6.1 Unit title: Importance of working with new audiences
Time needed to complete unit: may range from 2 hours to 3 days
Objectives/Purpose:
Learners will…
•Increase their awareness of the demographics of their community
How to use this information:
6.1.1 Activity 1: Learning about your community Consider the questions below as you explore how your community’s population is changing and why it is important to pay attention to these changes.
•Why should I work with new audiences?
•What do local demographics tell me about my community?
•How is my community changing?
The Web sites below can help you answer the questions above.
•American Fact Finder http://www.factfinder.census.gov/ Review the fact sheets created for the county or city you live in and those areas you serve.
•Children, Youth and Families Trend Letter, ISUE (Many New Iowans Come From Spanish Speaking Counties). http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/EDC83X9.pdf Although this publication is specific to Iowa, the information shared is useful to extension staff working with new Latino immigrants in their communities.
•Child Trends http://www.childtrends.org Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children by conducting research and providing science-based information to improve the decisions, programs, and policies that affect children and their families
•Engaging Minority and Culturally Diverse Audiences (Hoorman, 2002) http://www.joe.org/joe/2002december/tt2.shtml This article outlines the importance of engaging culturally diverse audiences in extension programming and seven practical steps for doing so.
•The Foreign-born Population in the United States: March 2002 http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-539.pdf. This publication provides a description of the foreign-born population in the U.S. in 2002. The report compares the demographics (e.g., race, age, educational level, income, etc.) of the foreign-born population with the native populations of various regions of the U.S.
•SETA (Social Economic and Trend Analysis) http://www.seta.iastate.edu/ This Web site provides information on social, economic, and demographic trends in support of community and regional analysis within the extension north central region. The site provides data and analysis pertaining to Agriculture, Employment and Income, Population, Public Services, and Retail Trade information.
6.1.2. Activity 2: Environmental scan
To help you conduct an environmental scan, read the local and an area or statewide newspaper, and talk to community leaders, agency personnel, faith communities, and school personnel to learn about demographic changes in your community. Ask the individuals you visit with what are the major changes in population they have observed in their community over the past five years.
6.1.RM Resources
Supporting materials:
•American Fact Finder http://www.factfinder.census.gov/ (Review the fact sheets created for the county or city you live in and those areas you serve)
•Children, Youth and Families Trend Letter, ISUE (Many New Iowans Come From Spanish Speaking Counties). http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/EDC83X9.pdf Although this publication is specific to Iowa, the information shared is useful to extension staff working with new Latino immigrants in their communities.
•Child Trends http://www.childtrends.org Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children by conducting research and providing science-based information to improve the decisions, programs, and policies that affect children and their families
•Engaging Minority and Culturally Diverse Audiences (Hoorman, 2002) http://www.joe.org/joe/2002december/tt2.shtml This article outlines the importance of engaging culturally diverse audiences in extension programming and seven practical steps for doing so.
•The Foreign-born Population in the United States: March 2002 http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-539.pdf. This publication provides a description of the foreign-born population in the U.S. in 2002. The report compares the demographics (e.g., race, age, educational level, income, etc.) of the foreign-born population with the native populations of various regions of the U.S.
•SETA (Social Economic and Trend Analysis) http://www.seta.iastate.edu/ This Web site provides information on social, economic, and demographic trends in support of community and regional analysis within the extension north central region. The site provides data and analysis pertaining to Agriculture, Employment and Income, Population, Public Services, and Retail Trade information.