Improving Psychological Well-being of Children: A Social Justice Journey in the Borderlands

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of two school-based outreach initiatives geared toward the promotion of psychological well-being in borderland children. This chapter discusses first Cruzando Fronteras, an outreach initiative that provided support to children impacted by the violence in the US-Mexico border through the use of liberation psychology and narrative approaches. This chapter then presents an overview of the Kimochis program, a social skills program focusing on the promotion of social–emotional learning and resilience in children Pre-K through third grade. This chapter also includes a reflection of my experience as a social justice advocate and concludes with a discussion of rewards and challenges inherent to social justice work.

Citation

Torres-Fernandez, I. (2015), "Improving Psychological Well-being of Children: A Social Justice Journey in the Borderlands", Living the Work: Promoting Social Justice and Equity Work in Schools around the World (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 23), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 303-318. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-366020140000023015