“More than any other time in history, it is important to be able to talk across the aisle, to be able to find common places to at least begin a dialogue.” — Dr. Suzanne SooHoo, Attallah College Professor and Jack H. and Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education Dozens of people gathered at Chapman University’s
Cheered on by hundreds of friends and family, nearly 30 women became the fourth cohort to complete the Padres Unidos Community Worker Award program on Saturday, June 2. The ceremony is the culmination of two years of extended education courses and embedded community fieldwork. Cultivating Community In 2010, Chapman University’s Attallah College of Educational Studies
“Un aplauso por favor,” says Patricia Huerta, the founder and director of Padres Unidos (translation: Parents United), an Orange County-based parent education and support program, as she leads the a discussion at the nearby Orange County Juvenile Hall. “Applause, please,” and the room full of parents breaks into thunderous applause.
Two programs at Chapman University are working to bring social justice to the world — one neighborhood at a time. The Paulo Freire Democratic Project and Padres Unidos, programs centered at Chapman’s College of Educational Studies, provide residents in nearby neighborhoods with continuing education and training in social justice and civic involvement. Padres Unidos Padres
Padres Unidos hosted the Orange County Padres Unidos Partner Appreciation Event and awarded for the first time “Partner of the Year” to Donald N. Cardinal, Ph.D., the dean of Chapman’s College of Educational Studies. In 2011, Chapman’s College of Educational Studies and the Office of Extended Education provided training to Padres Unidos volunteers through a Community Workers certification program. The program included comprehensive modules dealing with education, health, faith, and parenting.
Padres Unidos, a Santa Ana based nonprofit recently sponsored a 12 week Spanish-language parenting workshop that resulted in a graduation celebration at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange. Word spread about the program, which gave the sixty participants a new insight into handling conflicts with their children— without resorting to anger. The program emphasized that