Connecting as “Family” in Educative Relationships: Insights From a Media Program Serving Hmong Immigrant Youth

Abstract

This article draws on an ethnographic study of a media program serving Hmong immigrant youth to illuminate perspectives and practices of teaching and learning that draw on Hmong culture’s emphasis on family and collectivism. Our explication is guided by the following question: How do a Hmong adult youth program advisor and Hmong youth connect as “family” in an educative relationship? It reveals insight for understanding the ways in which low-income, immigrant youth may be supported within educational contexts imbued by an intimacy and reciprocity that revalues the social and cultural dimensions of their lives. The article significantly advances research on the ways in which educators who share with youth the same racialized identity, neighborhood, and community construct learning environments.