University of Wisconsin - Extension

STEVENS POINT - Each year when the weather turns warm, groups of migrant workers come to Wisconsin to find seasonal employment in the fields. This past summer a new program, called EXPLORE, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) helped meet the educational and career development needs of the migrant Hispanic population in Portage, Waupaca and Washara counties. The program was a first-ever collaboration between UWSP Extension, UWSP Office of Multicultural Affairs and United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS). The UW-Extension Division of Continuing Education Extension provided Diversity Program Development Initiative funding to help get the program started.

The EXPLORE program consisted of three tiers. Explore Your World offered enrichment programming to 10- to 15-year-old youths; Explore Your Mind provided academic enhancement primarily to middle school students; and Explore Your Options provided career development for adult migrant learners.

"Explore Your Options was targeted at those adults who are considering making a permanent move to Wisconsin," says Wayne Sorenson, program manager, UWSP Outreach Education. "Our goal was to get them into the labor force. We had to spend some considerable time upfront building a relationship with them."

Rosario Alemparte, a student outreach specialist with the Multicultural Resource Center at UWSP, met with small groups of adult migrant workers to assess their educational needs. She discovered that many migrant workers were interested in studying for their General Educational Development (GED) test, improving their English language skills and receiving tutoring in math, science and other core academic subjects.

"We learned that adult migrant workers have a hard time projecting into the future and believing that they could have a better life," Alemparte says. "Classes are a way of moving them beyond the fields. By learning English, improving their basic skills and preparing for the GED, migrant workers would be able to have better communication with their employers, acquire a better understanding of the American culture and system, participate in their community and, hopefully, gain interest in higher education."

For middle school students, the Explore Your Mind program provided four weeks of academic tutoring one night a week. According to Sorenson, many young Hispanic students struggle in school because for five or six months out of the year their families leave their homes and the children leave their schools to come to Wisconsin to work in the fields.

"The students have a disjointed educational experience," Sorenson says. "So, there is a great need for them to catch up."

"There were a number of unintended positive outcomes of our program," Sorenson continues. "Some students just wanted to do some creative writing and have the tutors critique their work. Those students really got to practice their English language skills."

The final tier, Explore Your World, provided enrichment programming to upper elementary and middle school-aged students. It gave the children a chance to explore career options, assess their skills and learn about continuing education opportunities at UWSP and other post-secondary institutions. During the five-week program, students toured an area paper mill, participated in a hands-on chemistry lab, played basketball and joined in other recreational activities.

"We wanted to provide a combination of career planning, recreational activities and a subtle educational experience," Sorenson says. "If nothing else, the impact we provided was that the participants had fun and had positive things to do over the summer. We got the children out and about and showed them what else is out there."

According to Sorenson, participation in the Explore Your World program increased each week, starting with 13 and ending with 43 for the final field trip. In program evaluations, all participants said they felt participation in the Explore Your World program increased their interest in learning more about college. All participants also reported that the program provided them with ideas for future careers.

Sorenson says there is a strong likelihood the EXPLORE program will be conducted in some fashion next year.

The EXPLORE program has also served as a model for a larger program for migrant workers and their families. In August, the U.S. Department of Education announced that a similar program, a collaborative effort among the UW-Stevens Point Office of Outreach Education, in collaboration with Continuing Education Extension, University of Wisconsin System, UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse, UW Colleges, UMOS and the Midwest Food Processors Association, Inc., would receive a four-year $1-million Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) grant. The Reach Out project will offer learning opportunities to migrant farm workers and their families through online remedial courses, mentoring, career counseling and training. Internet access will be provided at summer camps and corporate sites.

For more information, contact Wayne Sorenson at wsorenso@uwsp.edu.