Asian Pacific Islander Census Network

Video of Kickoff Campaign Event

2010-03-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

Local API Coalition Works for a Complete Count

2010-03-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a broad coalition of local Sacramento, state and federal elected officials, community leaders and government entities held a press conference to make a call for Asian & Pacific Islander Americans to complete and submit their Census form. Speakers discussed the importance of a complete count of Asian & Pacific Islander community members in the 2010 Census.

To read more, please click here.

API EQUALITY-LA GENERAL COALITION MEETING

2010-03-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

API EQUALITY-LA GENERAL COALITION MEETING
Learn about exciting projects that API Equality-LA has coming up, and how you can get involved!

How are same-sex couples being counted on the Census this year? How can we get questions added on sexual orientation and gender identity? What can the Census tell us about the API LGBT community? With the 2010 Census right around the corner, please join API Equality-LA and the US Census Bureau for an API community forum on LGBT issues and the Census. The presentation will be led by Matt Weinstein, LGBT Partnership Specialist at the Census Bureau's Los Angeles Regional Census Center.

Furthermore,the amazing Gina Masequesmay will be discussing her experience as one of the organizers of the first LGBT contingent in the Orange County Tet Parade! Come hear of the obstacles and successes by our brothers and sisters as they work toward equality in Orange County!

Where: The Community Room, Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd., 1st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017
(ROOF parking accessible on Lucas Ave.)
When: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
6:45 PM | Dinner
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM | Meeting
RSVPS/Questions: contact@apiequalityla.org | (323) 860-7348

Please note new starting time: Arrive by 6:45 PM for a light dinner

APALC Urges API Community – Do Not Throw Away the Census Advance Letter

2010-03-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

APALC Urges API Community – Do Not Throw Away the Census Advance Letter
Next Week, Every U.S. Household Will Receive Important Letter Explaining the 2010 Census

LOS ANGELES, CA – With Census Day quickly approaching on April 1, 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau is preparing to notify households of what to expect in the upcoming weeks, and the community should respond by carefully reading all Census-related materials sent to their households and seeking help if they have any questions about Census 2010.

During the week of March 8, 2010, every household in the United States will receive an “Advance Letter” from the Census Bureau. The letter, which is written in English, will inform household residents that they should be receiving their Census forms on the week of March 15, 2010, and emphasizes the importance of every household completing their forms. The letter also provides the following short written message in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese: “Go to 2010census.gov for help completing your 2010 Census form when it arrives.”

For the nearly one out of 10 individuals in the U.S. who have limited proficiency with the English language, community organizations are fearful that the Advance Letter will not be read. “The Census comes around only once every 10 years, and there is a lot at stake for our communities,” said An Le, Statewide Network Manager of Asian and Pacific Islander 2010 Census Network (API Count), a statewide project anchored by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC). “The Census is used to determine how much our communities receive in federal funds, and what critical social services that are available for our communities. But because of fear, distrust, and language and cultural barriers, there are so many Asians and Pacific Islanders who do not get the message about how participating in the Census benefits our communities. That is why we are urging our community read next week’s Advance Letter – it is critical they understand the importance of the Census forms that will arrive the following week.”

Starting on March 15, Census forms will be mailed out to all households. The Census Bureau is asking for everyone to complete the forms and mail them back by Census Day, April 1. Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs), operated by Census Bureau staff, will be open in various community locations from March 19 to April 19. Common QAC locations include libraries, community organizations, churches, and small businesses. At every QAC, there will be official Census Bureau staff available to help individuals complete their forms, oftentimes in languages of the local community.

Anyone who needs assistance or has questions about how to fill out the Census forms can go to a QAC, which can be found on the Census Bureau website at www.2010.census.gov, or they can also contact a local API community-based organization by going to www.apicount.com.

The Census Bureau has an array of materials and services available for communities that do not speak English. There are four categories of help provided by the Census Bureau or through community partnership with the Census Bureau. These four types of assistance are translated forms, toll-free hotlines, language assistance guides, and QACs.

Those who speak Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Spanish are able to request Census forms translated into their languages by calling a toll-free number. For Korean call 866-955-2010, for Chinese call 866-935-2010, for Vietnamese call 866-945-2010, for Spanish call 866-928-2010, and for Russian call 866-965-2010. For those that request a translated form in any of these languages, it is important to save the English form that was originally sent in the mail, in case the translated forms do not arrive on time or get lost. There is also an English assistance line available at 866-872-6868.

Language assistance guides are available in 59 different languages. These materials are available from the Census 2010 website at www.2010.census.gov. Materials can also be found for the Asian and Pacific Islander communities at www.apicount.com or www.fillinourfuture.org

Beginning on April 22, Census Bureau workers will be visiting the households that did not complete and mail in their Census forms. “For every one percent of households that fail to return their Census forms, it costs the federal government $85 billion to send Census Bureau workers out to those households to follow up and assist those households in completing the forms,” said Le. “During this time of economic crisis, we encourage our community members to complete their forms by April 1 as a way to save taxpayers’ money. We want to make sure that people are aware of the resources that are available to our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to complete the Census, and the importance of mailing back Census forms by April 1. Participating in the Census is a safe and easy way to ensure that our communities count and get counted.”

HOW TO ENTER APICOUNT CENSUS PSA CONTEST

2010-02-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

Asian and Pacific Islander Communities are underrepresented by Census numbers, but you can help change that! Help get the word out by making a 30 – 60 second video about how the Census is safe, easy and important. Your video could screen at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Fest 2010, be seen nationally, and win you the grand prize of $3000! Fill out an entry form and get started now!!!

Here what you need to do:

1.Know the Census 2010 Message. It’s safe, easy, and important.

- It’s easy because the 10 question form only takes 10 minutes
to complete.

- It’s safe because the information collected during census is
private and cannot be used against you. Census 2010 will not ask about
immigration status or for social security numbers.

- It’s important because for every person not counted your
community will loose $14,500 in federal funds over the next decade.
That means less funding for schools, job training, hospitals, service
programs and health programs...just to name a few.

2.You can enter in one of four categories:

- Asian Language Census Message

- English Census Message for Asian Audience

- Pacific Islander Language Census Message

- English Census Message for Pacific Islander Audience

3. Once you have decided on which category you would like to enter your PSA in, you are all ready to shoot your video. Make sure that your video falls between 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4. PSA entries should be uploaded onto the API Count YouTube Channel.

Start a Youtube account if you don’t already have one, and upload your video to our channel www.youtube.com/apicountcali Make sure you give your PSA the same title as in the entry form and put your full name in the description.

