Luminous Concepts Photography by Dawn Vogel
The Center for Cross-Cultural Health and HarmonyWorks Present:
Changing Communities:
Willmar
Skills to Action Series
A cultural competency leadership development program for emerging and existing leaders
What is Changing Communities: Willmar?
Changing Communities: Willmar is a community-wide initiative on cultural competency led by the Center for Cross-Cultural Health. The first phase of the project began in April 2003 with initial funding provided by BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota Foundation. The project has two parallel tracks, a community-wide cultural competency assessment and an organizational cultural competency development project being implemented at Affiliated Community Medical Center’s Urgent Care Department.
During the past 14 months, the project goals have been to:
1) Build a network of individuals and organizations from the ethnic communities and other key partners such as health care facilities, education, business, chamber of commerce, law enforcement, government, finance, and faith communities to be a part of a working alliance and/or leadership team.
2) Research and gather information such as existing diversity and cultural competency initiatives, programs serving diverse ethnic communities, strengths, and gaps.
3) Identify a health care organization for the cultural competency development project.
4) Create project scope and preliminary findings.
5) Create a photo documentary journaling the community initiative.
In addition to continuing the momentum of the first year and the relationships that have been built with the community, a primary goal of the next phase of Changing Communities: Willmar is to provide the residents of Willmar with awareness, knowledge, and skills to build a culturally competent city that values diversity, overcomes health and social disparities and has culturally responsive systems that meet the different cultural needs of its residents. The means to accomplish this goal will continue on two tracks. On a community-wide scale, Skills to Action, a cultural competency leadership program (described below) will be implemented. On an organizational level, the project at Affiliated will focus specifically on developing Affiliated Community Medical Center Urgent Care as a culturally competent service provider.
What is Skills to Action Series?
In order to ensure sustainable outcomes of the overall project, Skills to Action will develop a core group of existing and emerging leaders with the awareness, knowledge and skills necessary to grow as an individual and community leader of cultural competency in Willmar. An integral part of the program is to mentor emerging leaders in the cultural communities to co-facilitate the program and to take a more active role as leaders in Willmar. It is also to incorporate case scenarios specific to Willmar throughout the program for participants to apply their knowledge gained from the program to their respective organizations, communities and families in Willmar.
To ensure representation for the diverse individuals and agencies that make up the city of Willmar, 25-30 local existing and emerging leaders that reflect the diversity of the community and are representatives of healthcare, education, public health, law enforcement, human services, faith-based organizations, business/corporate community, and city/government and the diverse cultural communities will be identified to participate in the program. Select participants who complete the program will serve on a local task force to lead the city’s cultural competency assessment and goal-setting process. The task force will work in a locally defined relationship (in collaboration) with the Vision 2020 steering committee.
Participants:
The 25-30 participants for the Skills to Action series will represent local organizations and agencies and the different cultural communities within Willmar. Participants will be chosen from housing, healthcare, public health, education, law enforcement, faith communities, local business, and city/government organizations and agencies. Participants will also include existing or emerging leaders from the cultural communities, including, Latino, Somali, East African, African American, Native American, Asian, and European American.Projected Timeline:
The target date for the launch of the series is January 2005. The first phase of the series will include five 4-hour sessions in five consecutive months, from January though May 2005. The second phase of the series will have five 4-hour sessions, also in five consecutive months. The second series will be implemented from September 2005 through January 2006.
June - August 2004
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Customize Skills to Action series for Willmar community
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Identify local sponsors for program
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Apply for grant funding
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Maintain existing relationships and build new relationships with local agencies and cultural communities/
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Launch marketing and outreach plan for the Skills to Action series
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Partner with Willmar Cultural Liaison and Blandin Foundation to collaborate on project plan
September – December 2004
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Identify participants for program
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Continue securing local sponsors for program
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Follow-up on grant application
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Continue relationship building with other agencies and cultural communities
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Continue marketing campaign to get participants for the Skills to Action series
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Continue partnership with Willmar Cultural Liaison
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Plan logistics for Skills to Action series
January – May 2005
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Implementation of Phase One: Promoting Individual Skills and Growing as a Leader
June – August 2005
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Session break
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Field Work Assignments: Participants will create their own work plan to implement a fieldwork project that will apply the knowledge, skills, and awareness from the first five sessions
September 2005 – January 2006
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Implementation of Phase Two: Creating System and Community Change
February 2006 – August 2006
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Evaluation of Skills to Action series
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Creation of local task force to lead the city’s cultural competency process
Program Costs:
The program costs for the series total $48,425. The cost of coordination, planning and outreach is $11,675. The per session cost of the series is $3,675, totaling $36,750 for implementation of the 10-session series.
In order to keep this series affordable for participants, the Center for Cross-Cultural Health and Harmony Works is requesting grant funding and community support for the project.
Sponsorship:
Local organizations, agencies, and businesses are being asked to sponsor the Skills to Action Series. All Sponsors will be recognized at their level of giving.
Sponsors are also invited to send a representative to attend the kick-off celebration in January 2005, and encouraged to register one or more of their staff to participate in the series.
| Sponsorship (monetary or in-kind donations) | |
| Platinum Level: $5,000 + | Sponsor’s name and logo are listed on the Skills to Action brochure and promotional materials, participant materials, and on the CCCH website. Sponsor will also receive one copy of CCCH publications: “Caring Across Cultures: The Providers Guide to Cross-Cultural Health” and “Six Steps Toward Cultural Competency”. |
| Gold Level: $2,500 – 4,999 | Sponsor’s name and logo are listed on the Skills to Action brochure and promotional materials, participant materials, and on the CCCH website. |
| Silver Level: $1,000 - $2,499 | Sponsor’s name is listed on the Skills to Action brochure and promotional materials; Sponsor’s name and logo are listed on the Skills to Action participant materials and on CCCH website. |
| Bronze Level: $500 - $999 | Sponsor’s name is listed on the Skills to Action brochure, promotional materials, participant materials and on CCCH website. |
