Making contact in rural communities by Carla Rachkowski

We bring computers and instructors to public libraries in rural New Mexico and invite anyone in the community to attend classes free of charge. Our classes are attended by those who are unserved or underserved in the areas of Internet access and proficiency. These late adopters to computer technology don’t spend time reading Facebook, blogs, or tweets to get their information, so we need help within the community to spread the word.

The challenge is as follows: how do we go about spreading the word about our classes and fill them in just a month’s time? In each community we are tasked with training an average of 360 participants – a lofty goal in small rural towns.

So, in a digital era, how do you reach the organizations, leaders and community groups that need to know about the project in order to help spread the word – especially when the rural community is located several hundred miles away? The answer is really quite simple. You go
there.

Even though it’s becoming the norm to sit at a computer and strategize over ways to provide awareness and outreach from a distance, all it really takes is a diligent “grassroots” effort to get out there, pound the pavement, and make personal contact. In rural New Mexico, showing up on the doorstep is a way to be taken seriously; people respect a willingness to travel, meet with them in person and hear about a new program, and to have someone listen to their issues, concerns, and suggestions on how to approach awareness efforts in their community.

Carla Rachkowski
Statewide Marketing Coordinator
Fast Forward New Mexico
505-750-2617
www.FastForwardNM.org