5. A mini DVD must to submitted to the below address in order to

qualify for the cash prize:

Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Attn: Census 2010 PSA Contest
1145 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

6. Tell your friends and family to vote for your PSA on YouTube to win!!!

TOWN HALL Los Angeles and the and California Community Foundation present:

2010-02-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

TOWN HALL Los Angeles and the and California Community Foundation present:

Everyone Counts: 2010 Census A Panel Discussion

Wednesday, March 3, 2010
12:00 PM Luncheon
12:30 PM Panel Discussion with
Audience Q&A

What is the Census?
• The Constitution requires the US
Census to take place every 10
years.
Why Does it Matter?
• The data collected by the census
also help determine the number of
seats your state has in the US
House of Representatives.
• The 2010 Census will enable
communities to receive more than
$400 billion in federal funds each
year for hospitals, job training
centers, schools, senior centers,
bridges, tunnels and other-public
works projects, as well as
emergency services.
How is it Conducted?
• The 2010 Census aims to count all
US residents—citizens and non-
citizens alike.
• The Census Bureau delivers a short
10-question form to every household
in America and requires that you fill
in the form to account for everyone
living at your address as of April 1,
2010.

Panelists:
The Honorable Mike Davis
Assembly Member – District 48
California Assembly Select
Committee on the Census
Sneha Desai
Assistant Regional Census
Manager, Partnership Program
Los Angeles Regional Census
Center
Sal Mendoza
Senior Vice President,
Community Reinvestment
City National Bank
Moderator:
Antonia Hernández
President and CEO
California Community
Foundation

Public Parking is available in lots at
First & Central, and at First & Alameda.

FREE Event, but Registration is Required. Visit:
https://dnbweb1.blackbaud.com/OPXREPHIL/EventDetail.asp?cguid=FA3EDE74%2D578B%2D4035%2D9406%2DEF88A0B7F6DC&eid=28072

Pan Pacific Photo Shoot in Santa Ana

2010-02-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Tongan Complete Count Event

2010-02-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

US Census 2010 - Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Census Events and Meetings
Stand Up, Be Counted!

REGION: Bay Area, CA
Name of Event: Loto Taha Pasifika "One Heart of the Pacific"
Purpose of Event: A Special Evening of Music & Celebration. Stand Up, Be Counted! Fakamanatu Kihe Kuo Hili. In Honor of our past, our heritage and...our future.
Target Audience: All Pacific Islander Communities in the San Francisco/East Bay/Sacramento Area
Date: Friday, Feb. 5, 2010
Time: 7pm
Place & Address: Inter-Stake Center (ISC) Auditorium, 4780 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, CA 94602
Organizing Group: Loto Taha Pasifika
Who to call for more Info: Lini Moa 510-326-5120
RSVP number/ email: Lini Moa 510-326-5120
Free Admission Yes or No: YES!
Other: See Attached Flyer

Fijian PSA's

2010-02-04T02:56:00.000-08:00

Gaps emerging in US census outreach to immigrants

2010-02-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post

By HOPE YEN
The Associated Press
Monday, February 1, 2010; 1:53 PM

WASHINGTON -- The government is fumbling some efforts to assure immigrants that U.S. census data won't be used against them, including gaps in outreach and foreign language guides that refer to the decennial count as an investigation.

With the launch of the head count weeks away, the Census Bureau's outreach has been falling short in at least a dozen major cities, such as Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Jose, Calif., and Seattle, according to a report released Monday by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Many of their states are on the cusp of gaining or losing U.S. House seats and face a redrawing of legislative boundaries that may tilt the balance of political power.

The report generally praises the Census Bureau for improved efforts since 2000. But noting the large ramifications of even a small undercount, AALDEF is critical of the Obama administration. The legal group cited the government's refusal to give fuller assurances that census data would be kept confidential and to suspend large-scale immigration raids during the count - as was done in the 2000 census. AALDEF said it wasn't ruling out legal action to get stronger guarantees.
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The census officially began last month in parts of rural Alaska. Most of the nation will receive their forms by mail the week of March 15.

"We have heard a lot of speeches by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and the census director saying the census is confidential. But speeches and Web postings do not have the force of law," said Glenn Magpantay, an AALDEF program director, in a telephone interview. "Our concern is how much risk immigrants are putting themselves at."

Other groups agree more work needs to be done.

"We are running the risk of a real undercount," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. "The next few weeks will be critical."

The Census Bureau is printing instruction guides and sample forms in dozens of different languages for use in community help centers, since one in five residents speak a language other than English at home. But there have been errors due to poor translations, including material for Vietnamese speakers that describe the census as a "government investigation."

The agency was able to correct its Web material two weeks ago after groups pointed out the problem, but it's too late to fix the paper forms, according to the report. There are more than 1.1 million Vietnamese in the U.S., mostly clustered in California and Texas.

Other gaps included a lack of specialists for the Bangladeshi community in Detroit; the nation's third largest Korean-American population in Chicago; and the south Asian and Cambodian groups in Philadelphia and Rhode Island. In Virginia, when groups cited a need for census specialists for their Korean and Vietnamese communities, the agency responded by hiring someone who spoke Chinese.

Responding, the Census Bureau has emphasized it is devoting a large amount of its $133 million ad campaign to racial and ethnic audiences, including television spots in 28 different languages. It also worked with more than 150,000 business and community groups, hoping to build trust in its message that filling out the 10-question census form is safe and easy to complete.

The Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, has made clear it will not ask the Homeland Security Department to hold off on large-scale raids as they successfully did in 2000. That has drawn consternation from immigrant groups, particularly as it has become unlikely that Congress will take up immigration reform this year.
To encourage participation, Census Director Robert Groves on Monday visited neighborhoods along the U.S.-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas. As many as half the residents were missed there in 2000 because they had little knowledge of English and feared being turned over to immigration agents.

"The Census Bureau's outreach effort is unmatched in the history of the census, but we are never satisfied," said Commerce spokesman Nick Kimball. "We will continue to work with many different groups and stakeholders to improve on this unprecedented effort to make sure everyone knows their information is safe and secure, and to get an accurate count."

The recent criticisms by AALDEF and other groups underscore the intense political pressure to have a tally free of the smallest margin of error. Even a 1 percent undercount means 3 million people are missed, typically minorities and poor people whose communities are then shortchanged in political representation and federal aid.

-Some black activists are upset about the use of "Negro" on the census form, in which respondents identifying their race must check a listing of "Black, African Am., or Negro." Groves says the term was not meant to offend but to be more inclusive since thousands in the 2000 census self-identified as "Negro"; the agency is now studying whether to drop the term after this year.

-College students are getting special attention, as recent polls show that disinterested young people may prove to be among the hardest to count. Colleges in Minnesota, Texas, California and other states are organizing new campaigns to make sure students fill out their forms correctly. Officials also want census-takers to make their rounds to college dorms sooner before students disappear for summer break.

-Latino groups are worried the Census Bureau's ad campaign may neglect communities with higher numbers of immigrants in poverty. Census-takers also may be less adept in navigating some areas because of an agency requirement that employees be U.S. citizens.

In 2000, the Census Bureau noted for the first time an overcount of 1.3 million people, due mostly to duplicate counts of more affluent whites with multiple residences. About 4.5 million people were ultimately missed, primarily lower-income minorities.

