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Staffing Factors to Consider
When Working with Latino Audiences

• Bilingual/bicultural skills are important but not the whole story. Staff should be able to relate to the background and experience of program participants, and the interests and goals of staff should be in sync with program goals.
  
  
• Staff who are endorsed by community leaders and who can tap communication networks within the community offer additional assets.
  
  
• Flexibility is important. All staff, including program and office staff, must be open in their expectations and strive to understand the cultural values, behaviors, modes of communication, etc. of the audience. Be sensitive to timing. Planning and doing often occur simultaneously.
  
  
• Staff must be good listeners. The needs and interests voiced by youth and families should drive the development of programs.
  
  
• Intercultural staff development training is a must. All staff involved in programming for Latino audiences should participate. Understanding cultural differences, especially those that relate to preferred styles of communication, is critical to program success.
  
  
• It is helpful for staff to have access to "cultural translators," people who can help them understand what is or is not working in their relationship with coworkers and participants. This pertains to the Anglo as well as the Latino staff.
  
  
• Teamwork should characterize the work environment. Frequent face-to-face interaction among staff promotes program success and its sustainability. This pertains to the interaction of staff engaged in outreach as well as interactions between outreach staff and other staff working in the greater organization.
  
  
• Trust between staff members is important. In a new setting, work styles will be different. Give staff room to test and apply different approaches.

These observations are drawn from experiences accumulated in planning and implementing the Oregon Outreach Project.