Recommendations for Outreach
One important idea to consider when conducting outreach to immigrant communities is to intentionally diversify the number of community connectors that are used for outreach. It is valuable to intentionally build multiple contacts within an immigrant community and to regularly maintain communications with each individual. There are several reasons for this:
- Immigrant populations are usually not monolithic, and community leaders may not represent the entire community. An example of this is Dubuque’s Marshallese community, which has seven different Marshallese churches. Sometimes communications or services conducted through leaders in one church would not reach all of the congregations in the community. This has the potential to reinforce feelings of resentment and division within an immigrant population. It is important to understand what these divisions might be, and work to build relationships with different groups within a community.
- Reliance on only one community connector can create key person risk, where if anything happens that makes that person unable to effectively serve as a connector, it could significantly hinder communication with the population as a whole.
- Providing information through multiple sources reduces the amount of work any one connector needs to do. This is important when working primarily with volunteers, as volunteer burnout can be a significant issue.
Models to consider:
- Mapping Research: The networks and connections of three of Dubuque’s larger immigrant communities – the Marshallese, Latino, and Guatemalan Mayan populations – are discussed in more detail in a mapping report conducted by the Community Foundation.
Translating documents into locally spoken languages can be one of the most effective ways of improving outreach to immigrant communities. Translated documents are not only easier to read for individuals for whom English is a second language or not spoken at all, but it also shows a desire to engage with immigrant communities and to invest resources into relationship building. Translated signs and documents can create a more welcoming environment for immigrant communities and building additional trust. Interpretation can also be important for meetings that immigrants attend. It is important when conducting outreach to immigrant groups to have a reliable interpreter arranged beforehand.
Whenever possible, organizations and service providers should also compensate translators and interpreters, and not solely rely on volunteer services. The ability to speak multiple languages is a valuable skill, and local community members should be fairly compensated for the service that is provided.
For more information on recommendations related to translation and interpretation, see the Translation and Interpretation section.
An underappreciated barriers creating disconnect between immigrant populations and the larger community is geographic separation. Immigrant families in this region usually live in different areas than service providers, who may not be based in residential districts. Because transportation is an issue for many immigrants, and because trust is frequently developed through regular interaction instead of understanding and being confident in systems of support, this geographic separation can prevent immigrants from accessing services.
Decentralizing access by locating connectors to services within neighborhoods where immigrants live can be a way to address some of these issues. By establishing a connector or service provider within a residential community or frequently trafficked area, making it feel welcoming, and staffing it with someone from the neighborhood who knows and is known by the community, service providers can avoid transportation challenges and increase trust. If these individuals have cultural knowledge and language skills relevant to local immigrant groups, it will only further improve connections with immigrant communities.
Coordination among service providers can be a valuable tool for increasing outreach to immigrant communities. There are many organizations that engage regularly with immigrant communities and can provide valuable insights and connections for collaborative efforts. While these organizations are limited, and therefore will not be able to attend every meeting, their experience and relationships can be a valuable addition to ongoing discussions.
One of the most effective ways to connect with immigrant communities and to gain input into collective decision making is to invite immigrant leaders and community members to meetings and discussions. However, sending out invitations is not always enough to facilitate successful participation. Meetings designed for government officials, nonprofit staff, or business leaders may not be conducive to immigrant participation. In addition, it is important to recognize the power dynamics that may be present in your meeting and that may limit communication. Inviting an immigrant community member to join a meeting with the chief of police or the CEO of a major company may create a dynamic where that community member is unable to freely express themselves. While this situation is not always avoidable, recognizing it and taking steps to mitigate any issues will serve to better promote immigrant participation.
Below is a list of some best practices that may be valuable for facilitating immigrant participation in meetings or activities:
- Provide Translation/Interpretation: Providing translation and interpretation services will enable the participation of immigrants that do not speak English as their primary language.
- Make the meeting action focused: Many immigrant community members (especially those that are volunteers and are not attending as part of their job) are more likely to come it the meeting is focused on the development of programming, instead of only sharing information.
- Connect the meeting to another desirable service: Combining a meeting or information session with another service that immigrant community members are interested in can help increase attendance. If immigrants are already planning to participate in a nutrition class, a legal clinic, or a church service, holding the meeting in combination with this existing event will be more convenient and increase participation.
- Include follow up: Outreach to immigrant individuals should continue even after they attend their first meeting. Demonstrating that a meeting will be held consistently by regularly reaching out to that person about future meetings can be important for building trust, and therefore sustained participation.
- Invite immigrant-facing social service providers to attend, and ask for their help: Organizations that work closely with immigrants have important connections, cultural knowledge, and established trust with immigrant communities. Their partnership in hosting meetings can make those meetings much more effective.
- Make someone from that community a facilitator: Asking a member of the immigrant community to facilitate the meeting can make other immigrants more comfortable while also addressing language and cultural knowledge concerns. Doing this will require first building trust with that facilitator, as well as making sure that they feel trained and supported in their efforts.
- Utilize flexible times and locations: Meetings that work best for staff at service providers may not be the most convenient for immigrant community members. Holding meetings after work hours or on the weekends and at more convenient locations will allow greater immigrant participation.
- Use “hybrid” meetings: Including both teleconferencing and in-person meetings can allow for the greatest amount of immigrant participation. While some community members may have limited access to the internet, others who face transportation or child care may only be able to attend if the meetings have an online option.
- Provide compensation and food: An immigrant individual’s time is valuable, and if they are being asked to attend a meeting, compensating them for their involvement can be important. This could involve a stipend, but even providing a meal can build trust and make immigrants much more able to participate.
- Provide child care: Providing child care at the premises, or making the meeting family friendly, can be important for allowing many immigrants to participate in meetings.
- Visualization tools: For individuals for whom English is not their primary language, prioritizing the use of images and icons over written words can help facilitate more participation. Tools such as graphic facilitation can be effective at helping engage immigrant audiences.
- Breakout groups, more informal setups: Large and formal meetings can discourage some immigrant community members from voicing opinions and concerns. Utilizing breakout groups, smaller discussions, and seating arrangements where participate sit face-to-face or around tables can create a more welcoming environment for some community members.
One effective way of conducting outreach to immigrant families is by engaging multiple generations of those families at the same time. Two-generation (2Gen) programming does not focus exclusively on children or adults but considers the family as a whole in order to utilize a more holistic approach. Engaging immigrant families can be a valuable technique for several reasons, including:
- Some immigrant families live in multigenerational households and frequently involve multiple generations in decision making;
- It builds connections to social services for multiple individuals at the same time, instead of requiring different interactions or multiple appointments; and
- It enables the leveraging of diverse skills within the family, such as linguistic or cultural knowledge.
Models to Consider:
- The Aspen Institute compiled a series of reports and webinars investigating the use of 2Gen practices with immigrant and refugee families. The series covered four main topic areas: cultural competency, growing language skills, working with immigrants of different legal status, and building trust with families.
To read about Building Connections with Immigrant Communities, click here. Use the following links to explore more deeply:
- For Capacity and Power Building, click here
- For Outreach, click here
- For Navigators, click here
- For Cultural Events, click here
To read a discussion regarding Ongoing Collective Work on Immigration, click here
For a review of seven different Issues Facing Immigrant Communities, click here
For a list of Priority Recommendations, click here
To return to the Welcome Page, click here