---

Associated Press writer Chris Williams in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

---

On the Net:

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund:http://www.aaldef.org

Census Bureau:http://www.census.gov

NALEO:http://www.naleo.org

2010-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

2010 Census Road Tour

The 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour set out on Monday January 4, 2010 from New York City's Times Square, launching a cross-country interactive experience designed to increase awareness and encourage participation in the nation's once-a-decade population count.

During the next four months, the tour will be part of the largest civic outreach and awareness campaign in U.S. history -- stopping and exhibiting at more than 800 events nationwide. From local parades and festivals to major sporting events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four, the Census Bureau will attempt to motivate America's growing and increasingly diverse population to complete and mail back 10-question census forms when they arrive in mailboxes March 15-17.

What is the Road Tour?

What is the Road Tour?
A photo of a Road Tour vehicle

At 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour events, participants can learn about the 2010 Census and the positive impact their participation can have on their local community and the nation. Census data are used to apportion seats in Congress and directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed to state, local and tribal governments.
Vehicles

Thirteen vehicles will launch the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour on Monday, January 4 throughout each of the Census Bureau’s 12 regions. The national vehicle will target high-attendance events, including Atlanta’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade, the Super Bowl, NASCAR Daytona 500, Denver Powwow, San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade and NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.
Events

The 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour is designed to educate the public about the 2010 census, inspire interest in the process and encourage participation. Thirteen vehicles will travel across the country from January to April 2010, engaging audiences at events from the Super Bowl to state and county fairs, church functions and community events. Census staff will use vehicles to engage hard-to-count audiences and work with local “trusted voices” and the media to help spread the word that the 2010 Census is easy, safe and important.

2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour attendees will receive information about the census and have the opportunity to see a sample census form like the one that will arrive at more than 130 million addresses across the nation in mid-March 2010.
Portrait of America

At each stop, 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour participants will share images and stories, explaining why the census will make a difference to their communities. The 2010 Portrait of America showcases a collection of these stories, collected at 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour stops across America. Follow the 2010 Portrait of America Road Tour on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. Track the vehicles throughout the country on the 2010census.gov interactive map.
Partners

Corporate partners of the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour include 3M, Best Buy, BET, Carbonfund.org, CMT, Google, MTV, Sesame Street, Telemundo, and Valero. These trusted voices are helping to communicate to their employees and consumers the importance of 2010 Census participation. City planners and businesses use census data to plan the future of their communities, including where to build new homes and businesses.

Emissions from the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour will be offset by the Carbonfund.org.

Mayor Villaraigosa, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders join in efforts to jolt Census 2010 participation in Los Angeles

2010-01-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles – Los Angeles County and Asian American/Pacific Islander (API) communities have both historically been hard to count during the Census – combined, the L.A. API community faces great challenges in ensuring an accurate count during Census 2010. Today, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and leaders from many API organizations joined together to urge Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to fully participate in the upcoming Census.

In 2000, L.A. County accounted for approximately 35 percent of the California’s households that were undercounted, hard-to-count, or non-responsive. L.A. County had five times the non-response rate of San Diego County, which was the second-hardest county to collect data from during Census 2000. An undercount of any community will significantly affect distribution of government and other funding for the next decade, because such funds are heavily based on Census numbers.
“Funding for the basic services Angelenos rely on –schools, public safety, health care and transportation—are at stake,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “We must mobilize our community to ensure a complete count of all residents, and the participation of Asians and Pacific Islanders is a crucial piece of getting our fair share for the city, county, and state.”
APIs are the fastest growing ethnic minority in Los Angeles County and face very different needs across different ethnic groups, making it urgently important to accurately count this specific demographic. Leading the effort locally to ensure an accurate count of APIs in Los Angeles is the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), which is working in collaboration with organizations from 13 different API communities throughout the county (spanning diverse ethnic groups from Chinese and Korean to Thai, South Asian and Pacific Islander) as well as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC).
APALC is spearheading the California Asian Pacific Islander 2010 Census Network (“API Count”), which is anchoring a network of seven regional organizations around the state, each one coordinating a grassroots network in its own region. Through API Count, APALC and its partners like A3PCON are reaching deep into API community statewide, to help ensure a full count of California’s APIs by conducting direct outreach and education and providing in-language support and materials specifically targeted to increase Census 2010 participation amongst the hardest-to-count API populations.

“The Asian and Pacific Islander community is very rich in its diversity,” said Executive Director Stewart Kwoh. “Each API community has its own unique challenges in the effort to outreach and educate people about the importance of participating in the Census. They may be concerned about how confidential their responses are, or how Census data is used. They may have distrust in the government, or may not understand how filling out their Census questionnaires can benefit them and their community. We believe it is essential to partner with organizations and leaders that have experience with the specific cultures and customs of each ethnicity to make our efforts effective.”
Activities organized by L.A. API Count network will include outreach efforts as well as work with city officials, complete count committees, and Census Bureau staff to ensure that Census efforts are linguistically and culturally accessible and that the API community is fully included.
“The Census Bureau is very fortunate to have community partners that have come together like API Count,” said James Christy, Regional Director of the Los Angeles Census Bureau office. “At the Census Bureau we realize that the API community may be concerned about the confidentiality and security of the information that they provide through the Census questionnaire. The Census is safe, easy, and important. The trusted community leaders in API Count are playing a critical role in helping us get the message out and are doing the outreach so that the hard-to-count population get counted.”
CONNECT WITH US:
Follow the California Asian Pacific Islander 2010 Census Network on Twitter: @apicount
Check out our Youtube page at: www.youtube.com/apicountcali
Or read our blog at: www.apicount.blogspot.com

Daily Bruin Article: Census takes on new measures for accurate counts in group living quarters

2010-01-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

From UCLA's Daily Bruin

By Connie Phu

Jan. 21, 2010 at 1:29 a.m.

With the 2010 census date set for April 1, UCLA Housing is coordinating with the West Los Angeles and Culver City regional offices to ensure accurate counts in group living quarters, including on-campus dormitories and Greek housing.

“The generic idea is that we will see what makes sense in terms of what’s best for counting (group housing at UCLA). We are working ... to understand what the dorm structure and population looks like, in addition to other university housing,” West L.A. and Culver City local census office manager Hart Boykin said.

Office of Residential Life assistant director Rob Kadota said they are still in the process of negotiating the census count for the Hill but that resident assistants are likely to be involved in distributing and collecting forms.

Census data plays an imperative role in government planning. Certain groups, however, tend to be undercounted, and among those, there are college students who can easily fall through the cracks, and minorities and immigrants who have little awareness and understanding of the decennial census, said Cynthia Vuong, Asian Pacific American Legal Center project assistant.

College students are undercounted because of confusion on where they will be counted. The idea is for students to be counted where they spend most of their time, Boykin said.

In the 2000 census count that took place on the UC Berkeley campus, only one of the 1,406 students living in a dorm unit was counted.

“If you think about planning of services for students, that’s predicated upon the number of students living on campus. If it’s undercounted, then it fails in terms of feasibility,” Boykin said. “In contrast, off-campus students are considered as living in normal housing units, and those individuals will receive forms specifically to the address.”

