The Juntos Program

Part 2: Growth & Sustainability at Juntos NC State University

In 2019, a sustainability effort between the College of Agriculture and Life Science/State Extension and the University’s Division of Academic and Student Affairs allowed two full-time staff funded by the university provost and one part-time staff position funded by the State Extension. These positions support North Carolina and national Juntos growth and sustainability in training, coaching, grant management, evaluation, partnership development, and marketing and outreach.

National Juntos Model See NC State Juntos’s role in leading the national Juntos movement. Juntos States Map Click on a state to access the name and contact information of the Juntos lead from that state.

RESOURCES

Through the investment of the National 4-H Council and NC State Extension NC Juntos leadership was able to plan the first-ever national Juntos Convening. This event would bring all Juntos state professionals and youth together for three days to set the national Juntos m ovement’s 2020 vision. Due to the pandemic, the Convening was virtual and took place March 25 – 26, 2020. We hosted advocates, educators, higher education leaders, funders, and Juntos students and alumni from more than ten states. We met our goal, and Juntos is no longer a project that is here today and gone tomorrow.

Our Convening agenda addressed two essential topics: why Juntos matters and why Juntos is here to stay. On the first day, we talked about why Juntos matters, with Juntos investors and national leaders presenting their case for the work. The second day brought all Juntos state professionals together to focus on setting the stage for the future of Juntos, as we addressed why Juntos is here to stay. We discussed program components, National Juntos common measures, accountability, and

Juntos Convening videos

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VIDEO

communication. We closed the Convening and invited all guests to our Facebook live ceremony, which featured a policymaker, a Latinx educator, and Juntos alumni, who addressed why they believe Juntos is here to stay. During the two days, a group of Juntos 4-Hers from several states had their convening session in the evenings . The youth looked at the heart of Juntos and mapped out their vision for the program’s future. They heard how their culture brings value to their leadership skills and, together, voted on a civic engagement project to take back to their clubs to have the project implemented among Juntos states. The national Juntos office at NC State has developed an organic and structured process of training, coaching, networking, building community, and leading as Juntos grows into more states. Below are the steps that states should consider as they plan to bring Juntos to their communities.