Escala's Mission and CORE VALUES
Our 3 Core values
CREATING A LATINX-CENTERED EXPERIENCE
We unapologetically center Latinx students, faculty, and staff experiences and Latinx cultural ways of learning in our programs.
We model this practice in order to help visualize a new way of working in HSIs with Latino/a/x students at the center.
Honoring Participants Where They Are
We have respect for all participants who want to learn from us no matter their racial/ethnic background or current level of intercultural competence.
As educators, we embrace the developmental process of learning and the emotions and discomfort that arise in dismantling racism.
Modeling Collectivistic Ways of Doing Work
We model collectivist ways of knowing to honor the power of working for the good of the group.
We engage our whole selves in our work and use our intuition from lived experience as well as research evidence to guide our decisions. We value the process as much as the products of our work.
Why ARE YOUR FACILITATORS AND COLLEAGUES LATINX?
EQUITY is the reason. There is a gap in professional development facilitation featuring people of color, and especially Latinx professionals who have not only higher education degrees but ALSO have the lived experiences similar to the students we are serving. In addition many Latinx professionals in HSIs carry extra burden of caring for students that are like themselves. Much of this work is unpaid and unrecognized.
For all these reasons, Latinx professionals in HSIs should be guiding the dialogue and the education of our Latinx students.
Why do ESCALA's programs focus only on latinx?
Many of the teaching skills and techniques learned in our program are transferable to all student demographics, but we are unapologetic about our focus on Latinx student success. We do not believe that learning how to serve Latinx students means that other students will suffer, or that it will be 'to the detriment' of any student to take time to focus on how to teach, work with, or encouarge a Latinx student to succeed in college.
We are filling a large gap in professional development opportunities that focus on Latinx culture, frameworks for learning, and the complexity and development of the academic Latinx/Latine identity.
Finally, we focus on Latinx students because we WERE these students. Our parents, communities, and our families fought exclusion and segregation for our place at this table. Our aim is to create in every HSI classroom, counseling center, and student center healing and validating spaces where Latinx students can thrive.