The census helps delegate how $400 billion of federal funding is spent each year and the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives.

In addition, researchers and social scientists also draw from census data for their studies.

“It’s a very significant source of data,” UCLA professor of communication studies Michael Suman said, “No matter what it is that you’re interested in the social sciences forum ... there are so many questions of interest.”

With so much difficulty in taking an accurate count, there have been efforts to improve methods by which the census is taken.

“A certain sampling design would be better representative than getting an actual count, which is near impossible,” said Gretchen Davis, UCLA statistics professor.

“I understand that data is a form of social advocacy,” Vuong said. “I can see how that transitions into the census and its importance in communities getting a fair share of what they need in terms of hospitals, schools, roads. ... It’s all affected by the census.”

The Census Bureau also identified Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders as highly undercounted in the 2000 census. While the instructions for filling out a census questionnaire are available in over 50 languages, the questionnaire itself is only available in six languages – neglecting many of the Southeast Asian languages.

In an effort to minimize this underrepresented group, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center anchors the Asian Pacific Islander Statewide Effort to get the correct count for Asian Pacific Islanders.

The center is providing question and answer locations throughout each region they are serving for language assistance.

“Additionally, we are trying to produce materials and use social media as a form of getting the word out, especially to students with visual communication and a PSA contest,” said Vuong.

The Census Bureau is currently hiring temporary positions. Interested students can contact

2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/

Distrust Could Dampen Census Count

2010-01-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

We found this story off the Washington Times

By Hope Yen ASSOCIATED PRESS

With the start of the nation's decennial census just weeks away, nearly one in five persons might decline to participate in the high-stakes head count, citing mostly a lack of interest but also a broader distrust of the federal government.

A poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center highlighted the challenges as the U.S. Census Bureau prepares to begin its tally in March. The findings come as some groups question whether the agency's $300 million outreach effort is doing enough to reach hard-to-count communities.

"The big picture message is they've got a lot of work to do in terms of informing people," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. He cited young people in particular, as well as those with less education and Hispanics who have had less exposure to the census or government.

Overall, 90 percent of those surveyed called the population count "very important" or "somewhat important" for the country. Many were also familiar with the value of the census in redistributing U.S. House seats every 10 years and distributing billions of dollars in federal aid.

Still, 12 percent of U.S. residents said they had not decided whether they would fill out the government form, and another 6 percent said they were unlikely to or definitely would not do so. These people were more likely to be young adults ages 18 to 29 and lower-income people.

Asked why they were unlikely to participate, more than half said it was because they were too busy, not interested or weren't familiar with the census. One quarter cited distrust of government or concerns about privacy.

Nearly one-third said they think the data could be used to locate illegal immigrants or that they weren't certain whether it could. Census Director Robert Groves has repeatedly said the information would be kept confidential.

"In today's America, you can't reach everybody with one or two ads on two or three television networks," said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and chairman of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee. "It is the depth and breadth, who delivers the message, where it's placed and the frequency."

Last month, his group, along with the NAACP and the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, called for more paid advertising in black community newspapers, because blacks historically have been undercounted.

They are not alone. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is urging millions of illegal immigrants to boycott the census to protest inaction on immigration reform.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund said it has yet to receive government assurances that census data would be kept confidential. It plans to release a report later this month on notable gaps in outreach in communities with sizable Asian populations, such as Chicago, Northern Virginia, and San Jose, Calif.

In response, the Census Bureau has been touting its $133 million advertising campaign, which includes television spots in 28 different languages. As the nation's top advertiser in the coming weeks, the agency estimates it will reach the average American 42 times with slogans such as: "The 2010 census - it's in our hands."

In 2000, about 67 percent of U.S. residents mailed back their forms, with the remainder counted by door-to-door canvassing. This year, the Census Bureau is bracing for a mail-return rate that is roughly the same, if not lower, and is hiring nearly 1 million temporary employees to locate hard-to-find residents.

2010-01-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Seeking 18 Ethnographers for

Short-Term Research on Census 2010

Comparative Ethnographic Studies of Census Enumeration Methods and Coverage in Race/Ethnic Groups

The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking up to 18 ethnographers to do short-term research in nine race/ethnic research sites during Census 2010 field data collection operations as contractors for 4-6 months. Past research has shown that race/ethnic minority subpopulations are differentially miscounted, with implications for possible imbalances in congressional representation and allocation of federal funds. Examples of miscounts include persons not included on the census form who should be counted in the household, persons counted in more than one place or in the wrong place, and missed housing units. The study aims to document how and why miscounts happen, who is affected, and what can be improved to reduce miscounting in future censuses.

This comparative qualitative study of enumeration methods and coverage in nine race/ethnic sites will be conducted in 2010 in three census operations. The objectives are to identify 1) types of coverage error; 2) sources of coverage error (e.g., questionnaire issues, interviewer error, residence rules, socio-cultural and/or language factors, complex households, etc.); and 3) characteristics of households and persons with coverage error; and to 4) assess the extent to which these are similar or different across the race/ethnic groups, and to 5) recommend how to improve coverage of race/ethnic groups.

Current Summary of Scope of Work: Each researcher will receive training at Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. Each researcher will go to his/her designated race/ethnic site for 7-9 continuous days during one of three specific census data collection time periods to accompany census interviewers as they conduct 35 interviews. The researcher will tape and unobtrusively observe and listen to the census interview for cues of possible coverage errors and/or household relationships not identified with the census relationship question. If there is such a cue, the researcher will conduct an immediate targeted semi-structured debriefing with the respondent to resolve questions as to where each person should be counted, according to the census residence rules, and to clearly delineate household composition. The researcher will transcribe interviews (perhaps at a Census secure location), analyze data, write case studies, write a site report addressing the objectives and other factors identified in the research, and give a Census Bureau talk. The methodology may change somewhat before it is finalized.

Race/ethnic subpopulations: We seek 2 ethnographers to do studies in each group:

Alaska Native
American Indian (reservation)
Asian
African American
Middle Eastern
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander
White (non-Hispanic)

Generalized site

Research Sites: Will be designated by the Census Bureau

Specific Time Periods for Field Research: Census operations are on a strict timetable and just one researcher will be in each site in each operation. To ensure each site and operation is covered, all selected researchers must commit in writing to full-time work for 7-9 continuous days in their designated sites during one of the following time periods.

March 29 - April 9: American Indian reservation

May 5 - May 22: Sites other than the Indian reservation

August 30 - Sept. 30: All sites

Compensation: To be determined soon.

If You are Interested and Would Like to Learn More: Compile the following:

Cover letter, including information directly relevant to this study and its methodology:

· Any experience with past censuses and/or surveys

· Experience with unobtrusive observation and debriefings

· Identification of the race/ethnic subpopulation with which you have done past research, and the specific US research locations (preference will be given to those with past or present race/ethnic research sites in the US)

· Any foreign language fluency, with level of fluency in conversation

· State your US citizenship status (you must be a US citizen)

Attachments:

· Current resume or CV

· Brief summary of your past research with the race/ethnic group you have chosen, including research design and methods employed. Identify the specific US location(s) where you conducted your past research

· Please specify if you are/are not of the same race/ethnicity as the group you wish to study

· Representative paper or report showing methodology and/or results relevant to this proposed study (less than 25 pages)

· Dates of observation in this study: State which of the three observation time period(s) listed above when you will be available to spend 7-9 continuous days of observation at the site (you will need to commit to one of these time periods in writing in order to be selected for this study).

