[Click here for a PDF version of this document]
www.CambioDeColores.org
LatinosInTheHeartland.com
· January 21st, 2013: Abstract submission starts (Online)
· February 21st, 2013: Deadline for submitting abstracts
· March 1st, 2013: Notification of accepted abstracts
· April 19th, 2013: Author registration deadline. At least one author per abstract must register by this date to ensure the integrity of the program.
· May 10th, 2013: Deadline for submission of papers for publication in Proceedings
· June 12th-14th, 2013: Twelfth Cambio de Colores – Latinos in the Heartland conference
The deadline for submitting abstracts is February 21st, 2013.
Since 2002, the annual Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) Conference has brought together researchers, practitioners, decision-makers, and community members to discuss the issues that Missouri, the Heartland, and other states face as a result of dramatic demographic changes. The U.S. Census clearly shows that large numbers of immigrants—most of them Latino or Hispanic, but including significant numbers of migrants and refugees from Asia, Africa, and Europe—have been settling in rural and urban areas of many Heartland states. These dramatic changes continue, and are occurring in new destination areas in the Midwest, the South, the Pacific Northwest, and New England.
Led by the University of Missouri, Cambio de Colores is a collaborative effort that includes University of Missouri Extension, other educational institutions in the Midwest and the Southern regions, as well as government and private organizations. The conference program focuses and builds on the sharing of university, government, and community resources, linking academic studies to the more applied perspective and best practices of people and institutions working at the heart of the changing communities. This particular and much needed synergy is the signature characteristic of this annual conference, which engages a wide array of stakeholders in economic and social development.
This is a year of change and promise to continue integrating newcomers, their families and communities in the Heartland where they live. The doors to Latino youth, the dreamers, have been opened. As always the hope is that the conference contributes to raising awareness, sharing research and best practices, and providing resources that can inform the dialogue about change.
The 2013 meeting will be a multistate conference showcasing the research and best practices from many new destination states and locations. Since 2009, the conference has benefited from the cooperation of the University of Missouri's Cambio Center for Research & Outreach on Latinos and Changing Communities, and the interstate initiative on “Latinos and Immigrants in Midwestern Communities,” North Central Education and Research Activity 216 (NCERA 216). In 2011 and 2012, the cooperation was extended to include the Southern Extension and Research Activity 37 (SERA 37) “The New Hispanic South,” an initiative that brings together a large number of universities and institutions addressing similar changes in that region.
While native and foreign-born Latinos may constitute the majority of new arrivals, the conference organizers stress that immigrants from other areas of the world are also settling in these regions. The integration of these very diverse groups is being studied by academics and pursued by stakeholders, as the newcomers seek to become part and parcel of the social, economic, and cultural fabric of their new communities.
The 2013 conference will provide state-of-the-art research and best practices that will inform participants about the multiple ways in which stakeholders are addressing the most significant and transformational demographic and cultural change in decades. The conference provides a unique platform to present, discuss, share, learn, and identify critical areas where the development of information and promising practices will facilitate the successful transition of all newcomers, while providing the tools necessary to address these changes in sustainable and beneficial ways to all. It will also be a timely event to see the effects that current national and statewide discussions about immigrants and immigration are having in this transition.
This is a call for abstracts for scholarly and applied research, and best practices presentations and papers.
The following themes provide the conference framework:
1. Change and Integration
2. Civil Rights and Political Participation
3. Education
4. Health
5. Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
All submitted abstracts should relate to one or more of these themes. For a detailed explanation of these topics, please refer to the Description of the Conference Themes included in this document. Abstracts are limited to 500 words.
If your abstract submission is approved, you will be able to present your work at the conference, and to submit a paper for publication in the 2013 Cambio de Colores proceedings, that will later be published and distributed to all participants. Please see the Paper Submission Requirements—in the following pages— for details on preparing articles for the proceedings book. Special consideration will be given to submissions that include a commitment to submit papers for publication.
Proceedings books from previous years are available in electronic form at the Cambio de Colores website at www.cambiodecolores.org. Each conference’s Program is also available on the archival sites and the Library page, which has links to past presentations.
