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www.cambiodecolores.org
latinosintheheartland.com
Cambio de Colores is an annual conference that, since 2002, brings together researchers, practitioners, and community members to discuss the issues that Missouri and all Heartland states face as a result of the demographic changes that became evident in the 2000 Census. That census clearly showed large numbers of immigrants—most of them Latino or Hispanic, but including significant numbers of migrants and refugees from Asia, Africa and Europe—settling in rural and urban areas of every state in the region. Cambio de Colores is a collaborative effort of the University of Missouri campuses and Extension, other educational institutions in the Midwest region, as well as government and private organizations.
The 2010 meeting will be a multi-state conference, thanks to the cooperation of the University of Missouri's Cambio Center with the interstate initiative “Latinos and Immigrants in Midwestern Communities,” North Central Education and Research Activity 216 (NCERA 216).
The planning committee wants to stress that, even though Latinos from the U.S. and Latin America may constitute the majority of new arrivals in most areas of the region, there are communities and states where migrants from other areas of the world are settling. Integration of these very diverse groups is also being studied by academics and pursued by stakeholders, and they are becoming part and parcel of the Heartland’s social, economic, and cultural fabric.
The conference program builds on the sharing of university, government, and community resources, ranging from academic studies to the more applied perspective of people and institutions working at the heart of the changing communities.
The 2010 conference aims to bring state-of-the-art research and best practices that benefit the participants and inform decision-makers and policy makers of the multiple ways in which Midwestern stakeholders are addressing the most significant demographic change in decade. The conference will provide a platform to present, discuss, share, learn, and identify critical areas where the development of information and promising practices will facilitate the successful transition of all newcomers into our communities, as well as to provide these communities with the tools necessary to address these changes in ways that are beneficial to all. It will also be a very timely event to see the effects that current nation- and statewide discussions about immigrants and immigration are having in this transition.
This is a call for abstracts for research and best practices presentations.
There are five themes that provide the conference framework:
All submitted abstracts should relate to one or more of these themes. For a detailed explanation of these topics, please refer to the Description of Themes included in this document.
If your abstract is accepted, you will be able to present your work at the conference, and to submit a paper for publication in the 2010 Cambio de Colores book of proceedings. The conference proceedings will be distributed to all participants. Please see paper submission guidelines for details on preparing papers for the proceedings.
Proceedings from previous years are available at the Cambio de Colores Web site at www.cambiodecolores.org, where you will be able to review each year's Program pages in the Archival Site, and the Library page.
Please submit your abstract on line from January 15th through January 31st, 2010. Authors of papers and presentations selected for the conference will be notified by February 19th, 2010.
If you have difficulties uploading your abstract, or if you have any questions, please send a message to decolores@missouri.edu .
Presenters selected for the program will be requested to provide the paper in electronic format by April 19th, 2010.
TO PREPARE AN ABSTRACT:
Please indicate whether your abstract is a:
□ Panel presentation (20 minutes each speaker)
□ Research paper presentation (15 minutes)
□ Best practice paper presentation (15 minutes)
□ Workshop (up to 75 minutes)
Abstract content:
Please include the following in the abstract:
Submission Date: Papers will need to be submitted by April 19th, 2010 in order to be included in the 2010 conference proceedings.
Length: Limit the length of the paper to 6 pages maximum, References should be included and do not count against the six-page limit. Papers should be double-spaced with one-inch margins in Times Roman or equivalent 12 pt font. Include Title of the Paper, Name and affiliation of each author beginning with the primary author.
Format: Electronic text formats only, including .doc, .docx, .rtf and .txt. Do not submit as a pdf file.
Citation: Please follow APA style guidelines (www.apastyle.org).
All graphic elements, including diagrams and charts and graphs, must be submitted with the paper as .jpg, .gif, or .png files. They must be high-quality images at no less than 300 dpi and be at least 3.5 inches wide.
Committees have been formed around each theme, and they will evaluate and select the abstracts that best fit the needs of their respective tracks. Additional information will be sent to the presenters of the accepted abstracts with instructions for the conference. If you need assistance with abstract preparation or submission please send a message with your questions to the e-mail address decolores@missouri.edu.
Please upload your abstract to www.cambiodecolores.org, starting on January 15th, 2010. The deadline for submitting abstracts is January 31st, 2010.