Send these materials: 1) if by e-mail, send to all contact people below, OR 2) if by regular mail, send to just one: Laurel Schwede, Matt Clifton, or Rodney Terry.

By regular mail: By FEDEX or UPS:

U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau

Statistical Research Division, Statistical Research Division

4600 Silver Hill Road 4600 Silver Hill Road

Washington, D.C. 20233 Suitland, MD 20746

Deadlines: American Indian site: February 1, 2010. Other sites: February 10, 2010.

Contact: Laurel.K.Schwede@census.gov 301-763-2611

Rodney.Terry@census.gov 301-763-5475

Matthew.Clifton@census.gov 301-763-3086

Cenus Open Houses

2010-01-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

As the Census countdown begins, the U.S. Census Bureau is celebrating a month of Local Census Office Grand Openings with open houses. Today's Open House, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony, was held at 701 E. Third Street in Los Angeles. This local office serve as the hub of census activities in: Bunker Hill, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, south Park, Koreatown, Olvera Street, Figueroa Corridor, Arts District, Elysian Park, Gallery Row, civic Center, Fashion district, Historic Philipinotown, Flower District, Historical Downtown, MacArthur Park, Toy District, Jewelry District, Wholesale District, Chavez Ravine and Lincoln Heights.

If you are interested in joining an Open House to find out more about the Census or any employment opportunities, check out an upcoming open house in your area:

January 5, 2010, 2 pm
14500 Roscoe Blvd, STE 207, Panorama City, Ca 91402

January 6, 2010, 1:30 pm
11 Golden Shore, STE 200, Long Beach, CA 90802

January 6, 2010, 2 pm
27201 Tourney Road, STE 115, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

January 7, 2010 10 am
12501 E. Imperial Hwy, Norwalk, CA 90650

January 8, 2010, 2pm
279 E. Arrow Hwy, Suite 103, San Dimas, CA 91773

January 11, 2010 12 pm
12150 S. Alameda Street, Lynwood, CA 90262

January 12, 2010 1 pm
9800 S. La Cienega Blvd, STE 415, Inglewood, CA 90301

January 12, 2010 2pm
841 Apollo St., STE 150, El Segundo, CA 90245

January 13, 2010 2 pm
8407 Fallbrook Ave., STE 270, West Hills, CA 91304

January 14, 2010 10 am
701 E. 3rd St. STE 100, Los Angeles, CA 90013

January 20, 2010, 2 pm
8407 W. Alameda Ave., STE 300, Burbank, CA 91505

January 21, 2010, 1pm
5500 Hollywood Blvd, 3rd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90028

January 25,2010 1pm
299 N Altadena Dr. Pasadena, CA 91107

January 26, 2010 1pm
3743 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90016

2010 Census Road Tour

2010-01-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour set out on Monday January 4, 2010 from New York City's Times Square, launching a cross-country interactive experience designed to increase awareness and encourage participation in the nation's once-a-decade population count.

During the next four months, the tour will be part of the largest civic outreach and awareness campaign in U.S. history -- stopping and exhibiting at more than 800 events nationwide. From local parades and festivals to major sporting events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four, the Census Bureau will attempt to motivate America's growing and increasingly diverse population to complete and mail back 10-question census forms when they arrive in mailboxes March 15-17.

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/involved/what-is-the-road-tour.php

If your community group is interested in having the Census road trip visit your event contact your local Census Office Immediately.

SOUTHEAST ASIANS UNITED FOR A COMPLETE COUNT!

2010-01-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

SOUTHEAST ASIANS UNITED
FOR A
COMPLETE COUNT!

Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010
Time: 11:00A.M. To 2:00P.M.

Location: Wat Dhammaram
Cambodian Buddhist Temple
3732 E. Carpenter Road
Stockton, CA 95215

You are cordially invited to join us for a day of celebrating
Diversity & Community!
Dress in your ethnic costume to the event!

"Southeast Asians All Unite; Just Like Sweet Sticky Rice!"

“Many Cultures, One Community!”

“There will be Census staff to provide language supports for the following:
Burmese, Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, Mien, Thai, Filipino, and Spanish”

Community Agencies include: Asian Pacific Self-development And Residential Association (APSARA), Laotian American National Alliance (LANA), Lao Family of Stockton, United Cambodian Families, Lao Khmu Association, and Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation.

For more information about the 2010 Census, visit www.2010census.gov.

Burmese Complete Count Committee

2010-01-12T15:09:00.001-08:00

The Burmese Complete Count Committee has established a website where you will find in-language materials and fact sheets as well as links to the Burmese CCC in your region. They were also recently interviewed by Time Magazine about gearing up for the 2010 Census. You can view the original Time Magazine article here.

Census Bureau Jobs

2010-01-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

If you're in between jobs or looking for a short-term job with good pay, consider applying for a Census Bureau job. The CB is hiring temporary part time staff with flexible working hours. Check out these exciting opportunities to help your community be counted. Click here for Census Jobs.

An Interactive Census Form

2010-01-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

Although your form won't be in your mailbox until mid-March and should be mailed back by Census Day on April 1, 2010, you can preview an interactive English/Spanish form on the Census Bureau site by clicking: Interactive Form.

THE JACL LAUNCHES 2010 CENSUS WEBPAGE

2010-01-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

THE JACL LAUNCHES 2010 CENSUS WEBPAGE: HOW CAN YOU TAKE ACTION IN 2010?

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) has just released a new 2010 Census page on the JACL website. You can visit the page under the Public Policy section or click: www.jacl.org/public_policy/census2010.

The spiffy page also includes an exciting countdown ticker to keep us counting down the days till Census Day on April 1, 2010. You can also find a 2010 Census YouTube video with Congressman Mike Honda, and links/downloads for more informational kits. JACL is also promoting the Census by featuring a weekly column in the JACL DC Digest that shares a story about the Census each week until Census Day. This month's stories will feature events from the past decade that affect the Census.

Counting Young Men Poses Great Challenge for Census

2009-12-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

New America Media, News Report, Jacob Simas, Posted: Dec 11, 2009 Review it on NewsTrust

As organizing efforts for the 2010 census shift into high gear, the U.S. Census Bureau is paying particular attention to what they say is one of the hardest-to-count segments of the national populace: 18 to 25 year-old people of color, especially young men.

Bureau research published in 2008 and based on census response rates 10 years ago reveals that the populations least likely to be counted are: 1) Economically Disadvantaged, 2) Unattached/Single and 3) Living in High Density Ethnic Enclaves.

