Through the efforts of the Spanish Programming Team (Team), the Urban Affairs & New Nontraditional Programs unit of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System has gained national exposure for the unit's Spanish-only Web site. Begun just two short years ago, the site currently links to more than 750 publications and numerous Web sites of interest, including links to sites for all Spanish-speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere! Programación en Español [http://www.aces.edu/urban/spanishindex.html] is a premiere part of the Urban Affairs Web site and receives a large percentage of the more than 14,000 non-Extension site visits each month.
From the onset, the Team comprised of Dr. Julio Correa and I, along with assistance from County Extension Agent Juana Macias, have been working diligently to promote this resource and to make it user-friendly. In February 2003, I was asked to deliver a presentation at a four-day conference in South Padre Island, Texas entitled Hispanic Audience Outreach: The Texas Experience. In conjunction with Bonnie Teeter from the Southern Rural Development Center, I spoke on the topic of The Southern Region Responds to Spanish Speaking Audiences. Approximately 25 percent of the conference participants attended the workshop and displayed great interest in the site. I took every opportunity to promote the site among this national group.
In July 2002, Dr. Correa and I traveled to Pennsylvania State University as presenters at the 2002 National Extension Technology Conference. We delivered three presentations on the site in general; on the production of Metro News, the unit's English/Spanish newsletter; and on the production of Spanish publications at Urban Affairs. We also promoted the site via exhibits and word-of-mouth at the Southern Rural Development Center's Latinos in the South conference held last year in Atlanta, and the Mid-America International Agricultural Consortium 2001 conference in Lincoln, Nebraska.
In addition, the Team has participated in the Alabama Hispanic Association's Annual Hispanic Festival for the past two years and has been interviewed by The Huntsville Times for our input on technology and Hispanics.
Participants at the 2003 Urban Extension Conference in Chicago (May 6-9) will also have an opportunity to learn more about the site. This conference will allow the Team to reach an entirely new audience comprised of Extension workers from across the country with an interest in urban issues. It should be noted that this resource is not only available to Spanish-speaking citizens, but to the non-Spanish-speaking service providers as well.
In the future, the Team will continue to promote and expand the site's areas of interest. Specifically, a promotional campaign customized to each Urban Center in the state, will be conducted starting with the C. Beaty Hanna Horticulture and Environmental Center office as a pilot program later this year. Posters and other promotional materials with emphasis placed on the services offered at the particular Urban Center, will be made available for distribution throughout the local area.
So, if you are fluent in Spanish or know someone who is, we invite you to visit our Web site. There are links to publications on agriculture, consumer and financial issues, education, families, housing, legal rights and issues, pets, children and youth, nutrition and food safety, health, mental health, and safety. The site links to local, national and international news media sources. And, if you're interested in a Spanish-speaking country in the Western Hemisphere, there are links to each country, their consulate or embassy [where available], and their United Nations Web site [where available]. You can even find out information on the specialists housed at Alabama A&M University and on the programs they offer.
Enjoy!