[texto en español a continuación]

Breaking Barriers

Improving Language Access in Wisconsin

Thursday, October 17, 1 – 3pm
D.J. Bordini Center-Fox Valley Technical College [google map]
5 N Systems Dr, Appleton, WI 54914

This event is FREE and open to all healthcare providers, educators, direct service providers, government agencies, decision makers, and language advocates.

This event will be held in English. Please note on registration if you will need Spanish or Hmong translation onsite. / Este evento se llevará a cabo en inglés. Tenga en cuenta al registrarse si necesitará traducción al español o hmong en el sitio. / Qhov kev tshwm sim no yuav muaj ua lus Askiv. Thov qhia rau peb paub yog tias koj xav tau kev txhais lus Mev lossis lus Hmong rau ntawm qhov chaw.

NOTE: This event is at capacity. Sign up for our email list further below to learn about future language access opportunities.

In Wisconsin, 125,000 people are multilingual speakers and likely require language access services. Languages spoken include Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, and many more. However, essential services are often very difficult for multilingual families to access due to language barriers. This is a critical issue for people of color and immigrant families. Improving linguistic inclusivity ensures that all families have access to critical services and information.

We invite direct service providers to join us to learn more about language barriers and access, why it’s so important to address, and how your agency can get started or enhance the work you’re already doing. We hope you will join us as we move forward to a place of greater understanding and action.

Panelists

Amanda Martinez
Senior Policy Analyst, Kids Forward

Amanda is based in Northeast Wisconsin and works to build meaningful relationships with community members, leaders, and organizations to better understand the priorities of the community. As a first-generation Latina and proud daughter of immigrant parents, she navigated various systems for the first time in her family. She quickly recognized how systems in this country work against allowing communities of color and immigrant communities to thrive. These experiences inspired her to enter the field of social work. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the UW-Oshkosh. Most recently she obtained her Master of Social Work from the UW-Madison with a focus on child, youth, and family policy. Many of her academic experiences revolved around advocating for and supporting youth and students of color. 

Lisa Cruz
Executive Director, Multicultural Coalition, Inc.

Cruz is a founding member of Multicultural Coalition Inc., (MCI), serves on the board of directors and as the executive director for the 501c3 non-profit. She helps support the community’s needs based on input from those served. Since MCI’s inception, removing language barriers has been an area of action with the formation of their review and translation committee, providing translated and culturally appropriate information in multiple languages and ensuring interpreter services are available. Since its inception in 2020, Multicultural Coalition Inc. has impacted thousands of lives through continuous community outreach with a focus on language access. Establishing trust with communities has been the center of their work and includes meeting urgent needs (access to health care, food, employment and housing) as well as systems change.

Juan Garcia Oyervides, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

Juan García Oyervides (he/él) is the Director of the Chicana/o & Latinx Studies program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He regularly teaches Spanish language courses and courses on Latinx arts and culture. Dr. García Oyervides is also a Community-Engaged Research Fellow at the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research, working with community partners and health professionals to increase access to quality health care for non-native English speakers in rural Wisconsin. At UWO, he runs the Translators in Residence Program, and the Escuela Popular de Mariachi in Wisconsin, two community forward programs seeking to create educational opportunities in nontraditional spaces.

Patricia Sarvela
Chief Development Officer, Partnership Community Health Center

Trish Sarvela leads and addresses public health issues and designs programming that address root causes of poverty and eliminates barriers to care. Her work in public/private partnerships, community-based outreach, cost effective bilingual improvement programs have positively impacted individual and community health. She leads communications and marketing strategies that reach target community members with a focus high risk and vulnerable populations in need of care. In 2022 she received the national award Betsy K Cooke, MVP for Grassroots Advocacy from the National Association of Community Health Centers. She is a founding member of the Multicultural Coalition focusing on health equity and community engagement strategies.

Moderator: William Parke-Sutherland

Senior Policy Analyst, Kids Forward

William works to protect and expand access to affordable, quality health coverage and care–especially for those impacted by health disparities and in cycles of poverty. He also helps Kids Forward strategize paths to advance health equity in Wisconsin and move toward a system with universal access to health care for all.