“We are dealing with a national phenomenon in terms of which groups are consistently undercounted,” says Sonny Le, media specialist at the Seattle Regional Census Center. “We’re talking primarily about young adults in the African-American, Latino, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander communities.”

For Le and his colleagues, understanding why youth in the country’s ethnic communities are consistently undercounted is crucial as they plan ways to increase response rates to the 2010 census questionnaire, which will be mailed out to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico this March.

Since 1790, the federal government has been constitutionally mandated to conduct the census -- a complete enumeration of the U.S. population -- every 10 years.

One reason for the low response rates, says Le, is perhaps the most obvious: 18 to 25 year-olds now were only children when the last census was conducted. This is their first real experience of the census. They may not know what the census is, let alone how it impacts their communities.

Also, he says, most young adults tend to be unattached, mobile and less likely to have an established home address – in essence, placing them somewhere in between dependency and emancipation – decreasing their chance of being counted.

“These are grown men and women now but many still live at home, although unofficially,” explains Le. “So when the census arrives in the mailbox, their family might not count them as part of the household anymore.”

Making matters worse, he says, is a general mistrust of government that is fostered in part by the negative experiences of a growing number of young people who are involved – or have friends or family involved – in the criminal justice system.

If Le is correct, the problem presents a larger challenge to census enumerators than at any previous time in U.S. history. According to a well-publicized 2008 Pew Center report, one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 are behind bars. The number jumps to one in nine for African-Americans in the same age group, and Latino men are now the fastest growing segment of the prison population.

“Unfortunately a big percentage of our young men have been part of the system, and once they’re out they don’t want to be known, for fear of being racially profiled,” says Le. “Or perhaps for fear that Uncle Sam might be keeping tabs on them.”

It’s an issue that Le says is particularly acute among young men living in public housing, where they may live with partners and children but are legally not supposed to be there, resulting in family members being disinclined to report them on a government questionnaire.

These challenges are amplified in California, where more than 30 percent of the population has been deemed Hard to Count (HTC), a designation derived by the Census Bureau from demographic indicators such as poverty, educational attainment, unemployment, language and housing indicators such as rentals, crowded housing and multi-unit buildings.

By comparison, the percentage of HTC areas across the national population is 17.7 percent.

The dual task confronting Sonny Le and his colleagues within the Census Bureau, then, is convincing communities that the census is not only safe but worth their while.

More than $400 billion in federal funding for health, education, housing, employment and other programs is allocated to regions based on information culled directly from the census. These incentives, however, can be less obvious to young adults who tend to not access services.

“The money may not come to you, but the services may go to your family members, your grandmother, your sisters,” says Le. “They have to look beyond themselves, to the greater society.”

According to a Brookings Institute study, every Californian counted in the census represents roughly $1,600 in federal assistance programs for the state.

“If you miss 2 million people, it may not seem like a big deal, but in dollars that’s a huge amount,” says Le. “If you missed 10,000 African-Americans in San Francisco, that’s a lot of money lost.”

To avoid such a scenario, Census Bureau strategists are employing a multi-faceted approach of targeted advertising, outreach to schools and grassroots community organizing to reach the 18 to 25 year-old demographic.

Shannon Lawrence, a former union organizer in Los Angeles and now a partnership specialist at the Los Angeles Regional Census Center, is an example of how the Census Bureau is utilizing existing grassroots leadership.

“For years my job was to organize and create partnerships with our membership and the community-based organizations, the ecumenical community and government officials,” says Lawrence. “Now it’s my job to get them engaged in the census. They trust me. They trust my voice.”

Lawrence is one of about 100 partnership specialists working for the Los Angeles region, which serves 25 million people in 19 counties across southern and central California as well as Hawaii. Their job is to facilitate outreach to the communities they come from and know best.

“That is actually the strength of the census itself,” says Bernard Pendergrass, a media specialist and a colleague of Lawrence at the Bureau. “These are people who have amazing backgrounds, who know their communities and how to reach them.”

Le says the strategy of tapping into the “trusted voice” has also been used successfully in past census advertising campaigns. In 2000, the bureau enlisted help from entertainers like Sean Combs and Russell Simmons, as well as regional personalities like Dr. Joseph Marshall and his Street Soldier program in the San Francisco Bay Area to reach a young, multicultural demographic.

Hip hop, says Le, will again be one of the tools used to reach youth and young adults in 2010, and he believes it could even be more effective considering the growth of the culture.

“The hip hop generation 10 years ago is much different than it is today,” says Le. “For example, in San Francisco we have a lot of Vietnamese and Cambodians in neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, Sunnydale and Bayview Hunters Point, and they’re all about hip hop. The hip hop generation is multicultural.”

Lawrence believes the campaign will be fruitful.

“Those young people who would not traditionally turn in the forms will understand the impact is much bigger than their own personal fear,” says Lawrence. “It’s important they see that the people they trust, trust the census.”

Asian Pacific Islander Groups Promote Census Participation

2009-12-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

Asian Pacific Islander Groups Promote Census Participation
Nguoi-viet.com, Jami Farkas, Jami Farkas, Posted: Dec 28, 2009 Review it on NewsTrust

LOS ANGELES — Seven Asian and Pacific Islander organizations across the state have come together to form the API Census Network in an effort to promote the API community’s participation in the 2010 Census.

Over the last decade, California has suffered a $2.1 billion loss in federal funding due to the undercount of API populations during the 2000 Census. An accurate 2010 Census can help correct errors in determining political districts and allocation of federal funds to state and local governments.

''We have to be creative about the strategies we use to outreach to everyone in the Asian and Pacific Islander community,'' said An Lê, the API Census Network statewide network manager. ''We need our communities to understand an accurate census means more federal funding, greater access to governmental services and more resources directed to our communities. Our goal is to have everyone fill out their census questionnaires in April 2010.''

One of the obstacles in conducting an accurate count of API populations is language proficiency. Nearly 36 percent of Asian Americans and 10 percent of Pacific Islanders have limited English proficiency. Further compounding the undercount is the immense cultural and linguistic diversity, making it challenging to educate this population about the importance to participate in the census., according to the Census Network.

As a part of its outreach and media campaign, the API Census Network will redistribute culturally specific materials in all major Asian languages produced by the Census Bureau. Additionally, the API Census Network recognizes specific communities in South East, South Asian and Pacific Islander sub-groups have disproportionately low rates of participation in the census.

In an effort to equalize this under-representation, the API Census Network is producing culturally specific, public service announcements in six languages Thai, Samoan, Khmer, Hindi, Lao and Tongan languages not targeted in the official Census 2010 media campaign. Independent filmmakers and community organizations are partnering to produce the public service announcements, which will begin airing in February 2010 on a variety of in-language subscription cable channels, radio programs, and Internet portals.

In January, the API Census Network plans to launch a census materials Web site for community-based organizations. Additionally each regional partner is responsible for regional census outreach trainings. These trainings will produce an educated base of local community organizations positioned to custom tailor Census 2010 messages for their communities, which will encourage higher numbers of individual participation among hard-to-count communities.