All presenters will be responsible for their own travel expenses and conference registration fees ($200 regular, $175 early bird). More detailed registration and hotel information will be available at the conference website.
The increasing population of Latinos and immigrants arriving from all the globe into the Midwestern United States has affected communities, organizations and institutions, and given birth to many programs and practices across the region. The goal of the Conference is to utilize both the research and the experience of best practices, to better understand the settlement of the newcomer population and define the characteristics of the immigration phenomenon in the U.S. Heartland, and identify effective tools for integrating new populations in our places. For communities to thrive and prosper, they need to ensure that the growing newly arrived population becomes integrated. Integration, in this context, means full participation of the newcomers in the economic, social, cultural and political fabrics of the communities they live in, while preserving diversity and culture. We seek to learn from the experiences of communities in the Midwest and beyond. We encourage submissions related to the strategies communities take to address issues of immigration, measure the effects of the raids in rural Midwestern communities, and explore the opportunities, vulnerabilities, uniqueness, and commonalities associated with urban and rural Latinos and other immigrants. There is growing interest on studies about bridging diverse groups, settled and recently arrived, as well as cultural diversity, and policy leadership. Demographic studies also are part of this conference theme.
The goals of this conference theme are to raise awareness and to share initiatives about the legal issues that Latino and other immigrants face in the Midwest. The Civil Rights theme of the Cambio de Colores conference invites the submission of abstracts for presentations and workshops that will increase knowledge about legal and political matters facing Latino and other immigrants and that describe Midwestern experiences of application of specific legal tools to address those topics. We encourage submissions that deal with appropriate legal changes as well as training and information dissemination programs that strengthen the ability of immigrants and supporting organizations to respond to legal, political and cultural challenges. The present situation, albeit difficult and uncertain, offers hope for better policies both locally and nationally. Cambio de Colores is especially interested in presentations/ workshops about outreach programs and legislative efforts that have improved (or might improve) the climate in communities receiving Latino and other immigrants, and in presentations on current and historical research about the factors that favor or preclude integration of immigrants in the receiving communities.
Education plays an important role in the lives of Latinos in the United States. The 2010 Cambio de Colores Conference is interested in exploring educational issues, policies and practices that impact Latino and other immigrant learners of all ages. Special attention will be given to submissions that emphasize the experiences of Latinos and other newcomers in the Heartland – in comparison to coastal cities and states – as they become more important and prominent throughout this region of the U.S. The education committee would like to examine both the challenges that educational organizations may face in providing the best education for Latinos and all newcomers of varying immigration status, as well as consider their strengths and what they contribute to the educational system. Key educational research, policy and best practice topics include: the relationship of culture and achievement; English language learners; multicultural competencies in teacher training; implications of the No Child Left Behind Act and other federal, state, and local statutes; parental involvement; after-school programs; effects of national and state policies on achievement; retention in high school and universities; community education programs and resources; preparing for and access to post-secondary education; and programs in rural and urban school districts. Access to and success in higher education are also important topics, especially when comparing first and second generation newcomers.
Environment, genetics, medical care, and behavior are the primary variables determining physical and mental health and well-being. What is the effect of these factors on the health of Latinos and other newcomers in the Midwest? Topics to be discussed should include comparison of immigrants health status to other groups; translating research into practice (best practices); and policies which support or inhibit healthy behaviors. Key research themes may include: Community & research related to health care disparities: barriers to health care access and strategies to overcome them, networking for health care, community-based health care programs; cultural gaps and bridging: positive and negative consequences of acculturation and health behavior modification, influence of race or ethnicity on doctor-patient relationship, cultural competence, traditional practices; health literacy: patient and provider education, policies and community education programs.
Involvement by Latinos and immigrants in entrepreneurial and economic development activities is key to the expansion of the regional economy and to the integration process by and into the receiving communities. Research on factors that hinder and/or promote their involvement in these essential activities is important to inform policy development, enhance service delivery, and provide additional support that takes into account the risk-taking and eager mindset that always characterizes all migrant peoples, as well as how to better use the newcomers’ own cultural and social capital assets to further their success as entrepreneurs. Comparative studies that take into account these issues will be of special interest, as well as workshops about best practices that could be applicable through the Heartland.
2009-12-21