To: ITGA Members
From: ITGA Executive Director Beth Bagwell
ITGA, Census Webinar Set for Sept. 25th
In concert with the U.S. Census Bureau and the University Communities Council - National League of Cities, ITGA staff and members are preparing for our inaugural webinar with a focus on the 2020 Census, please see specs below.

As we coordinate and research, last week DePaul University Director of Community Relations (and ITGA Outreach Committee member) Julie Emms, arranged for me to talk with Natalie Furlett of the Illinois Campus Compact on this important issue.

Many of our members have a Campus Compact in their state. For those unaware, it's a Boston-based national coalition of 1,000+ colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education and campus-based civic engagement.

Our conversation with Natalie was productive, and helped further the importance of the task at hand. An illustrative excerpt courtesy of Campus Compact, thanks again Julie: " More than $600B federal dollars are distributed to state and local governments each year, based on census counts. This included Pell grant funding, SNAP funding (food stamps program), school lunch programs, job training program funding and more. The count also determines Congressional seats and other election district mapping. There has been confusion, distrust, and other issues that have led to the historical undercount of particular communities. This includes those experiencing homelessness, Native American communities, and immigrant communities. Moreover, simply being a renter is the number one predictor of going uncounted in the census" (you can look up historically undercounted communities from across the country here).

ITGA's Mission: Making the 2020 Census Count
(With thanks to the ITGA Board member and past president Janet Lillie-Michigan State and Outreach Committee member Joan Dickinson-Stony Brook).

Date and Time: Sept. 25, 2:30pm-4:00pm (EDT). Registration info will be available soon.

As colleges and communities across the United States gear up to tackle the 2020 Census, the ITGA is offering a FREE webinar to get you ready with MAKING THE 2020 CENSUS COUNT webinar. Whether you've had experience with the Census or are new to the process, this webinar will provide a foundation for building your local action plan. Our team will present important Census Bureau information and provide examples from three town/gown communities including:
  • why the Census data is vital to the country
  • strategies for a complete and accurate count
  • communication and marketing plans to raise awareness for the Census
  • outreach for hard-to-reach populations, including commuter students

We'll update ITGA members on a regular basis, so stay tuned. Immediate questions? Drop me a line at Beth@itga.org.

Thanks to everyone for your interest in all things ITGA, including our first webinar on the 2020 Census.
International Town & Gown Association www.itga.org