In a classroom at the Hartland Partnership center, over 30 Glendale neighborhood residents gathered for the Utah Community Advocate Network (UCAN) monthly meeting. This exact spot is where many west side resident leaders gain knowledge, university credit, leadership experience, and grow their network. During one of these meetings, west side resident, Elsa Cardenas Juarez, was introduced to the advocacy work that is central to UCAN. She was surprised to not only see the number of young people in attendance but also what they were sharing. They were speaking about the mistreatment they were experiencing, the absence of a high school in their neighborhood, and the struggles they were facing with starting their higher education journeys as first generation college students.
Elsa mentioned that hearing these concerns helped her realize that adults weren’t the only ones that were suffering. After her first UCAN meeting, she knew that there was so much more to learn from her community. She enrolled in the beginner English classes taught at Hartland, in partnership with the English Skills Learning Center. She did so well in the class, she was told she needed a more advanced English class because she was surpassing the current curriculum. UNP staff supported her in applying for the advanced English class taught in partnership with the University of Utah’s English Language Institute.
By the following winter Elsa attended and graduated from the Intro to Family Leadership and Society course, taught in partnership with the University of Utah’s Department of Education, receiving 3 university credits. Elsa wanted to remain connected with UNP, and the following summer completed 40 volunteer hours supporting the Partners in the Park summer event series with other UCAN members.
Elsa is a current member of the Hartland Community Coming Together (Resident Committee), whose purpose is to improve the community in which they live through education, leadership, and capacity building. Members come from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds, a representation of the community they serve. To engage the west side neighborhoods in a space that encourages cultural exchange, the committee plans an annual Hartland Spring Festival where residents share their cultural heritage through food, clothing, performances and music. This past spring the Hartland Community Coming Together group celebrated their 18th annual Hartland Spring Festival.
After learning more about the UNP partnership areas she began working with the New American Academic Network and explained her goals of learning psychology. They recommended the Case Management Certificate Program (CMC). This past spring semester Elsa graduated from the Spanish CMC Program, as part of the second-year cohort of the Spanish CMC program. Elsa completed the course and an additional 192 practicum hours at the Holy Cross Ministries and UNP’s Hartland Partnership Center to receive her Adult Behavioral Health Case Management Certificate, in partnership with UNP and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (UDHHS).
Case Management Certificate Program – Background
The program works in identifying barriers towards collaboration opportunities by supporting the Utah State Refugee Services Office’s (RSO) plan to provide the necessary tools for community-based organizations (CBOs) and Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs). Understanding that these community-identified leaders are not only trusted by their neighborhood but also contain cultural insight that cannot be taught in a classroom. To best utilize this expertise, the project aimed to strengthen leaders’ capacity to serve as crisis responders and system navigators. To manage the need for training within the U.S. systems, Dr. Rosamarie Hunter collaborated with these emerging leaders through a year-long Community Based Participatory Research partnership to develop the CMC Program. The project engaged master’s and doctoral-level social work students.
The Emerging Leaders project consisted of two phases:
- Curriculum Development: Working with partners to design a tailored case management training program supporting employment pathways.
- Capacity Building: Connecting university faculty and student learning with long-term community empowerment.
Partners for the program include:
- University of Utah- College of Social Work
- Student Success- Office of Undergraduate Studies
- University Neighborhood Partners
- Utah Department of Health and Human Service
- Refugee Services Office- Department of Workforce Services
- Jesuit Refugee Services- Afghanistan
- Bridging Borders
- Community-Based Organizations
- International Relief Agencies- Catholic Community Services & International Rescue Committee
- Asian Association of Utah- Refugee and Immigrant Center
In response to the large number of community members with Hispanic heritage in Utah, the team, including Jimena Murillo (College of Social Work GA), Ennio Cardozo (Loyola University Chicago SSW, Bilingual MSW Intern) and Teresa Molina (PhD, LCSW) developed the Case Management curriculum in Spanish in 2023, with the launch of the pilot program in 2024. After two cycles, 38 (84.4%) students completed the program successfully. Many graduates continued to connect with UCAN, Westside Leadership Institute and other partnering organizations to address the needs in west side neighborhoods.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services now provides an Adult Behavioral Health Case Management Certification after completing a certified Case Management Program, passing the state test, and completing 40 practicum hours. Through a partnership with UDHHS, UNP is now a practicum site with CMC graduates, like Elsa, working in the Welcome Center, housed in the Hartland Partnership Center.
Elsa shares her thoughts about a community coming together, stating that, “the community is very close; I found a family with them. I never thought that the community would give me the opportunity to support my studies. In my country that wasn’t an option. I am also grateful for the university and the work that they do to provide these resources and services that I was able to take and advance my education and language skills.”