The Concilio
Promoting equity for an expanding Latino population
The Concilio was established in 1981 to promote Latino equity and address the needs of the expanding Latino population in Dallas-Fort Worth, The Concilio facilitates education, wellness, and economic opportunities for Latino and other diverse families through grassroots outreach.
We take pride in our collaboration with The Addy Foundation over the years which has played a pivotal role in enabling The Concilio to serve over 20,000 people annually.
“With cultural differences – particularly for immigrant families – it can be difficult to integrate into the American system. There is a paradigm shift between the educational system and parental expectations in Latin America vs. here in the U.S. By recognizing this difference and working with our families to help better integrate them, we can provide greater opportunities for little ones in Latino families. This is why it’s important to be understanding and respectful of cultural differences. Being culturally competent benefits everyone.
Florencia Velasco Fortner
CEO & President
A common language of cultural competence
The Concilio has established a Cultural Competency program to help professionals and organizations gain a better understanding of how to serve the Latino community, especially in areas of health and education. With a Latino population that’s now more than 40%, it is crucial that Texas becomes culturally competent when serving, recruiting, retaining and developing Latino talent and clients.
The key areas of these competency learnings focus on a common language around cultural intelligence, a shared understanding of Latino culture and community – including its historical roots and impact on our economy, insight into values shared across Latino culture, and tips for addressing disparities in health and education and more.
Power of Latinos Summit
In 2023, The Concilio, with the help of The Addy Foundation, hosted the second annual Power of Latinos Summit. The Summit provides a space for public and private cooperation in North Texas through a data-driven, action-oriented event that encourages sharing learning and engagement to increase equity and advance socioeconomic mobility for Latinos in our region. The goal is for community leaders in the sectors of health, wealth and education to make public commitments to drive change.
Attendees started the day by playing an adapted version of the Game of Life board game (renamed Crossroads of Inequity) to give perspective in advance of the data shared and the discussions that would take place throughout the event. The day concluded after 3 panel interviews and a renewed vigor for advocating for Latino equity in North Texas.