The API Census Network, coordinated by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, covers California from Sacramento to San Diego and includes the Asian Law Caucus in the Bay Area, the Asian Law Alliance in the South Bay, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council in Los Angeles, Fresno Center for New Americans in the Central Valley, Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance in Orange County, and Union of Pan Asian Communities in San Diego. In the upcoming months, the API Census Network will focus on outreach and education to the API community about the impact of participation in the 2010 Census, emphasizing on political representation, social services, and government funding.

Find Local Census Resources

2009-12-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

California has launched their Complete Count Committee website to provide information about how to participate in the 2010 Census. The site is run by State data centers and provide local jobs, contact info, volunteer opportunities and meeting times.

California Complete Count Committee : Here you will find recent news and postings of Census jobs, a Census Event Calendar of happenings in your area, helpful information about how to fill out your form and even a "finder" to locate your Local Census Office.

Economists See a Lift in 2010 Census

2009-12-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

According to a December 18, 2009 New York Times article by Michael Luo,"Next year’s census will not only count people, it will also put money in millions of pockets and potentially create a well-timed economic spark."

Read the full story.

PRESS RELEASE: California’s API Organizations Celebrate Day of Inclusion by Launching Campaign to Promote Participation in 2010 Census

2009-12-18T16:40:00.001-08:00

To Download a PDF of the release click here

California’s Asian Pacific Islander Organizations Celebrate Day of Inclusion by Launching Campaign to Promote Participation in 2010
Census Network aims to educate one million hard-to-count Californians and ensure vital funds for government programs

LOS ANGELES, CA – As the State of California celebrates the Day of Inclusion marking the 1943 repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, seven Asian and Pacific Islander (API) organizations across the state have come together to form the API Census Network, in an effort to promote the API community’s participation in the 2010 Census.

“The Chinese Exclusion Act was among one of the many discriminatory laws that existed in U.S. history,” said California State Assemblymember Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park), who authored legislation in the California State Legislature to recognize the day when the act was repealed. “However, there are minority groups that are still struggling with fairness and equality today. Luckily, a simple way that underrepresented populations can ensure that their voices are heard is by
participating in the 2010 Census.”

Over the last decade, California has suffered a $2.1 billion loss in federal funding due to the undercount of API populations
during the 2000 Census. This affects all California residents, and in our current economic climate the state cannot afford to be undercounted again. An accurate 2010 Census can help correct errors in determining political districts and allocation of
federal funds to state and local governments.

“We have to be creative about the strategies we use to outreach to everyone in the Asian and Pacific Islander community,” said An Le, the API Census Network statewide network manager. “We need our communities to understand an accurate census means more federal funding, greater access to governmental services and more resources directed to our communities.Our goal is to have everyone fill out their census questionnaires in April 2010.”

One of the obstacles in conducting an accurate count of API populations is language proficiency: Nearly 36% of Asian Americans and 10% of Pacific Islanders have limited English proficiency. Further compounding the undercount is the immense cultural and linguistic diversity, making it challenging to educate this population about the importance to participate in the census.

As a part of their outreach and media campaign, the API Census Network will redistribute culturally specific materials in all major Asian languages produced by the Census Bureau. Additionally, the API Census Network recognizes specific
communities in South East, South Asian, and Pacific Islander sub-groups have disproportionately low rates of participation in the census. In an effort to equalize this under-representation, the API Census Network is producing culturally specific, public service announcements in six languages, - Thai, Samoan, Khmer, Hindi, Lao and Tongan – languages not targeted in the official Census 2010 media campaign. Independent filmmakers and community organizations are partnering to produce the public service announcements, which will begin airing in February 2010 on a variety of in-language subscription cable

Founded in 1983, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for civil rights, providing legal
services and education, and building coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Pacific Americans and to create a more equitable and harmonious society. APALC is affiliated with the Asian American Justice Center (formerly known as NAPALC) in Washington, D.C. channels, radio programs, and internet portals.

In January, the API Census Network plans to launch a census materials website for community based organizations. The site will provide access to in-language and ethic specific materials on the subject of Census 2010; designed to augment the impact of statewide partner outreach and training efforts. Additionally each regional partner is responsible for regional census outreach trainings. These trainings will produce an educated base of local community organizations positioned to custom tailor Census 2010 messages for their communities, which will encourage
higher numbers of individual participation among hard-to-count communities.

The API Census Network, coordinated by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, covers California from Sacramento to San Diego and includes the Asian Law Caucus in the Bay Area, the Asian Law Alliance in the South Bay, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council in Los Angeles, Fresno Center for New Americans in the Central Valley, Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance in Orange County, and Union of Pan Asian Communities in San Diego. In the upcoming months, the API Census Network will focus on outreach and education to the API community about the impact

2010 Census: In Your Language

2009-12-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

The US Census Bureau (CB) site now features a drop down menu where users have the option of selecting to view site information in 58 different languages.
Check out the CB site in your language now at: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/

Targeting "Hard to Count " Communities in California

2009-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

An accurate count of the population is crucial to communities, cities, counties, and states. Healthy City wants to ensure a better count of traditionally marginalized, "hard-to-count" communities by providing innovative online tools for research, planning and coordination of outreach activities. The website will give you access to the largest array of census outreach related data and innovative tools to design, analyze, and share your outreach activities. The most impressive feature on the site allows you to interactively map Hard-to-Count (HTC) populations against a wide array of other demographic data. From the map, you can create your own neighborhood boundaries, upload/overlay your datasets so that you can more efficiently plan canvassing, media outreach and training activities.

http://www.hardtocount.healthycity.org/

CENSUS 2010 National Thai Complete Count Committee (NTCCC)

2009-12-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

The CENSUS 2010 National Thai Complete Count Committee (NTCCC) is counting down the days until the 2010 Census. NTCCC is a collective of community based organization, business leaders, and volunteers that are bringing awareness about the national census count and the importance of participation for the future of all Thai communities. Find “Be Counted in 2010” information, in-language materials and subtitled informational videos on their site: http://www.thaicensus.org/.

Check out the subtitled informational video that the NTCCC has put out: Census 2010: A New Portrait of America (Thai Subtitle)

Open Letter to Statewide API Census Network Partners

2009-12-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

By: Christen Marquez - APALC Statewide API Media Coordinator Census 2010

As Statewide Media Coordinator I am working with six regional organizations to coordinate our media outreach efforts. Asian Law Caucus in the Bay Area, Fresno Center for New Americans in the Central Valley, Asian Law Alliance in the South Bay, The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning council in Los Angeles, The Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance in Orange County, and The Union of Pan Asian Communities in San Diego.

This document is meant to outline our goals and help define my role in this work with these six partners.

LIST OF OUR TARGETED ETHNIC COMMUNITIES
Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Lao, South Asian, Tongan, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Chamorro, Japanese

STATEWIDE PARTNER ROLES
As statewide partners your role in our Asian Pacific Islander Census Network is to advise me of any Census 2010 related media efforts your organization and local partner organizations are planning or have already been involved with.

