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December 2007
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Using a Historical Tour to Teach Extension Audiences About Diversity and Human Rights
Susan Traver
Brian P. Luckey
Harriet Shaklee
Arlinda Nauman
Audrey Liddil
Kathee Tifft
Laura Laumatia University of Idaho Extension Abstract: Idaho's Journey for Diversity and Human Rights is a traveling workshop designed to teach about the roots of the state's people and their human rights challenges. Designers planned to acquaint participants with the richness and diversity of Idaho's past and broaden their perspective on the way in which past residents coped with issues not much different from those current residents face. Participants report gains in knowledge of Idaho's past and present challenges of human rights and diversity and plan to apply that knowledge in their daily lives. Educators can modify and replicate Idaho's Journey to fit any state or region. IntroductionIdaho is the third fastest growing state in the nation (Bernstein, 2006), with dramatic population shifts that have altered the character and dynamics of communities. Notable changes include growth in Latino representation, influxes of retirees, changes in the religious makeup of communities, increases in migrant groups, issues of Native American sovereignty, and a shift from an agrarian and natural resource-based economy to service and technology industries. Besides these issues, Idaho developed a poor human rights reputation when the Neo-Nazi Aryan Nations established a headquarters in northern Idaho. Added together, Idaho has many human rights issues that need to be addressed with education and compassion.
To help Idaho communities cope with these issues, University of Idaho Extension developed an educational program to approach concerns about intergroup tension and human rights. Idaho's Journey for Diversity and Human Rights is a traveling workshop designed to train participants in the historical roots of Idaho's constituent groups and the state's challenges as well as successes in human rights and inclusiveness throughout its history. Idaho's Journey for Diversity and Human RightsOrganizers designed Idaho's Journey so participants could:
Idaho's Journey is a 2- or 3-day workshop in which participants travel, stay, and eat together, learning about the human rights and diversity issues of the region. Whenever possible, representatives of a group's history tell the stories of that community. Historical experts, often university professors, supplement local presentations. Idaho's Journey was launched in northern Idaho in July 2005. In Coeur d'Alene, leaders of the area Human Rights Task Force described how they overcame the hate message of the Neo-Nazi organization, the Aryan Nations, by following the teachings of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Although it took 20 years, the "compound" of the Aryan Nations is now a peace park. On the second day, participants traveled to the Coeur d'Alene Reservation to hear the experiences of Coeur d'Alene tribal elders and their ancestors in the boarding school system. The Journey concluded in Wallace, where participants learned about suffragist May Hutton, who helped Idaho women win voting rights in 1896, the fourth state in the nation to grant women's suffrage. Participants also learned about the often-deadly efforts to unionize the silver mining industry in that area. Three additional workshops have been held throughout the state, incorporating historical landmarks such as Idaho's Ann Frank Memorial, Idaho City Historical Museum, Pioneer Cemeteries in Boise and Idaho City, Spanish Village, the Basque Center, the Minidoka Internment National Monument, Three Island Crossing on the Oregon Trail, the Fort Hall Replica, and the Sho-Ban Tribal Museum. To date, the four Journeys have attracted an average of 20 participants. This size allows groups to visit smaller historical sites, to share transportation and stay together at a single hotel, and to develop meaningful relationships among themselves. Program Planning and FundingExtension organizers received a planning grant for regional meetings to bring together groups and individuals who could provide the historical and human rights background necessary for the success of the Journeys. Organizers met with representatives from state agencies, including Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Commerce and Labor, and the Idaho Human Rights Commission. National agencies participating included the National Parks Service and the U.S. Forest Service. Idaho nonprofit groups that helped organize the Journeys consisted of the NAACP, the Idaho Hispanic Caucus, the Agency for New Americans, the Idaho Human Rights Education Center, the Kootenai County Human Rights Task Force, and the Idaho Black History Museum. Three of Idaho's largest tribes were involved in planning and execution of the Journeys, including the Sho-Ban, the Coeur d'Alene, and the Nez Perce tribes Additional meetings brought together educators from colleges within the University of Idaho, including professors in history, archeology, sociology, women's studies, and Native American studies. Educators from other Idaho colleges and universities also provided information about sites in different areas of the state. This program has allowed colleges not usually involved in Extension outreach to participate as full partners in an experience with a positive impact on participants and the University of Idaho. Program expenses for Idaho's Journey include transportation, overnight accommodations, meals, speaker honoraria, marketing, and advertising. Program costs have been funded by participant fees ($125-200 per person), business sponsorships, and grant funds. University of Idaho Extension Districts have also provided funding to lower costs for participants. Program marketing has focused on specific groups who would find the Journey most relevant to their work or daily experience. Extension educators involved in each Journey passed out brochures, spoke with media contacts, and worked with human rights groups to market the program to teachers, human rights groups, and community leaders. Idaho's Journey OutcomesProgram effectiveness was tested using a retrospective pre-test methodology, with participants rating their knowledge and skills at the end of the program and retrospectively rating their understanding at the beginning of the program. Ratings were made on a 7 point scale, with 0=low and 6=high. A matched-pairs t-test comparing pre and post ratings for each question shows sizeable and significant changes for all questions. Table 1 shows responses for the first Idaho's Journey. The three other Idaho Journeys showed comparable effects. Those data are not included but are available from the authors upon request.
The Journey ContinuesIdaho's Journey moves to different regions of the state each year. Over several years, the program can develop a cadre of individuals well grounded in Idaho's human rights and diversity issues and their historical roots. A solid historical perspective on the campaigns of the past can shore up the resolve of individuals to persevere in their current human rights work. Shared Idaho's Journey experiences can help build a statewide network to support the work of groups and individuals. In these ways, this Extension program will help develop communities that more effectively include the full diversity of their residents. ReferencesBernstein, R. (2006, December). Louisiana loses population; Arizona edges Nevada as fastest-growing state. Retrieved January 29, 2007, from http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/007910.html This article is online at http://www.joe.org/joe/2007december/iw2.shtml. Copyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become the property of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use in educational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematic large-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal Editorial Office, joe-ed@joe.org. If you have difficulties viewing or printing this page, please contact JOE Technical Support. |
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