Please submit your abstract online from January 21 through February 21, 2013.
Authors of papers and presentations selected for the conference will be notified by March 1, 2013.
Authors of selected papers will be requested to provide the paper in electronic format by May 10, 2013.
Please note that all presenters will be responsible for their own travel expenses and conference registration fees ($175 early bird, $200 regular, and $110 students). At least one author per presentation must register by April 19th. More detailed registration, hotel and CEU information will be available at the conference website in February, 2013.
Abstract submissions will be made online.
If you have difficulties uploading your abstract, or if you have any questions regarding this call, please send a message to decolores@missouri.edu .
Committees will evaluate and select the abstracts that best fit the needs of their respective themes. Additional information will be sent to the presenters of the accepted abstracts with instructions for the conference.
The following information will be needed to successfully complete a submission:
A. TYPE OF SUBMISSION
Please select the type of presentation:
□ Organized panel presentation (20 minutes each speaker; 3 speakers)
□ Research paper presentation (15 minutes)
□ Best practices paper presentation (15 minutes)
□ Workshop (up to 75 minutes)
Please indicate if you will submit a paper for publication in the 2013 Conference Proceedings book (Deadline: May 10, 2013). Please note that special consideration will be given to abstract submissions that include a commitment to submit papers for publication.
B. ABSTRACT CONTENT
The abstract should be 500 words or less. If your abstract includes citations please follow APA style guidelines (available at www.apastyle.org)
Please include the following in the abstract:
Please upload your abstract to www.cambiodecolores.org, starting on January 21, 2013. The deadline for submitting abstracts is February 21, 2013.
Presenters chosen to participate in the conference will be notified by March 1, 2013.
All presenters will be responsible for their own travel expenses and conference registration fees ($175 early bird, $200 regular, and $110 students). More detailed registration, hotel and CEU information will be available at the conference website. A limited number of scholarships may be available for students and community members, based on fundraising.
The following information is for authors who are also submitting papers for the conference’s book of proceedings.
Submission Date: Please submit the paper by May 10th, 2013 in order to be included in the 2013 conference proceedings.
Length: Limit the length of the paper to eight pages maximum. References should be included and do not count against the page limit. Papers should be double-spaced with one-inch margins in Times Roman or equivalent 12 pt. font. Include title of the paper and name and affiliation of each author beginning with the primary and contact author.
Format: Electronic text formats only, including .doc, .docx, .rtf and .ods. Please do not submit pdf files.
Citation: Please follow APA style guidelines (www.apastyle.org).
All graphic elements, including diagrams and charts and graphs, must be submitted with the paper as .jpg, .gif, or .png files, and must be high-quality images of no less than 300 dpi and be at least 3.5 inches wide.
The increasing population of Latino/as and other immigrants arriving from all over the globe into the Midwest and the Southern United States has affected communities, organizations, and institutions, and given birth to many programs and practices across the regions to deal with the changes taking place. The Change and Integration theme invites academics, professors, graduate students, practitioners, and all those interested in this phenomenon from the perspectives of multiple disciplines (including, but not limited to, sociology, demography, political science, agriculture, economics, history, law, psychology and religious studies) to submit proposals focused on the development of increasingly diverse rural and urban communities. This conference aims to contribute to the current discourse and understanding of causes, consequences, and responses to immigration in the new immigrant destinations of the Midwest and Southern United States. More specifically, the goal of the sessions is to cover information on research and the experience of best practices to 1) better understand the contexts of settlement of the newcomer populations, 2) to define the characteristics of the immigration phenomenon, and 3) to identify effective tools for integrating new populations in rural and urban places.
For a community experiencing change to thrive and prosper, it must ensure that a growing immigrant population becomes integrated with the local community(ies) and that diversity across categories such as race, ethnicity, social class, gender and age, is welcome and encouraged. Specifically, integration in changing communities is envisioned as newcomers’ full participation in the economic, social, cultural, and political foundation of the communities they live in, while preserving unique cultural attributes, which directly contribute to the development of diversity in a community. Moreover, change and integration are experienced differently between and among underserved populations and contexts. There is urgent need for studies concerning the formation of connections between local residents and recently arrived immigrants, as well as in the maintenance of cultural diversity and policy leadership. We encourage submissions related to the strategies communities have undertaken to address issues of immigration; to measure the effects of federal, state, and local policies and regulations in rural and urban communities; to study the significance of the physical environment on integration of immigrants; and to explore the opportunities, vulnerabilities, uniqueness, and commonalities associated with urban and rural Latinos and other immigrants.
