Abstract
Currently, there are limited social-emotional resources available for adolescent dual language learners (DLLs). Dual language students constitute 9% of all public-school students in the United States and are enrolled in about three of every four schools. In California, DLLs make up 19% of public-school students. Due to challenges faced with learning a new language while simultaneously learning academic content and navigating new cultural experiences, DLLs need specialized supports and resources to be successful. The lifetime prevalence for any mood disorder among adolescents in the United States is approximately 14%, with the rate nearly doubling from early to late adolescence. Although some adolescent youth can receive mental health services, ethnic minorities from immigrant families are less likely to receive intervention, compared to their White peers. Different factors can contribute to this lack of service, such as unawareness of the services, stigma within the family, and unrecognized internalized behaviors. Research data suggest that there are various ways to help minority adolescent youth, such as promoting a healthy family dynamic, encouraging ethnic pride, and encouraging breathing exercises and interpersonal exercises to help them become aware of others. The purpose of this project is to create a website that provides social-emotional resources to Spanish-speaking DLLs in order to help them cope with social-emotional challenges they may experience, such as anxiety or depression. Additionally, the authors want to increase awareness of the benefits of being a DLL and incorporate a strength-based perspective to the creation of the website.