FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2011

CONTACT: Beth Mastin

mastin@newroutes.org
608-236-0674

WEBCAST AND RESEARCH DETAILS BEST PRACTICES IN

MEDIA MAKING TO IMPROVE IMMIGRANT HEALTH

MADISON,  WI  –  New Routes to Community Health  announces  publication  of  Immigrant  Media  Making—New  
Voices  for  Community  Health.  The  report  outlines  how  community  organizations  and  those  who  fund  
social  change  can  best  leverage  the  power  of  media  making  to  help  improve  health  in  immigrant  and  
other  communities  with  significant  health  disparities.    A  national  webcast  detailing  report  
recommendations,  to  be  hosted  by  the  University of Wisconsin Center for Nonprofits,  will  take  place  on  
Tuesday,  June  7,  2011  from  12:00  –  1:00  p.m.  CDT.  Please  use  this  link  to  register  for  the  free  webcast:  
https://secure.uwex.edu/semtek/register/reg_special.cfm?sessionid=W11T4134001140&groupid=ARG.    
 
The  report  is  based  on  interviews  with  50  leaders  nationwide  in  sectors  related  to  community  health  
improvement  and  an  in-­‐depth  analysis  of  relevant  research.  Community  media  makers’  
recommendations  include:    
• Engage community members in all aspects of the media-making process.
• Use storytelling to motivate action for social change.
• Carefully define the audience and create actionable messages and outreach strategies.
• Use the media-making process as a community building and capacity building tool.

Recommendations and examples of best practices for those who fund social change include:

• Set up financing models that enable civic participation among underserved groups.
• Encourage communities to define the results that are important to them.
• Design programs to allow organizations sufficient time and flexibility to build trust, establish partnerships, and
support leadership and youth development in the media-making process.

Research results will be presented by report author, Mary Michaud, Principal, Health Forward Consulting. A panel
discussion will highlight best practices in action. Scheduled panelists include:

• Carol Bershad, Senior Curriculum/Instructional Design Associate, Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC),
Health and Human Development (HHD) division.
• Mayur Patel, Vice President/Strategy and Assessment, Knight Foundation.
• Silvia Rivera, Managing Director, Chicago Public Radio’s Vocalo.org.

Who should participate:

• Philanthropists interested in immigrant and refugee issues, community health improvement, public health, social
innovation, and media.
• Staff and advisers of public agencies who are exploring innovative approaches to community engagement for
health improvement.
• Immigrant advocacy and local media makers working on community health improvement projects.

New Routes to Community Health is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with direction and
technical assistance provided by the Benton Foundation and MasComm Associates. It was launched in 2007 to explore a
simple idea: that immigrants could speak for themselves about health topics that mattered to them. In eight cites across
the United States, what has emerged from this program is a practice-based theory about the power of immigrants using
their own stories to promote community health. Visit http://newroutes.org/ to learn more.

New Routes to Community Health  4510 Regent Street  Madison, WI 53705  newroutes.org
The UW Center for Nonprofits provides students, scholars, and community practitioners a platform to collaborate on
issues of critical importance to civil society and the nonprofit sector.

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New Routes to Community Health  4510 Regent Street  Madison, WI 53705  newroutes.org