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Definitions of cultural competence often refer to the need to be aware and attentive to the religious and spiritual needs and orientations of patients. However, the institution of psychiatry maintains an ambivalent attitude to the incorporation of religion and spirituality into psychiatric practice. This is despite the fact that many patients, especially those from underserved and underprivileged minority backgrounds, are devotedly religious and find much solace and support in their religiosity. I use the case of mental health of African Americans as an extended example to support the argument that psychiatric services must become more closely attuned to religious matters. I suggest ways in which this can be achieved. Attention to religion can aid in the development of culturally competent and accessible services, which in turn, may increase engagement and service satisfaction among religious populations.

Increasing ethnic diversity among American youth, in combination with funding priorities often targeting underserved populations, has increased the number of diverse youth attending afterschool programs (ASPs). At present, there is little guidance on how to best design ASPs and prepare staff to support the development of these diverse youth. The fields of medicine and education have begun to explore the impact of cultural competence at the organizational, structural, and professional levels to help bridge potential cultural divides. This chapter will briefly review the literature on cultural competence and emerging evidence within ASPs. It will then provide concrete examples of how afterschool programs have infused culturally tailored content and/or staff trainings to build cultural competence. Finally, specific recommendations will be made to serve as a springboard for future research and practice.

AbstractThis chapter is an overview of the understanding of cultural competence and context in evaluation, highlighting how other disciplines have addressed the importance of culture and suggesting the value‐addedness of culture to program evaluation and design.