You should also be working to develop connections with media and community groups that represent ethnic populations that you may not regularly service through your organizational work. For example their may be a large Chinese population you service

MY ROLE AS MEDIA COORDINATOR

My role as statewide media coordinator is to make sure that we using our resources as efficiently as possible since we have such a small and critical window of time to disseminate effective and culturally appropriate census messages to our diverse API community.

I want the statewide media outreach plan to be a collaborative creation between myself and your orgs. You are the experts in communities you serve. Many of you are already doing great media work, for you this relationship should be very easy. All you have to do is make sure I know about the media attention your census outreach work is receiving.

I will also be suggesting media outlets and communities in your area to reach out to.

I am also available to provide materials to assist your orgs with media work which your organizations or partner organizations may not be experienced with. However this support will be limited to providing materials and advice on larger media issues such as how to approach the media or convene a press conference. I will not be available to write press releases, advisories, ect. because I am working on three Statewide Asian Pacific Islander Census Projects, which I have detailed below.

STATEWIDE PARTNER MEDIA DELIVERABLES

Each Statewide partner is responsible for contributing the following for the completion of their media work:

Before January 20th:

1. Each statewide partner must ID and secure at least three spokespeople.

2. Secure commitments from a minimum of five AAPI media outlets to regularly cover census related issues. These media outlets must be unique from those commitments obtained by other network partners. Please consult with me about which media outlets you are working with so we can ensure there is no major overlap.

On Going

1. Any press clippings, media hits, letters to the editor, press conferences hosted or participated in, blog entries, radio and TV coverage ect. Anything media related please send to me. (After the launch of our website in January/February you will be able to put these materials directly onto our interactive media clearing house website)

STATEWIDE MEDIA PROJECTS IN PROGRESS

Production of six PSA's - We are producing and doing media placement for six in-language PSA's. (Khmer, Lao, Thai, Hindi, Samoan, Tongan). I would appreciate any leads on outlets for these communities.

Interactive Clearing House Website - In late January or early February we plan to launch a website that will make it easy for all our regional partners to update their media coverage, share in-language resources, and publicize upcoming events.

Community Produced PSA contest - From February to April we will be having an online census 2010 PSA contest. There will be small prizes for PSA's awarded in three catagories. There will be a screening event held at a theater in Los Angeles to celebrate the community work and announce the winners. We encourage any groups working with youth to have them participate in this as an opportunity for both education and outreach.

Census Christmas posters in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese

2009-12-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Here are three Christmas themed posters targeted to Census 2010.

You can download these posters in PDF format by clicking:

Download Chinese version click here

Download Korean version click here

Download Vietnamese version click here

THE HISTORY OF CENSUS IN HAWAI`I

2009-12-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

THE HISTORY OF CENSUS IN HAWAI`I
By Momi Imaikalani Fernandez; Edited by Shannon K. K. Lincoln

The counting of people or taking a census has been part of this `āina from the earliest of historical accounts. Our ancestors planned survival by way of food provision in canoes and food production on land and pond which made it necessary to count the people and plan the use of resources. For the next several months, we’ll be looking at census in Hawai`i in preparation for Census 2010. Our ancestors demonstrated a variety of ways to conduct census for various reasons. Census or to take a census, according to Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, is helu, helu kanaka or census taker, luna helu. The act of census is the definition.
The most common and practical reason to count people was for food production. How much kalo in a lo`i times how many lo`i needed to be planted in order to feed those living in an `ili, ahupua`a, moku and beyond.

An accurate census on Moloka`i was necessary as early as 500-800 A.D. as told by the late Kumu John W. Ka`imikaua in A Mau A Mau (produced by Nalani Minton, 2000). Moloka`i was known as the “bread basket” of the island chain because it was capable of supporting its own population and beyond to neighbor islands. In summary, the residents were neither rich nor poor, everyone had equal provision, all had shelter, and clothing through the `Aha process. For 700 years the `Aha councils were intact, 16 generations passed with no knowledge of war among the people, decision making remained within each boundary. The practitioners made up the `Aha councils whose kuleana it was to mālama the land, resources and its people. The wealth of the land identified its people. This is an early application of census at its best.

Fish ponds are another resource developed to provide food for a population, a census of sorts because if one knows the capacity of a fish pond, they know the population it can feed and/or if one knows the population, one may calculate how many fish and how large the pond needs to be. The first fish pond on Moloka`i, Kahinaloaloa, was acknowledged for the complete organization and cooperation it took by the passing of stones from person-to-person to construct its walls. The wealth of the land was based on the amount of food it could produce. Moloka`i was bountiful from land and pond while maintaining an accurate census of its people.

The upcoming Census 2010 is important to Native Hawaiians and Hawai’i residents alike. Did you know that the Federal government uses the census survey to disperse a maximum $430 billion federal dollars a year for the next ten years? By participating in Census 2010, we will be giving Hawai`i a voice as to how much money Hawai`i receives for vital services we all need such as health, education, welfare, transportation, roadways, schools, libraries, and funding through grants. Census data also determines how much money is available for emergency preparedness and disaster recovery. Through much advocacy we have been able to help shape the way in which census is taken, compiled, and organized. That acknowledgment was seen in 2000 when the Native Hawaiian race category was added for the first time to the survey.

Prior to 2000, we were categorized with other Pacific Islanders and Asian. Through the diligence and perseverance of many, we have been able to accomplish a race category specifically for Native Hawaiians. With our consistent influence and full participation, we can model a census process, results and application like that of our Kūpuna. Nāu Ke Kuleana.

Resources for Census 2010 API Media Work

2009-12-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a small collection of resources to help community based organizations construct strong media messages to encourage participation of hard-to-count communities in Census 2010. The work that our California statewide network, the Asian Pacific Islander Census Network (APICN) is concentrated on directing census messages to the diverse API population. However many of these resources can also be applied to media outreach efforts in other hard-to-count communities.

INCREASING DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION:
MOTIVATING UNDER COUNTED POPULATIONS to BE COUNTED in the 201O CENSUS
temporary link here: http://drop.io/2010censusmessagemanual#

I cannot say enough good things about this messaging manual. By far the most valuable page of this manual for people working on census messaging for the API community is page #7. It is a great condensed message specifically tailored to historically under counted populations. You plug sentences from this page into any census story or press release that you write. This manual also goes into detail specific roadblocks you may come up against in your messaging efforts and how to dismantle these roadblocks with message approaches tested on community focus groups.

THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL RIGHTS (LCCR)
Make Yourself Count Census 2010 - Train the Trainers Toolkit
download PDF here: http://www.civilrights.org/census/make-yourself-count-toolkit.pdf

This toolkit is a good overall manual for everything you need to know to get started on doing media outreach work. Including basic information on why the census is important, tips for engaging the media, how to prepare for an interview, and how to write an affective press release.

Please feel free to ad comments or links to other Census 2010 resources that you have found helpful.

Mahalo!

Christen Hepuakoamana'a Marquez
Census 2010 Media Coordinator
Asian Pacific Islander Census Network (APICN)