Second annual report available for the Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Wellbeing
The Great Lakes Center celebrates key accomplishments in research and outreach, reflects on key lessons, and plans for next steps
The GLCFHW has released its 2024 annual report highlighting the activities and progress of its second year. Highlights are summarized below, and we encourage you to read the details in the full annual report as well.
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Major accomplishments:
- Expanding the Center’s External Advisory Board, budget, and online presence
- Building stronger collaborations between the Center’s core teams
- Connecting with over 450 farmworkers across 13 towns
- Strengthening partnerships with farmworker-serving organizations
- Presenting and publishing research findings
Key lessons from outreach work:
- The need for more visual rather than text-based training materials for farmworkers
- The importance of creating confidential spaces where farmworkers can share their experiences
- The insights that can be gained from field observations to better understand farmworkers’ lived realities
Next steps for the coming year:
- Deploying a tested survey tool measuring farmworker health and wellbeing
- Developing processes to detect, count, and prevent occupational pesticide illnesses in Illinois
- Deepening our understanding of farmworkers and labor supervisors’ perspectives on workplace heat safety clothing
- Producing more accurate recommendations regarding the kinds of drinks to use for fluid replacement to prevent heat-related illnesses
- Exploring the structure and importance of social networks within the farmworker community