CHAPTER 8Juntos: Collective Community Stewardship

AS NOTED, THE ANCESTRAL groups that melded into the Latino culture had strong family ties, community bonds, and centered on We, or the collective. Leadership flows from this orientation and is based on a communal process where people work together to serve their communities. This spirit is captured in the word juntos, which means “union, being close, joining, being together”—and expresses the principle of collective community stewardship.

Whether I or We is central to a society contours the shape of its leadership. In an I, or individualistic, culture, I become a leader because of my initiative and competence as well as my winning personality. I am a can-do, take-action person. By calling attention ...

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