Pass it on… Challenges in passing on Hungarian heritage to future generations
Andrea Lauer Rice CEO & Founder, Lauer Learning HATOG VII – September 21, 2013
www.lauerlearning.com Lauer Learning
Creates multimedia educational tools to teach about language, culture and history
Products to reach out to Hungarian Americans…and beyond: • www.FreedomFighter56.com oral history website - Collaboration with Hungarian American Coalition • www.TheGulyasPot.com online community • 1956 “Exhibit in a box” ready to go on request • 1956 Products:
www.lauerlearning.com State of Our Community
www.lauerlearning.com State of Our Community
2012 American Community Survey (ACS) • Results show a slight uptick in Hungarian American population - Largely attributed to new methodology, but no one can deny that there has been a new wave of ethnic Hungarian immigrants to the US in the past 10 years or so - New infusion of energy, ideas and resources in traditional communities
Scouts growing in members and troops • New troops in traditional (Sarasota, Boston) and non-traditional areas (Las Vegas)
New clubs and activities are emerging in both traditional and non- traditional areas • Southeast – Georgia, Carolinas, Kentucky, Alabama…
Hungarian government is actively reaching out to our community • Diaszpora Council - Korosi Csoma Sandor Internship Program • Nemzeti Regiszter, Julianus Program • The Hungary Initiatives Foundation
Challenges are basically the same across the board • Reaching the youth • Raising funding for programs • Meeting the needs of all the community • Next generation of leadership for our organizations
www.lauerlearning.com Segmenting the Community
1st Wave (1st generation - 56ers and DPs) • Immigrated during waves between 1945 – 1957 • Political and passionate • Created some of the most traditional and highly-respected organizations
Gen Magyar (2nd generation) • Raised by Hungarian parents in the “Inkubator” • Grew up speaking the language, observing traditions • Often involved in Scouts
Gen America (2nd generation) • Typically raised by one Hungarian parent • Does NOT speak the language • May or may not live in a Hungarian American community
Next Gen Kids (3rd and 4th generation) • Children of 2nd generation Gen Magyar & Gen America
New Wave (1st generation) • Young Hungarian families who immigrated within the past 20 years • Speaking Hungarian, observing traditions, learning the history
www.lauerlearning.com Our Makeup
*HA Population (based on assumptions & w/ rounding)
10% 10% 10% 1st Wave Gen Magyar 45% 25% Gen America Next Gen New Wave
Total: ~1.55 M
www.lauerlearning.com Our A-HA Moment!
*HA Population (based on assumptions & w/rounding)
10% 10% 10% 1st Wave
Gen 45% 25% Magyar Gen America Total: ~1.55 M
70% = ~1M Gen America + Next Gen = 70-% We are not engaging the vast majority of our community. How do we reach them? How do we engage them?
www.lauerlearning.com Pass it on…
www.lauerlearning.com The Pass it on…Project
How do we ensure that Hungarian ethnicity is passed on to future generations?
Of the 1.5 M Hungarian-Americans, less than 10% speak the language • Language is a primary indicator of ethnicity
General trends - Without a strong tie and reinforcement, strength of ethnicity is diluted over time • First generation immigrants pass away • Lack of direct exposure • Marriage to non-Hungarians • Parents not involved, no local Hungarian community or infrastructure exists • Difficulty in finding ways to pass it on to children
Expose…Engage…Educate…Evolve!
www.lauerlearning.com Goals of this project
Create a strategy that will specifically target “at-risk” groups - 2nd, 3rd & 4th generation HAs with limited language and no community infrastructure
Create new ways to reach out to the community - especially the youth • Talk to them in “their language,” using their tools and technologies - We have to make it relevant and interesting to them • Create tools to assist parents in raising their kids bi-culturally - Make it easy and repeatable - Provide opportunity to customize and bring in their own story
Determine the most effective ways to strengthen ethnicity
Focus on “at-risk” groups
Look at existing programs we can model or work with
Create community projects that we can all become involved in
• High-level awareness to reach “lost” HAs
www.lauerlearning.com Moving Hungarians down the continuum
We can’t make someone with limited interest in their heritage immediately care about St. Istvan, but perhaps we can make them care about local Hungarian American history in their own area…this starts them on the path and we can build from there.
