This May, El Futuro is launching our “Spring Into Action” Fundraising Campaign as part of May Mental Health Month. The goal of this campaign is to invite the entire community to support access to mental health for young people and their families as well as to continue developing our Therapeutic Garden as a space to belonging, human warmth and peace.
This month, “Spring into Action” seeks to raise $100,000. Through this investment, El Futuro will have the ability to strengthen its team of bilingual therapists and offer more mental health and substance use services to Latino families in Durham and North Carolina, especially to children and adolescents.
In addition, as part of this campaign, we will celebrate our bi-annual Kermes Community Fiesta and our Inaugural Mental Health Action Day event focused on the mental and emotional health of young people.
“This March, El Futuro saw the highest number of clients in the history of our organization. And we know that that doesn’t even begin to address the comprehensive needs in our community for therapy, psychiatry and substance abuse treatment! Now, the adolescent mental health crisis is demanding all of society to reflect on the best ways to support our youth and young adults. Our Spring into Action campaign is set on raising $100,000 to ensure that culturally responsive mental health care be widely available and that families can chart a path to health and hope.” – commented Mary Coffman, Advancement Manager at El Futuro about the importance of this campaign for the community.
“Spring into Action” events, which will bring together young people around mental health
Thanks to a financial grant from MTV, we will be celebrating our first ever youth-focused event on mental health called Voces Unidas. It will take place May 18 in El Futuro’s Therapeutic Garden. This event, which will take place from 4pm to 8pm, will officially kick off El Futuro’s new program called LAYA (Latine Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health Program), to increase mental health awareness among young people seeking help and inspire action.
“With the financial support from MTV, we are going to be able to take important steps to increase the visibility of mental health, break down barriers to talking about mental health, and ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or identity, has access to the support and resources they need to care for their mental health. and wellness. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and look forward to continuing to collaborate in efforts to create a world where mental health is a priority for all and where Latino youth, teens, and young adults experience the support and compassion they need to thrive,” shares Rachel Siegel, Therapist and Leader of the LAYA project of El Futuro.
In addition, we will gather the mothers of the Latino community to celebrate our traditional community festival, Kermés, this May 7, also in the Therapeutic Garden. There will be music, traditional Latino food, games, dancing and community – all with a focus on connection and healing.
We invite you to join these events that we will carry out during the month of May and also to consider a donation for mental health.
Together, we are committed to improving the health and well-being of our community, and that starts with addressing comprehensive care for our teens and young people.
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD