Child safety is a topic that speaks to people from all cultures. Yet for certain populations, language barriers and unfamiliar child passenger safety requirements can make learning new child safety practices a strange experience. Recognizing the impact of hosting an educational experience in clients’ native language and remaining sensitive to those learning new forms of child safety, Mott Buckle Up! and Safe Kids Washtenaw County provided a car seat inspection and training for migrant workers at a local farm.
“The turnout was excellent and attendees expressed a deep appreciation for the event.” Offering information in their native language, creating a non-threatening, educational environment, and providing safety seats for a small donation created a comfortable environment. Besides overcoming language barriers, bringing injury prevention programs directly to clients is an effective way to increase participation in events. "We need to find out what the challenges are, eliminate the barriers and offer education to those families."
In addition to materials and videos in Spanish, Mott Buckle Up! and Safe Kids Washtenaw County also have pamphlets in Arabic. To broaden their outreach, they have obtained materials in several other languages from other Safe Kids locations around the world. Recognizing laws may differ from country to country, understanding each country's approach is essential when working with diverse populations. Mott Buckle Up! and Safe Kids Washtenaw County serves a diverse population throughout the county and intentionally, their staff reflects this diversity as well.
By offering the education experience in a client's native language and remaining sensitive to the fact that perhaps someone is hearing this information for the first time, Mott Buckle Up! and Safe Kids Washtenaw County strives to keep the experience positive. With similar efforts, their programs can reach more children.
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