EveryDay Strong of United Way of Utah County wanted to highlight a specific group in our area and discuss what their needs may be. We recently spoke with Abraham Hernandez of Centro Hispano about the challenges that many Latino youth in our area face.

Hernandez states that approximately 17% of the population of Utah County is made up of Latinos. It’s the largest non-white group in this area and is continually growing. Many of these families are immigrants to the United States and many speak little English. Children and teens living in these situations have not only the normal obstacles of being a young person, but additional stresses as well.

Abraham recalls his own experiences being raised in the United States by parents who had immigrated. He says, “I remember having to interpret for my parents while they were trying to buy a car, and I was only 8 years old.

“And while I spoke English, there were certain terms that I didn’t know how to translate … or what they even meant (for example), interest rate. And so all of a sudden, there’s this pressure to be a third adult, where you’re only a child.”

He goes on, “And so when I do cultural competency training with companies, I always try to make sure that they understand that this is happening. And that’s why we need to have more Spanish speakers in service areas. Where again, an 8-year-old does not have to interpret for their parents, you know? Medical stuff, car stuff, those are just too big of subjects for any child to understand.”

In addition to translating the language for their parents or grandparents, young Latinos may have to explain cultural differences. This can be particularly difficult when the child is trying to figure these things out themselves.

Sometimes, the child can feel torn between two cultures.

Hernandez explains what this can feel like, “(Young people are) being told what’s right and correct during the school day, and then they go home and they’re living by a completely different set of rules. Which one’s right? And which one’s wrong? It’s walking that fine line.

“But there’s this really interesting idea of hyphenated Americans. So this would be a Mexican-American, Asian-American, where we don’t have to pick one or the other. We actually create a third culture that’s our own. And in building a culture, you know, we’re gonna mess up.”

Hernandez continues, “It’s trying to understand yourself. And as a teenager especially, like that’s already hard enough right there.

“You have so many different voices telling you who you should and shouldn’t be, and now you’re also trying to figure that (out) in the most deep and essential part of yourself. Culturally, who am I?”

Teachers, neighbors, religious leaders and others who interact with Latino youth can help to ease some of the pressures. Asking questions and learning more about the particular struggles unique to this group will foster understanding.

United Way of Utah County is on a mission to help every child in our community feel safe, connected and confident. You can listen to our latest podcast episode at anchor.fm/everydaystrong (or on Apple Podcast and Spotify). Learn more about us at everydaystrong.org.