The goals of this conference theme are to raise awareness and to share initiatives about the legal issues that Latino and other immigrant groups face in the South and the Midwest. The Civil Rights theme of the Cambio de Colores conference invites the submission of abstracts for presentations and workshops about legal and political matters facing Latino and other immigrants, and that describe experiences in the application of specific legal tools. Changes and potential changes on the federal level deserve discussion, as well as ongoing attempts by state and local policymakers to address issues of immigration.
We encourage submissions that deal with appropriate legal changes, as well as training and information dissemination programs that strengthen the ability of immigrants and supporting organizations to respond to legal, political and cultural challenges. The present situation, albeit difficult and uncertain, offers hope for better policies both locally and nationally. Cambio de Colores is especially interested in presentations and workshops about outreach programs and legislative efforts that have improved (or might improve) the climate in communities receiving Latino and other immigrants, the study and analysis of transition from undocumented to legal status and impacts on the individual and community, political engagement processes, and in presentations on current and historical research about the factors that favor or preclude integration of immigrants in the receiving communities.
Education plays an important role in the construction of our future society, and the academic success of the younger newcomers will be a requirement for a prosperous community and country. The 2013 Cambio de Colores Conference is interested in presentations of Educational Research and Best Practices, which explore educational issues, policies and practices that impact Latino/a and other immigrant learners of all ages. Special attention will be given to submissions that emphasize the experiences of newcomers in the Heartland – in comparison to coastal cities and states – as they become more important and prominent throughout this region of the U.S. The education committee would like to examine both the challenges that educational institutions may face in providing the best education for Latino/as and newcomers of varying immigration statuses, as well as their strengths and what they contribute to the educational system. Examples of Educational Research and Best Practice topics include: the relationship of culture and achievement; English language learners; multicultural competencies in teacher training and practice; implications of federal, state, and local statutes on achievement; parental involvement; after-school programs; the impact of pre-school programs; high school and post-secondary education retention; community education programs and resources; preparing for and access to post-secondary education; and programs in rural and urban school districts.
The environment people live in, genetics, medical care, and behavior are the primary variables determining physical and mental health and well-being. For newcomers, issues of access to health care resources, cultural and linguistic differences also are important factors. What are the effects of these factors on the health of Latinos and other newcomers in the Midwest, the South and other new destination areas? Topics to be discussed should include comparison of immigrants’ health status to other groups; translating research into practice (best practices); and policies which support or inhibit healthy behaviors. Key research and practice themes may include: community and research related to health care disparities: barriers to health care access and strategies to overcome them, networking for health care, community-based health care programs; cultural gaps and bridging: positive and negative consequences of acculturation and health behavior modification, influence of race or ethnicity on doctor-patient relationship, cultural competence, traditional practices; health literacy: patient and provider education, outreach to families with children with disabilities, policies and community education programs.
Involvement by Latinos and immigrants in entrepreneurial and economic development activities is key to the expansion of the regional economy and to the integration process by and into the receiving communities. Research on factors that hinder and/or promote their involvement and success in these critical activities is important to inform policy development, enhance service delivery, and provide additional support to individuals and communities. Also important is research that takes into account the risk-taking and eager mindset that usually characterize migrant peoples, as well as how to better use the newcomers’ own cultural and social capital assets to further their success as entrepreneurs. Comparative studies that take into account these issues will be of special interest, as well as workshops about best practices that could be applicable through the South and the Heartland. Public service agencies, advocates, or anyone working in the fields of workforce or economic development, among others, are encouraged to share their projects and best practices. On the opposite side, studies about the effects—negative or positive—of state immigration laws on the local economies and fiscal receipts will be very important to have a fuller picture of the impact of immigrants.