Events
Welcome to the El Futuro events. Here you will find all the events, groups and classes that are open to the general public. We hope it will be helpful to you and your family. We want to see you soon!
2025 El Futuro Events
Mark your calendar for these upcoming events. If you want to volunteer or have any questions related to our events and how you can get involved, please email Lizbeth at lturrubiartes@elfuturo-nc.org
Lazos Fuertes
We offer monthly webinars for parents of teens and preteens. Topics include building connections, establishing routines, safe and healthy technology use, and supporting children with depression. Please click here for more information. Scan the QR code if you want to register for the next class.
Young Adults Social Group “Los Compas”
If you are between 18 and 26 years old, we invite you to be part of “Los Compas,” a social group for young adults that aims to empower this generation with mental and emotional health strategies through building friendships, sharing experiences, and celebrating Latino culture in a more fun way. Come and connect with us! Register here
El Faro Class – open to the public
El Futuro offers classes for any Spanish-speaking parent who has a child with ADHD. This is an 8-week class that is held throughout the year. Participants receive a workbook in the mail and a certificate of completion for attending the classes. **Starting in 2025, the full course will cost $130 and includes all materials.**
We have a number of free classes and seminars for parents and support groups. for clients Also see our different online resources. Below you can see more events and relevant dates throughout the year.
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