This public health communication campaign proposal is one that aims to build resilient children of Latinx Migrant Farmworkers (LMFW) through the family unit. The target population of the communication is the children's adult caregivers. They will be presented with information on the basics and long-term impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), the risks specific to migrant farmworker children, and most importantly they will be education on how to bring resilience-building techniques into their own home. I named it Fuerza en la Familia, which translates to "Strength in the Family."
LMFW children are an educationally disenfranchised marginalized population. They experience adversities over the course of their childhood such as poverty, frequent mobility and migration, marginalization and discrimination, undocumented residency status, and frequent educational disruptions (Stein, Gonzales, Coll, & Prandoni, 2016). These chronic stressors and situational challenges lead them to be at risk for lower academic achievement, and higher rates of anxiety, depression, or substance abuse (Taylor & Ruiz, 2018; Green, 2003). However, having a strong familial bond is a protective factor against these adverse and chronic experiences throughout the childhood. LMFW children are with their family consistently -- wherever they may move during agricultural seasons, it will be with their family. For this reason, I decided that the perfect way to mitigate risks for these children is to empower their parents. These caregivers have the ability to raise resilient children who will overcome their challenges; all they need is the information.
The proposal includes a partnership with RCMA. RCMA stands for for Redlands Christian Migrant Association, and it serves to provide early childcare and education for the children of migrant farmworkers in rural, low-income populations. The partnership will be with the RCMA in La Guadalupana, which lies in the greater Ocala area. RCMA also places their childcare facilities in the center of all the housing that migrant farmworkers reside in, so this is a prime location to disseminate health communication materials.
This communication campaign relies on educational products. The first product I created was an infographic. The purpose of this infographic was to spread awareness of the risks through facts and visuals. It also provides tips on what protects against these risks, so that the caregivers can be informed on what to focus on throughout their parenting or guardianship. This infographic also includes contact information for questions on what the campaign is. It is intended to be spread all over the RCMA community facilities.
The next product is a poster for an event that teaches resilience-building techniques to parents. The poster includes information about the event, which will be hosted at the RCMA cafeteria. It also clarifies that child-care and dinner will be provided, which will hopefully incentivize the adult family members to come. This event will be designed to both educate caregivers on the facts and risks that their children may face being migrant children, while also teaching them what needs to be in a household that raises a resilient child.
Finally, I created a podcast that will be used to educate parents and adult family members about building resilient children. Part of the campaign will be to lend out free CD copies to RCMA so that they can offer them to parents at the front desk. In addition, there will be a link to a Soundcloud, Spotify, and iTunes recording, in addition to an MP3 file, if the adults have access to internet -- for them to be able to listen at home -- or in the center’s computer lab. This podcast is the introductory course to what will hopefully progress into a series of podcasts for Fuerza en la Familia.
The primary goal in this campaign is to promote resilience-building through the family unit. Through teaching adult caregivers what ACEs are (and what their long-term effects can be), and through equipping them to build resilient children, this program will succeed in enabling the family unit to raise a strong, empowered, confident, and healthy child who has the ability to overcome any challenges they may face.
References:
Green, P. (2003). The undocumented: Educating the children of the migrant workers in America. Bilingual Research Journal, 27, 51-71.
Stein, G. L., Gonzales, R. G., Coll, C. G., & Prandoni, J. I. (2016). Latinos in rural, new immigrant destinations: A modification of the integrative model of child development. In Rural ethnic minority youth and families in the United States: Theory, research, and applications (pp. 37–56). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Taylor, Z.E., Ruiz, Y. (2018). Executive function, dispositional resilience, and cognitive engagement in Latinx children of migrant farmworkers. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 57–63
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