Community Outreach Program

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Like our Research and Pilot Projects, our Community Outreach Program is grounded in the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). The strong and enduring community ties that we established during CNP 1 will foster creative research ideas and ground our work in Native culture. As our past efforts have shown us, Native people want to know the outcomes and implications ofthe educational and scientific endeavors in which they participate. This expectation requires efforts well beyond the traditional practice of sending a copy of the final report to a local program or tribal council. Our communities rightly expect multiple forms of active reporting and engagement, targeting a range of audiences. Stakeholders Include program administrators, consumers, advocates, and government representatives. Pathways for dissemination include newsletters, newspaper articles, radio announcements, cable television interviews, classroom presentations, district meetings, and the Internet. Done well, these efforts are time-consuming, labor intensive, and expensive, but enormously effective. As we have learned, partnerships with Al/ANs entail mutual advocacy. Just as investigators seek local representatives to promote their agendas, Native communities expect scientists to represent them in communicating educational needs and research findings to key decision- and policy-makers. Yet many investigators and institutions are uninformed, ill-equipped, inadequately supported, and even disinclined to address these expectations. Fortunately, Partnerships for Native Health and BHCAIH have the expertise, commitment, and institutional and tribal partnerships to meet these demanding yet entirely appropriate expectations. Below, we highlight work conducted by NPCC during CNP 1 and our plans for CNP 2.