CLC Engagement
Engaging parents, youth, community members, educators, service providers, and businesses in an effective way may be the most challenging aspect of cultural and linguistic competency. Youth are often more willing than adults to give voice to diversity related issues that are affecting them negatively. Parents are more likely to become involved on behalf of their children, rather than engaging around disparities in services or access that affect them directly.
An authentic awareness of the background, struggles, hopes, and fears of our community allows programs to effectively serve all people involved in the process. Whether recruiting staff to reflect the populations being served, working with cultural agencies, encouraging parents to attend school functions, or asking local merchants to support prevention efforts, a process is being established that involves three steps essential to effective engagement: Outreach; Involvement; and Empowerment.
Outreach
The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative promotes collaboration with multiple stakeholders. Effective outreach strategies target intended audiences in an appropriate manner, with messages that are meaningful, relevant, and communicate the concept of mutual benefit (i.e. participating in this Initiative will benefit you as an individual/family AND the community as a whole). Whether communication is in the form of a phone call, a flyer, or a radio announcement, it should take into account the educational and literacy levels of the audience, as well as the actual language spoken. Parents who arrive in the U.S. with only an elementary school education are unlikely to read a long publication even if it has been translated into their native language, but they might listen to a radio interview with a community leader on school policy changes that impact their children. Business owners might respond to a letter if it is brief and explains how involvement would expand their client base, rather than a visit from a staff member during busy after-school hours. Matching the medium to the message, and the strategy to the intended recipient, is key to successful community outreach.
Involvement
Consumers, students, family members and community stakeholders are much more likely to stay involved with SS/HS if they feel that they are welcome, that their contributions are valued, and that their culture-specific needs are being met. Before tools such as surveys and focus groups are used to determine what strategies will keep them engaged, consideration should be given to whether these tools, which may be quite accurate and effective with mainstream populations, are equally useful with the populations being served. If adjustments are not made to accommodate schedules, family structure, or language, the assessment may be inaccurate or incomplete. This may lead to funds being spent on an ineffective intervention. It also helps to structure projects in ways that provide the kind of support mechanisms that will enable all parents to attend events (transportation, child care, scheduling flexibility, etc.) and will encourage children and families to access the services they need (school-based mental health, evening hours at clinics, bilingual staff, etc.). Additionally, cultural organizations can play an important role, as they have already built a level of trust with their communities. By partnering with them, larger institutions such as the public schools can gain valuable insights into the best strategies for outreach and engagement.
Empowerment
In order to ensure that diverse stakeholders help to guide an SS/HS Initiative, it is important for them to become agents of change, or, at the very least, integral parts of the system. Key to this process is the cultivation of leadership skills and opportunities. For example, when community members are hired as parent liaisons or given an active role in planning activities, they might come to see themselves as valuable assets to the schools or the community, and feel encouraged to take on even more responsibility. A Youth Development model can also help to empower youth who are being negatively affected and engage them in a process that contributes to their schools and community. Staff members from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups may need additional support to prevent them from feeling isolated and/or be provided with training in certain work skills; meanwhile, the entire Initiative can benefit from the abilities and experiences that they bring to the table. By having leaders who mirror the community being served, children receive a strong message that change is possible, that their voices will be heard, and that they have the potential to become leaders themselves.
