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

Facebook

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) 865-7389agonzalez@ruralcap.com

Twitter: @ayatlin | Blog: AthabascanWoman.com