cannot meet the current needs of Latinx communities. As a result, many Latinx communities receive services from non-Latinx social workers who do not understand Latinx culture.

LLI offers its participants a cohort-based learning model emphasizing a paradigm of cultural capital among the Latinx community. Together, all LLI students take 8 Master’s in Social Work core classes in Spanish, allowing students to develop professional proficiency in Spanish required to work with Latinx communities and create an academic space in which the assets of Latinx culture can flourish. Students are also offered internship placements supervised by LLI alumni that allow students to work closely with Latinx communities and require them to use their bilingual background. Mentorship is key in the LLI model. Faculty and LLI advisors, who themselves are bilingual Latinxs and are often LLI alumni, serve as mentors to program participants.