Following months of research, canvassing, and listening to community needs, journalists, including Mariana Bermudez, produced solutions-based stories about the challenges faced by the Berwyn, Illinois, community.
Bermudez special report highlights on communication and engagement in how government-led agencies reach families about youth development initiatives available to them.
Dr. Mary Havis, Superintendent, Berwyn South School District 100
Berwyn South School District 100 Superintendent Dr. Mary Havis has been working in the school district for over 25 years. Throughout those years, one of her main goals has not changed: Reaching as many kids as possible to provide youth development programs.
“I think there are a lot of things that kids can get involved in in our community,” Havis said. “For us and the community as a whole, it’s just making sure that kids are aware of those things.”
After surveying Berwyn residents, most of whom are of Hispanic and Latino heritage, about their community needs and gaps in local news coverage, over 30% mentioned education as one of the areas in need of reporting, with 9% highlighting youth development. When asked about where they would get their news, over 85% of Berwyn residents stated that social media was their primary source of information. Educational and youth development programs are trying to keep up with this, as a lot of their information sometimes does not reach families.
From paper to school digital platforms
Berwyn South School District 100 is one example of how information has transitioned to a digital form of communication.
“We do a lot with posting on social media in hopes that people who are community members and want to know what’s happening in the school district can see it on social media as well,” Havis said.
According to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 data, the school district has a minority enrollment of 90%, with 84% of students being of Hispanic or Latino heritage. Currently, the district serves over 3,000 youth at six elementary and two middle schools.
In fact, between 2018 and 2022, youth ages 5 to 19 were the second largest group living in Berwyn, making up 21.2% of the total population. Their strong presence is an even greater reason to build a reliable communication system that reaches as many youth as possible.
Source: 2018-2022 American Community Survey five-year estimates. Graphic by Mariana Bermudez.
Dr. Mary Havis, Superintendent, Berwyn South School District 100
Havis stressed how after school and summer activities have thrived through the consistent use of social media and online groups to share information and spread the word about programming. From offering athletics to fine arts and volunteer opportunities, available youth programming is not the problem.
“Getting communication out to everyone in the Berwyn community is absolutely a challenge,” Havis said. “We try to use a variety of means.”
The school district is gradually transitioning from distributing paper flyers for students to take home to posting information on Instagram and Facebook. With over 1,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 3,000 on Facebook, sharing information both in English and Spanish, their media presence does not limit what or how much they can share. In the past, the school district found paper flyers to be less effective, as kids often did not bring them home to their parents. Not only that, but putting up paper flyers would make it difficult to decide what information to print, feeling inundated with school and non-school activities.
Relying on the school district’s website and ‘Community’ tab is also a go-to secondary source of information for Berwyn families. Here, they have access to past and present flyers about youth programming within the district and community organizations.
Recreational initiatives
School districts, such as Berwyn South School District 100, also form strong relationships with nonprofits and recreational centers to promote programs offered beyond the school district’s own. The Pav YMCA in Berwyn is one of those long-standing connections.
The Pav YMCA serves several suburban communities in Chicago and relies on membership dues, program fees, and contributions to sustain its core values: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic cut some offered youth programming –– such as preschool programming and gymnastics –– due to a lack of participation, it has managed to stay relevant through other programs.
Jamie Kucera, CEO and executive director, YMCA
In the YMCA’s case, CEO and executive director Jamie Kucera said they stay relevant in the social media age without the use of social media.
After their Facebook and Instagram pages would constantly shut down weekly, they stopped posting on social media to get the word out, as it did not make sense for them to create new accounts and regain followers. Kucera said Meta would flag them for “not meeting community standards,” which she believes is because they were “copying” the national YMCA logo. Still, that doesn’t stop the YMCA’s attempts to reach Berwyn families.
QR codes and program brochures are the YMCA’s strongest communication tools, as they post them in places where they know families are likely to be, such as libraries and health and medical centers. With a simple QR code, families have access to all of the YMCA’s program offerings, but the nonprofit does not stop there. With a contact database of over 6,000 email addresses, community members subscribed to the YMCA’s email receive weekly updates in their inbox. According to Kucera, they have an open rate of 48%, which she considers well above the industry standard.
Although Kucera admitted non-social media presence can be a factor in community engagement and program awareness, the closest thing to social media they use is community Facebook groups, where group administrators post about their events.
Kucera said that the lack of participation sometimes is not about seeing information on social media or not, but about whether the community can afford to enroll children in youth programming.
“I know the demographic is changing, and I know it might not be a financial priority for families right now,” Kucera said. “You know, ‘Should we sign up for basketball classes or should we make sure that we put gas in the car and have enough for groceries this week?’ I think there’s a lot of that happening.”
That is why what she believed sets them apart is their quarterly free community events. By hosting these free events, the YMCA can promote upcoming events, such as their summer youth programs. For April, they hosted a “Healthy Kids Day” and offered a variety of activities, including bounce houses, an open pool, and healthy snacks for attendees. Kucera said events like these, open and free to the Berwyn and surrounding communities, help to attract more interest in current and future YMCA programs, contributing to the national organization it represents.
“We understand that there are so many choices, so for us to stay relevant I think we have a national brand behind the work that we do,” Kucera said. “We believe that we are keeping relevant within that brand, but it’s truly about offering opportunities to sell the next opportunity for us.”
Hopes for the future
Both Havis and Kucera understand that while their current strategies are attracting program participants, whether through social media or not, there is still room for improvement and gaps to fill.
Within the school district, shared information is only disseminated to matriculated families, meaning they cannot control information access for families who are part of other Berwyn school districts. In addition, the school district has established a social media presence without an existing communications department, which is why they continually seek new ways to promote their programs and establish a steady communications infrastructure.
On the recreational side, while the Berwyn community continues to rely on social media, the YMCA believes that families are starting to realize they can practice many of these recreational activities without having to attend a local YMCA or park center, which further limits youth participation.
With summer right around the corner, Havis said the school district is currently finalizing programming plans in collaboration with youth centers and within their own schools. With the help of these relationships, she is confident in providing a variety of offerings to children.
“I feel like Berwyn is a great community for that,” Havis said. “I feel like everyone’s always trying to help each other to get information out.”
This story is made possible through the Berwyn Collaborative: Understanding Community Needs, led by News Ambassadors in collaboration with local news outlets, including Illinois Latino News, click HERE.
Mariana Bermudez is a student at Northwestern University studying journalism and creative writing. An aspiring bilingual sports journalist, she hopes to represent Latina women in the sports industry, while continuing to report on issues that affect Hispanic and Latino communities.