Juanita O'Campo Waits accepted a new challenge eight months ago. It's a challenge she already calls "rewarding."

More than 20 years ago, Waits started as an Extension assistant in Maricopa County working with leadership development in 4-H Youth Development. She continued working with young people after becoming a full faculty member. Eight months ago, she was reassigned to working with adults as a Family and Consumer Sciences faculty member.

Now, she coordinates the Family Community Leadership program, offering leadership training to people who are interested in improving their communities. In 30 hours of training, she teaches communication, effective leadership and group skills. Her target audience is emerging leaders in low-income areas.

This project began in Arizona about 10 years ago as a pilot program funded by the Kellogg Foundation.

Waits' work with the Association for Family and Community Education is just beginning. "It's a program primarily with women who get together to develop skills that will help them with their families and their communities.

"I believe in grassroots effectiveness. I really like to work in the community to help volunteers improve their effectiveness in their own community. Working with young people was rewarding, too, because I could see the impact 4-H had on their lives and where they lived."

Her association with 4-H Youth Development goes way back. "Extension was my first job ever, after I graduated from ASU with a degree in home economics." She earned her master's degree from The University of Arizona.

Although her father was born in Mexico and her mother in New Mexico, Waits is an Arizona native. In fact, she's even a native of Maricopa County, born in Glendale.

We're Different. Isn't That Grand?

Evelyn likes her job as a researcher but balks when asked to be part of a team.

John has an idea a minute and loves working with others. But he can't keep worksheets organized and often misses deadlines.

Joe and Ed are high achievers with the same small town backgrounds and college degrees. No one wants to work with Joe and Ed on the same project because they just don't get along.

All four of these people are valuable employees, but they all have definite preferences in the way they operate, on the job and away from it.

It's the job of a good manager to find ways to understand and respect each person's needs while maintaining both peace and productivity.

We need to expect people to be different from us, rather than the same. When we find ways to accommodate those differences, the benefits will be enormous.

Success Workshop Folio, Box 101, Clemson, SC 29633

Hopi Agriculture

The Hopi have always counted on agriculture to meet their basic needs, says Dr. Emory Sekaquaptewa, UA anthropologist. In their case, "always" means since about 1100 A.D.

Subsistence farming is very different from today's commercial agriculture and therein lies a dichotomy with strong implications for scientists. No amount of outside pressure to "improve" by irrigating or fertilizing has changed the Hopi way of farming.

Corn has always meant survival, Sekaquaptewa says. "Younger Hopi believe that if we continue to grow corn in our traditional ways, we will survive any outside disaster, even nuclear wars.

"We can intellectually accept commercial agriculture, but we won't incorporate it because of our values. Corn is a communal good for Hopi, which overrides individual goals.

"Hopi who live outside may become individualistic, but when they come back, they're just as conservative. We believe that if you abandon our culture by accepting a new system, you are undermining Hopi culture," Sekaquaptewa says.

Hopi exemplify a farming culture. Hunters have a different ethic; they must be more individualistic to survive. "Indian tribes are different from each other," Sekaquaptewa says, firmly.

Dr. Emory Sekaquaptewa, speaking to the Western Regional meeting of Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE) on Feb. 16.

Media and Minorities

Mainstream media aren't exactly biased in the ways they depict minorities; they just forget how to deal with different cultures.

"Media need diversity training," says Mary Kim Titla, Native American television anchor in Phoenix. "We need to represent the diversity of our audience on-camera.

"Arizonans have been around Indians all their lives; they should already know each tribe has its own culture and language. But media haven't always paid attention. Too often media only cover the negative aspects of minority cultures," Titla says.

She adds, "People don't mean to be offensive when they ask, Why are Indians all overweight?' or Why do all Indians have an alcohol problem?'"

Hispanics face many of the same kinds of stereotyping, partly because of media, says Teresa Jones, KUAT-TV producer and on-air host for "Reflexiones."

After watching the news, people could believe that all Hispanics are drug dealers, murderers, and gang members. "Media must make a real effort to interview the other side," Jones says.

She'd like to eliminate references to illegal aliens. "It sounds as if we came from Mars."

Her advice to media and everyone else when dealing with minority people is: don't generalize; don't make assumptions; and be sensitive.

"If we all knew more about each other, what a better place the world would be," agrees Titla.

Mary Kim Titla and Teresa Jones, speaking to the Western Regional meeting of Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE) on Feb. 16.

Representative from Zimbabwe

From April 1-5, representatives from three community teams in Zimbabwe will be in Arizona for three weeks of intensive training. The training is a part of the Zimbabwe Citizen Action for Youth, Families & Communities project that addresses citizen involvement in community youth issues. This same team will have the opportunity of working with communities around Arizona which will include Casa Grande, Flagstaff, Globe and Tucson. In July, the Arizona project staff (Sherry Betts, Ruth Carter, Angela Huebner, Peggy Lazarus, Jan Norquest, Beth Tucker, Wendy Wheeler) will also have the same opportunity when they go to work with their colleagues on teams in Zimbabwe. For more information on the project and /or a brochure, contact Sherry Betts, Project Director or Peggy Lazarus at 621-3399.

Resources: Meeting

"Diversity is Value Added" is a training day for Arizona Cooperative Extension. It will feature information about diversity issues, affirmative action, intercultural communication, nonverbal messages, gender communication.

A different dramatic presentation is part of each session. The goal is using drama to obtain audience reaction and interaction that challenges their beliefs and values about diversity.

Space is still available at each session. If you are planning to come, fax (520-621-1314) or mail your registration form to us immediately.

Separate dates are scheduled for three different locations. All meetings begin at 9:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast and also include lunch. Actual sessions begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.

The Flagstaff training day is set for April 10 at Woodlands Plaza Hotel, Kaibab Room, 1175 W. Route 66. The drama title is "Follow the American Dream" by Barbara Palermo.

The central session at the Maricopa County Office, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix, is on April 17. The title of the drama is "Broad Reality" by a youth drama troupe from South Phoenix Youth Center, Cynthia Peters, Director.

The southern meeting, at the Student Union Rincon Room, University of Arizona campus, is on April 30. Drama title: "Cage Birds" by Sahuaro High School Junior/Senior students.

Vision: To affect positive change in the CALS community by valuing differences and building respect.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.

Content Questions/Comments: Billye Foster (billye@cals.arizona.edu) or Steven Crofts (scrofts@cals.arizona.edu)
Last Updated: 05/16/2005