Radio has a weekly reach of around 82% among adults, and it's an effective means to engage Minnesota's diverse cultural communities particularly through groups like AMPERS, an association of 17 independent community radio stations, such as KFAI.
Building off a successful project in the Hmong community about HPV vaccination, a team from SoLaHmo, a community-driven research organization, created a series of community-developed radio stories about COVID-19 vaccination in the Somali, Native American and Latin American communities in partnership with FUHN, a network of community health centers.
Each radio story centered on a family and the reasons for their vaccine hesitancy and what ultimately led them to get vaccinated. The stories reflect what we heard from patients and community leaders we interviewed. Here’s a preview of one of the radio stories.
Join us to:
- Learn about the community-engagement process and research-based approach
- Gain insight in creating community-driven stories that reflect authentic concerns and experiences of community members
- Learn about the process of creating stories that blend community leader perspectives and lived experiences of community members
- Hear "lessons learned" about the process and technology tools
Wednesday, September 25, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (CST)
Virtual - link will be sent 1 week prior to webinar.
Speakers:
.jpg)
Dr. M. Beatriz Torres, Associate Professor of Public Health, Mercyhurst University
Dr. Torres has a PhD in Communication from Ohio University and Master’s degrees in Organizational Communication and Public Health (M.P.H.) specializing in Community Health Promotion and Health Disparities from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on community health promotion, health disparities and public health communication. She has been working with Somali, Latino and Hmong Partnership for Health and Wellness (SoLaHmo) since 2012, as a consultant/collaborator, community researcher, and more recently a member of SoLaHmo working on community based participatory research (CBPR) projects. In these projects, Torres acted as a facilitator, building community partners’ capacity training, co-analyzing data, designing/disseminating health specific content and products that were linguistically and culturally appropriate for our communities, as well as developing CBPR trainings/education/curriculum modules. Torres also brings twenty-three years of experience as educator/trainer. Eighteen of those years were spent teaching undergraduate and graduate students in university contexts, which emphasize lifelong learning, service, and social justice.
Kristen Spargo, Principal, Take Flight Communications
Kristen Spargo is a writer and marketing communications consultant. A storyteller at heart, Spargo works with health care, education, and nonprofit organizations to capture stories that compel people to act. She has a long and proven track record of developing and implementing successful integrated communications efforts, most recently with the Itasca Project’s First 1000 Days initiative and Little Moments Count. Previously, she was the director of the health care and medical device practice at Padilla, where she led the venerable agency’s award-winning work with Be The Match, AGA Medical Corp. (now Abbott Laboratories), and Mercy Medical Center, among other clients.
Most of Spargo’s work focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly in health care. Currently, she partners with the Federally Qualified Health Center Urban Health Network (FUHN), a coalition of 10 Twin Cities-based community health centers; YWCA Minneapolis; and the Cultural Wellness Center, an African American nonprofit that uses culture as a tool for health and healing.
