Connecting Cultures: Engaging Latinos in Science Education

Connecting Cultures Newsletter
from Environment for the Americas

April 2014

In This Issue

Disparities in S.T.E.M.

Environmental Justice Conference

Celebrate Shorebirds

Keep In Touch

Webinar Trainings

EFTA recently hosted a diversity engagement webinar training for AmeriCorps staff members. Educators and service providers from AmeriCorps are interested in strengthening their ties with Latino communities across the country. EFTA's training reviewed the results of the National Science Foundation study "Engaging Latino Audiences in Informal Science Education" and shared information from our Connecting Cultures toolkit.

We also hosted a bird conservation webinar for PeaceCorps volunteers in Mexico. Participants learned about the suite of Spanish educational and public engagement tools we offer.

To request a training for your organization, please contact contact nkerr@birdday.org.

International Migratory

Bird Day

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is the educational focus of the Connecting Cultures diversity engagement work. The 2014 IMBD theme is Why Birds Matter- The Benefits of Birds to Humans & Nature. Learn more and participate!

Art sculptured by Elias St. Louis

Spanish Language Resources

Find free Spanish language teaching materials at our website!

Use the 2014 International Migratory Bird Day PowerPoint presentation in Spanish.

Latino Engagement Resources

Visit our toolkit for resources on demographics, diversity recruitment, education and public policy issues. Contact Natasha Kerr (nkerr@birdday.org) for more information.

Environment for the Americas

Environment for the Americas (EFTA), home of International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), is a non-profit organization working to increase awareness of birds and their conservation throughout the Western Hemisphere. EFTA provides the framework and education materials for bird festivals and events, hosts a directory of bird education resources, offers bird workshops for educators, and motivates people of all ages to get outdoors to learn about birds. Find out more at www.birdday.org.

Environment for the Americas

Home of International Migratory Bird Day

5171 Eldorado Springs Dr.

Suite N

Boulder, Colorado 80303

866.334.3330

Environment for the Americas

Environment for the Americas received a second year of support from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the America's Great Outdoors program. In 2014, we are excited to train 9 interns who will promote awareness of birds and their conservation in Latino communities and gather valuable data on migratory shorebirds. Many thanks for following our work!

Sincerely,

Susan Bonfield
Environment for the Americas

Disparities in STEM

Latinos account for only 7% of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workforce nationwide. This demographic group is underrepresented in natural resources careers in private sectors, federal agencies, and non-profit organizations. A recent

"Report to the President on Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government" found that 8.2% of the federal civilian workforce is Hispanic and only 3.1 % of 2012 new top hires in general resources management & biological sciences are Hispanic. Environment for the Americas is doing its part to address this issue by exposing youth and young adults to the sciences. Our internships and public outreach and education programs encourage minority youth to pursue careers in natural resources. Learn more at U.S. Census Report.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

EFTA Attends Environmental Justice Conference

Left to right: Pedro Nieto (US Forest Service), Tamberly Conway (USFS), Natasha Kerr (EFTA), Kimberly Winter (USFS), and Sergio de Hoyos (2013 USFS/EFTA intern)

EFTA participated on a panel at the National Conference on Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C. to discuss Latino engagement initiatives at the U.S. Forest Service. Celebrate Shorebirds is among these initiatives and is one of the few that offers career training for college and post-college Latina/o youth. In 2013, intern, Serio De Hoyos presented his research about the growing Latino/Hispanic demographic and the lack of Latinos in certain sectors of federal agencies.

To learn more about the conference visit: thenejc.org.

2014 Celebrate Shorebirds Project

Back row (left to right): Cara Ascarrunz, Carlos Morales, Erica Gaeta & Carlos Jauregui. Front row (left to right): Lucila Fernandez, Deisy Hernandez, Sally Garcia & Karina Garcia.

Not pictured: Mianna Maestas

Our Celebrate Shorebirds program offers Latino youth opportunities to work with natural resource agencies and organizations in the Western U.S. The 2014 crew traveled to San Diego, California in March to participate in an intensive weeklong training. During the training, dubbed "bird bootcamp", the interns learned how to identify shorebirds and submit their data to an international shorebird research project. Interns also explored issues of diversity and the environment, learned environmental education and public affairs techniques, and heard from expert panelists on how to pursue careers in natural resources. This spring and summers, interns will be responsible for offering bilingual community education programs and International Migratory Bird Day activities at their sites. The interns are placed with partners at the following locations:

Cara Ascarrunz- Boulder, CO (EFTA office)
Lucila Fernandez- Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, OR (Bureau of Land Management)
Erica Gaeta- Copper River Delta, AK (US Forest Service)
Karina Garcia & Carlos Morales- Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, CA (Bureau of Land Management & California Dept. Fish & Wildlife)
Sally Garcia & Carlos Jauregui- Los Angeles, CA (LA Audubon)
Deisy Hernandez & Mianna Maestas - San Luis Vally, CO (Bureau of Land Management)

The interns provide frequent updates on their blog! Be sure to follow their adventures. We wish the interns the best of luck with their fieldwork and community engagement projects.

2014 Celebrate Shorebirds Sponsors and Partners: America's Great Outdoors, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, Los Angeles Audubon, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Point Blue Conservation Science, & U.S. Forest Service.