La Próxima Semana!
Rompiendo Barreras: Mejorando el Acceso de Idiomas en Wisconsin

Jueves, 17 de Octubre, de 1 – 3 pm
Centro D.J. Bordini – Fox Valley Technical College [mapa de Google]
5 N Systems Dr, Appleton, WI 54914

GRATIS y abierto a todos los profesionales médicos, educadores, proveedores de servicios directos, agencias de gobierno, politicos y defensores del idioma!

 Este evento se llevará a cabo en inglés. Por favor, indique en el registro si necesitará traducción al español o Hmong en el lugar.  

Invitamos a los proveedores de servicios a unirse para aprender más sobre las barreras y el acceso al idioma, escuchar por qué es importante el tema y cómo su agencia puede comenzar o mejorar el trabajo que ya están realizando para mejorar el acceso de idiomas.  Nos sentimos honrados de contar con los siguientes líderes comunitarios que compartirán sus ideas y experiencias: 

Lisa Cruz
Directora Ejecutiva, Multicultural Coalition, Inc.

Cruz es una fundadora de Multicultural Coalition Inc (MCI).  Ella ayuda a apoyar las necesidades de la comunidad basándose en las opiniones de aquellos a quienes sirven. Desde la creación de MCI, la eliminación de las barreras del idioma ha sido un área de acción clave, con la formación de su comité de revisión y traducción, que proporciona información traducida y culturalmente apropiada en varios idiomas, y garantiza la disponibilidad de servicios de interpretación. Desde su fundación en 2020, Multicultural Coalition Inc. ha impactado miles de vidas a través de un alcance comunitario continuo, con un enfoque en el acceso al idioma. Establecer confianza con las comunidades ha sido el centro de su trabajo, lo que incluye atender necesidades urgentes (acceso a atención médica, alimentos, empleo y vivienda), así como impulsar cambios en los sistemas. 

Juan García Oyervides, PhD
Profesor Asistente, Universidad de Wisconsin – Oshkosh

 Juan García Oyervides (él/he) es el Director del programa de Estudios Chicana/o y Latinx en la Universidad de Wisconsin Oshkosh. Regularmente enseña cursos de Español y cursos sobre artes y cultura Latinx. El Dr. García Oyervides también es Becario de Investigación Comunitaria en el Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research, donde trabaja con socios comunitarios y profesionales de la salud para aumentar el acceso a atención médica de calidad para personas que no hablan inglés en las zonas rurales de Wisconsin. En UWO, dirige el Programa de Traductores en Residencia y la Escuela Popular de Mariachi en Wisconsin, dos programas comunitarios que buscan crear oportunidades educativas en espacios no tradicionales. 

Patricia Sarvela
Directora de Desarrollo, Partnership Community Health Center

Trish Sarvela lidera y aborda problemas de salud pública y diseña programas que tratan las causas fundamentales de la pobreza y eliminan las barreras para el acceso a la atención médica. Su trabajo en asociaciones público/privadas, alcance comunitario, y programas bilingües de mejora costo-efectivos ha tenido un impacto positivo en la salud individual y comunitaria. Además, dirige estrategias de comunicación y marketing que alcanzan a los miembros de la comunidad objetivo, con un enfoque en poblaciones de alto riesgo y vulnerables que necesitan atención. En 2022, recibió el premio nacional Betsy K Cooke, MVP por Defensa de Base de la Asociación Nacional de Centros de Salud Comunitarios. Es miembro fundadora de la Multicultural Coalition, enfocándose en la equidad en salud y estrategias de participación comunitaria. 

About Us

The Multicultural Coalition, Inc. (MCI) and Kids Forward have been working together for more than a year, speaking with families and local resource providers to figure out a way to address the current needs now, while at the same time identifying systems-level changes. This work stems from the deep needs felt during the height of the pandemic, when many immigrant communities had an especially hard time accessing basic needs because of language barriers.

Learn more about language barriers in Wisconsin here.