dos and don’ts in rural alaska outreach campaigns in anchorage 11 18-15
TRANSCRIPT
Dos and Don’ts in Rural Alaska Outreach Campaigns
PRSA Alaska ChapterNovember 18, 2015Anchorage, Alaska
@PRSAalaska #prsa
alaska
Dos and Don’ts Tailoring messages for multiple platforms in rural
Alaska Using social media to reach rural Alaskans Lessons learned in outreach to rural Alaskans Traditional ways of reaching rural Alaskans Trends in reaching rural Alaskans
Outline
Don’t assume Alaska Natives and the Native Americans are the same
Don’t assume that one size fits all. Each region has different cultural backgrounds
Don’t assume Alaska Natives are living in the old days Don’t assume all rural Alaskans are Alaska Native. There are
plenty of non-Natives in rural Alaska Don’t judge by appearance Don’t believe all of the bad stats Don’t assume rural Alaskans have the same phone/internet
speed as you
Don’ts
The American Indian and Alaska Native Culture Card, A Guide to Build Cultural Awareness – 2009 intends to enhance cultural competence when serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. It covers regional differences, cultural customs, spirituality, communications styles. Other topics covered include the role of veterans and the elderly, and health disparities, such as suicide.
http://laborstats.alaska.gov/census/maps.htm
Alaska Native People"In fact, the phrase “Alaska Native” is not really an ethnic designation, although it often is used that way. “Alaska Native” actually denotes a legal political standing found in our Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), a unique piece of legislation that does not exist anywhere else in the world." -Dr. Jeane Breinig, Professor and Associate Dean for the Humanities, University of Alaska Anchorage
First Alaskans Magazine Summer 2014 cover
Don’t depend on the weather Don’t go to rural Alaska if you are not dressed properly Don’t travel to rural Alaska and expect everyone to drop
everything they are doing to accommodate you Don’t make last minute requests Don’t assume the rural communities are like the city
(travel, transportation, housing, communications, restaurants, etc.)
Don’ts - Traveling
Transportation in rural Alaska
Transportation in rural Alaska
Make requests as far in advance as possible Reach out to community leaders to let them know
your plans, even if it is just a courtesy. Check in with them when you come into town
Build relationships with community representatives. You can gain a lot of knowledge from them
Have a local ambassador to help you open the doors and smooth the way
Ask questions if you don’t understand something Bring door prizes and food to events you host
Dos
Potatoes in the produce section in a village.
Photo by Joaqlin Estus, KNBA
Dress properly for weather conditions Dress code is more casual Teach/provide resources to staff about rural Alaska Sponsor regional/local events Be patient Speak in layman's terms
Dos, continued
Erica Meckel at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, July 2015.
Photo by Frank Stelges
Wanda Solomon at 2015 AFN.
Photo by Angela Gonzalez
Department of Energy – Office of Indian Energy Booth
Review your promotion materials for cultural sensitivity. Have a local person do this if possible
Show respect for everyone, especially elders and community leaders
Be authentic and transparent; be helpful; be yourself Introduce yourself and create a personal connection
Where you are from (how you came to Alaska if you are from out of state)
Why you love your job Any credentials that are important to what you are doing
Answer the question – Why is it important to them?
Dos, continued
Speak to a certain area – music, people, activities or language
Ask a local about how they hear about events How can a PSA translate into a VHF readable message? Read local stories/advertisements. How are they
presented?
Tailoring messages for multiple platforms in rural Alaska
Lessons learned in outreach to rural Alaskans
Reach out to locals Find out how people can be reached locally Partnerships help Direct mail
Making it too large Keeping mailing list up-to-date Timing – Summertime is bad for direct mail Lack of follow-up with phone calls
Use of technology
Quinhagak Energy Wise Crew Leader Jackie Cleveland making a PowerPoint Presentation
Meeting in Fort Yukon scheduled for late August
Traditional ways of reaching rural Alaskans
Radio Print and direct mail are still
vital in rural Alaska Television Interactive Media Face to face, word-of-mouth
Reached through: Advertising Public Service Announcements
(PSAs) Earned Media
Trends in reaching rural Alaskans
Sponsoring regional events; dog mushing and other sports; guides and cookbooks and other local publications, etc.
Facebook (pages, people and campaigns); sweepstakes/drawings; ads
Tribal/Native corporation/health newsletters and social media channels
B-Roll
Photos and videos receive the most reach on Facebook.
Emergency communication
Leona Long, PIO of UAF College of Rural and Community Development – video release
B-Roll
Trends in reaching rural Alaskans
VHF radio Bloggers – audience and influence Digital storytelling Twitter Flyers – send for distribution
(electronic & paper copies) Similar to a 30-second PSA to be read locally
Venetie Native Store
UAF Interior Alaska Campus Flyer for Class
• Locals featured• Local people tagged• Flyer also posted
locally• Photos
Educational video with Yup’ik language and translation.
AmeriCorps Recruitment featuring members from rural Alaska
Resources
SAMHSA - Culture Card www.samhsa.gov/behavioral-health-equity/ai-an
Alaskool www.alaskool.org Alaska Native Knowledge Network www.ankn.uaf.edu Father Michael Oleksa – Cross-Cultural Communications
www.fatheroleksa.org Nalliq Blog by Cordelia Kellie: nalliq.com (Stories and poetry about
Indigenous issues) RurAL CAP’s Village Voices Newsletter www.alaskavillagevoices.org Alaska Community Database Online
www.commerce.alaska.gov/dcra/DCRAExternal/community
State of Alaska Community Database
Questions?
Angela GonzalezCommunications CoordinatorRural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP)(907) [email protected]
Twitter: @ayatlin | Blog: AthabascanWoman.com