2010 CENSUS – IT’S IN OUR HANDS !

Did you know that the U.S. Census is mandated by the Constitution …Article 1, Section 2?  Did you know that the first Federal Census was taken of the U.S. and its island properties in 1790?  Did you know that it is taken every 10 years on the “0”?  (ie: 1790. 1800…1990, 2000, 2010 and that the next opportunity we will have to get an “accurate” count for our cities and towns across the country will be in 2020?  Did you complete and mail back your questionnaire in Census 2000?

Why all the questions, you ask?  Why should I care?

The U.S. Census Bureau is issuing a call to action for every resident of our nation.

“BE COUNTED IN 2010.”

… and We're proud to report that AAUW has chosen to answer that call…it’s our civic duty!!!

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

¨        Are you politically active?  Census data determine how many seats each state will have in the U. S. House of Representatives.

¨        Are you a local community activist or leader?  Every year the federal government can allocate more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data.

¨        Are you a business woman, elected official, teacher or caregiver?  Census data guide local decision-makers on where to build new roads, hospitals, child-care and senior citizen centers, schools, and more.

¨        Are you a committed member of AAUW?  Do you use/share the research products we produce, such as Hostile Hallways.., and Where The Girls Are… use Census/Dept. of Labor Statistics?

AAUW-Massachusetts has agreed to establish a Complete Count Committee and serve as a key partner in this historical and important initiative.  Please join us in making history by helping to educate your community, family and friends on the importance of completing the questionnaire when it arrives in the mail next March and mailing it back.

Census Day is April 1, 2010…that’s when we take a “snapshot of America.”

 YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:  As an influential AAUW leader, you can raise awareness of and encourage participation in this historic event by agreeing to take on one of the following Census-sponsored initiatives as your branch project this fall.  A Census Partnership Specialist will be happy to assist you in obtaining the fact sheets and promotional items for any of the programs below:

v  Census in Schools – Children 5 and under are a Hard to Count population – WHY? (Please attend the Fall Conference and learn more.  There, we can brainstorm for suggestions as to how to help get them counted in Census 2010.  See the well-though-out lesson plans, as designed through the assistance of Scholastic.  Each school principal in the nation will receive a CIS kit in August.  Do you know what September 17^th is?  We’ll answer that question and more at the conference).

v  Census on Campus – College students and U.S. residents, in general, between the ages of 18-24 are a Hard to Count population – WHY?  (Please share this with your Branch’s C/U liaison and this could be a way to “partner” in a win – win fashion for us all! AAUW gets on-Campus presence, and the Census Bureau gets a valuable volunteer!)

v  Faith-based Initiative – Are you a “trusted voice” in your faith-based community?  Then you, too, will be an invaluable “partner” during the 2010 Census.  Newly-arrived immigrants, those who mistrust the government and many others will surely trust you before a Federal worker.  If you can impart the message we need these folks to hear: the Census is Safe, Easy and Important – then we need your valuable presence at the Conference, as well!

v  Foreign-born Initiative – Are you an ESOL, ELL, Adult Ed teacher or volunteer?  Then the immigrant community counts on you to teach them about our constitution, our laws and our culture.  You can help the Census Bureau by instructing them on the importance and safety of the 2010 Census.  The Bureau has language guides in over 50 languages such as: Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Dutch, Farsi, French, Greek, German, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, etc…

Please help us educate our communities about the importance of the Census, gain valuable knowledge ourselves…while keeping in touch with our AAUW Mission.

AND WE PROMISE YOU IT WILL BE FUN, too!!   We’ll show you the memory and word search games on the computer and you’ll listen to the Census for kids song!...

….the census counts people, be  sure  it  counts  you-ou-ou…

To reach the Student Center building: Once on campus, follow the driveway all the way around to the end, to the stop sign.  Turn left to go behind the Administration Building (AB) and into the parking lot behind the AB. The same parking lot serves both that building and the Student Center (SC).  There are two entrances to the SC, one at ground level through which there is an elevator. The other entrance, also visible from the parking lot, is a set of cement stairs, that leads right to the exterior entrance to the LBR. There will be AAUW signs to point the way!