No to limited Working to Goal: Strong ethnic awareness of learn and pass identity, active part ancestry Some interest, it on Finding ways to of community but may not know help pass it on to where or how to start others
www.lauerlearning.com Deconstructing ethnic identity
Ethnic identity is a connection to a country, a shared past and culture
The 4 major factors • Language - Language is a primary indicator of ethnicity - This is an especially strong bond due to the complexity of the language • Culture - Art, dance, music, literature, folk art - Important because this does not require language • History - Understanding and having pride in events like 1956 - Stories passed on through families, legends - Understanding Hungarian-American history • Religion - Other than family, the church and school are the major contributors to identity
Common traditions, shared characteristics, similar behavior • Family traditions • Food / Gastronomy - Memory of Nagymami cooking nokedli in the kitchen
www.lauerlearning.com Strengthening components of ethnic identity
If direct and sustained involvement is key - but also the most difficult and expensive - what else can we do?
Direct involvement • Traveling to Hungary, speaking the language at home, having a consistent source of Hungarian information and influence
Community infrastructure • Cserkesz troop, church, Hungarian school, local Hungarian organization
Consistent exposure • Various educational tools and experiences
Reinforcement • Family members, local orgs, national communities, int’l events • If no formal community exists to provide infrastructure and reinforcement, create your own…
www.lauerlearning.com Targeting “at-risk” communities
Gen America • Build on traditions - Holidays, Grandmothers recipes • Educate them along with their kids - Multi-generational tools & activities • Create easy ways to help them pass it on to their children - Hungarian cookbook with kids, Festivals for the whole family
Next Gen • Expose them from a young age - Coloring books, videos, weekend Hungarian school • Use tools and new media they are interested in - Games, community websites, comic books, trading cards, etc • Find ways to directly expose them - Travel to Hungary, ReConnect Hungary, Canadian program, Itt Ott, Magyar Tanya, Festivals
Non-Hungarian spouses • Find ways to engage them, involve them in the community - Good quality English-language programming
www.lauerlearning.com Multi-generational educational tools
Expose, engage, educate, evolve!
Christmas Booklet - Sections describing traditions (Mikulas, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve) • Recipe section - link to You Tube videos • Kids section - crafts, songs, etc. • Photographs - highlighting different communities / traditions • Stories - how Hungarian Americans combine traditions
“Kis Majom” DVD • Introduce young kids to language (poetry) and culture (music, art) • Activity guide for parents and teachers
“Grand” Program (grandparents and grandkids) • Weekend immersion program mixed with tools listed above, followed by a trip to Hungary with suggested itinerary for different age groups
www.lauerlearning.com The Gulyas Pot Online Community
www.TheGulyasPot.com • Reaching out to 2nd/3rd/4th gen Hungarian Americans - Easy - Fun - Approachable
• Sections on Culture / History / Gastronomy / Language
• Create an online Gulyas Pot course to reach this community
• Community resource - Local HA history
www.lauerlearning.com PAHM & Other Sites that Inspired Gulyas Pot
www.lauerlearning.com Great programs that already exist
Many examples exist of successful programs…how can we replicate parts of them to address our challenges?
Scouts • Participants need language skills, only available in certain locations • Let’s work with Cserkeszet to understand the teaching approach and materials they use that we may be able to replicate into English
Students without boundaries (Canada) • 150 high school students from surrounding region (to date, >1,500) • 10-day long trip, 3 centers within Hungary, alums serve as teachers
ReConnect Hungary
Hungarian Heritage Experience Summer Camp (William Penn) • Used to focus on language, now it’s more focused on culture
www.lauerlearning.com Great programs (continued…)
Itt Ott (MBK) • Multi-generational family setting
Hungarian Museums • Cleveland, New Brunswick
Cultural & Language Schools
Annual Celebrations • Easter Camp in North Carolina • Hungarian Festivals • Children’s Dance Camp
www.lauerlearning.com Opportunities for hi-level awareness
There are several new chances to reach out to the community
2013 – Build on the success of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2014 • 25th Anniversary of Hungary’s role in bringing down the Iron Curtain • 40th Anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube 2016 – 60th Anniversary of 1956 Revolution
Why not add an event that is annual?
First Annual Hungarian American Heritage Month • Community-wide and nationwide • Use Polish American month as a model - Trace your heritage worksheet, suggestions to celebrate in school, church, community, etc., coloring contest, start your own essay contest, etc… • We will offer The Gulyas Pot as the initial coordinating site
www.lauerlearning.com Next Steps…
Let’s work together…
Join www.TheGulyasPot.com network and contribute in whatever way you can When you hear about effective ways to pass on ethnicity to the next generation, or have new ideas, please e-mail me - [email protected] - I will continue to update the white paper and circulate it throughout the community LIKE the “SouthEastern Hungarian Americans” facebook page as an initial way to share information across our regional community
Together we can make a difference!
www.lauerlearning.com