Bridging Cultures

The School of Social Work

Kristoffer Lindstrom:
Bridging Cultures

Acceptance rather than tolerance. It’s a cause Kristoffer Lindstrom is even more committed to after spending a summer helping elderly Latinos adjust to a different culture.

Lindstrom, an undergraduate social work student, helped coordinate the Fuente de la Amistad, or fountain of friendship program, for the Department of Aging and Veteran’s Services in Washington County, Oregon.

The program involves five older Latino adults who visit other elderly Latinos to help them connect with services and with each other. The program garnered a front page story in the Aug. 10 Portland Oregonian, and quoted Lindstrom:

“With this age group, rarely do they speak English and rarely can they read Spanish. So it’s very difficult venturing out into the community. Latino elders, as in other immigrant groups, are coping with the Americanization of their young people. This widens the divide between them and can affect the elders’ ability to hand down their culture and receive the care and support they need.”

Looking back on his work, Lindstrom says it was one of the best experiences he ever had. “It was amazing to work with the volunteers. They helped us enter a community and gain people’s trust. Once we did gain their trust, the people were so friendly and hospitable.”

On the job, Lindstrom used the Spanish-speaking skills he learned at Mt. Hood Community College and during a year studying abroad in Sagunto, Spain. He also took Spanish literature classes at Walla Walla College. In December, he will complete his bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and a bachelor of social work degree. Because of the program’s success, Lindstrom has been permanently hired to coordinate it.

Lindstrom’s path to social work began when he concluded that this field would fit the type of person he was. “I was always aware of needs around me,” he says.

Noting that Oregon’s Latino population has doubled in the last 10 years, he says that more people are paying attention now to the social concerns of immigration. “It’s a shame many immigrants have encountered racism when all they are trying to do is develop a better life.”

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