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Intergration Learning Exchange

Telenovelas and the US Census Bureau

The Grand Cafe

At Cities of Migration, we’re always looking for examples of good integration ideas that have been replicated and are travelling from city-to-city. The recent news that the US Census Bureau is making strategic use of telenovelas (soap operas) is a fantastic, and unexpected,  example.

Earlier this year, we featured, “A Soap Opera For Success: The Grand Cafe Telenovela,“  about a vocational training initiative for immigrant women developed by the organization C.E.O. Women in Oakland, California.

The Grand Cafe is a telenovela written and filmed by C.E.O. Women as a way to teach immigrant women practical entrepreneurial know-how and basic English skills. The telenovela is a hugely popular form of melodramatic television series from Latin America.

Hispanics now surpass African Americans as the largest minority group in many U.S. states and are the majority ethnic group in cities like Los Angeles and Oakland, California (Census, 2000). Media analysts report that roughly sixty percent of Hispanics in all age groups watch an average of 2.5 telenovela episodes (2.5 hours) per week. Research also suggests that  telenovelas can be useful vehicles to transmit information on a range of issues –from health-related issues to adult education and vocational training.

Now the US Census Bureau is also taking its message to the telenovela by adopting this innovative approach for its 2010 Census campaign.  The telenova was identified as an effective way convey information and build trust among the Hispanic community, a group that has been wary of the census process in the past.  In addition to the typical public service announcement and advertisements, the Census Bureau is having their message of, “Don’t be afraid to be counted” incorporated into the popular Spanish telenovela, “The Devil Knows Best,” broadcast by the Telemundo network.

What dramatic character plays the messenger?  Ms. Perla Beltran is a young widow in New York City who’s down on her luck. Her husband, a thief, was just murdered and she’s living on the “wrong side of the tracks” until her life takes a turn when she decides to become a recruiter for the US Census Bureau. Tune in for more!

An additional twist on this story is the business angle. The campaign’s partnership with Telemundo is not merely about civic participation.  Higher Hispanic participation is also likely to mean more advertising revenue for Telemundo and other Spanish language networks over time. We’ll be watching how this initiative and Ms. Perla’s story both play out.

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