Community Education

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When people think of legal aid, what often comes to mind is the representation and counsel that our staff attorneys and paralegals provide to low-income clients with civil legal cases. This work, however, is only part of the services we provide to individuals and families who need our help. Northwestern Legal Services is engaged in a comprehensive program of community legal education to empower individuals to seek justice on their own behalf. In 2005, a community educator and other NWLS staff brought important information to people and agencies throughout our program region.

Along with presentations to community groups, we distributed a wide selection of legal education brochures on areas of the law such as landlord/tenant relations, unemployment compensation, child custody and consumer law. We also published a quarterly newsletter that contained information on civil legal topics and concerns, as well as updates on social service programs that benefit our client community. We also distributed videotape copies of our television program, “Access to Justice.” to other legal services organization across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to social service agencies that serve low-income clients.

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# People Served Directly Receiving Service

Models Used

 Measured Estimated Total
Presentations to community groups
Total number of people in audiences		 679   679
Legal education brochures
Total number of copies distributed		 7001 400 7401
Legal education materials on websites
Total number of page views		 26864   26864
Newsletter articles addressing legal education topics
Total number of copies distributed		 17700 6300 24000
Video legal education materials
Number of videotapes distributed		 205   205
Other
Total number of people receiving service		   8 8
Total number of people directly receiving service 52449 6708 59157
 


Part of our responsibility as a legal aid organization is to reach the client community we serve in ways that expand their access to legal information and resources. In addition to “traditional” methods such as presentations to groups and our program newsletter, we also have created extensive online resources that offer information to low-income individuals and families with access to the Internet.


Our website, www.nwls.org , contains a vast amount of civil legal information that pertains to the issues confronted by our client community. Links to a statewide website, www.palawhelp.org , expand our online resources even farther, and together these sites bring an important resource to people who want information about their civil legal issues or concerns.

We are proud of our efforts in 2005 to keep our website fresh, relevant, and user-friendly. We also hope that interested viewers, especially those in the low-income community, continue to use our online resources in their efforts to seek justice.
 

.....Best Wishes to Sal Parco

Sal Parco, Community Educator and editor of “The People’s Voice” left Northwestern Legal Services in January 2006 after nearly thirteen years of service to our agency and the low-income community. Over the years, Sal delivered hundreds of presentations to thousands of individuals and families about the importance of legal aid for those people with civil cases who could not afford to hire an attorney on their own. He also served on the board of directors for many agencies who shared in our mission of service to the poor.

We want to wish Sal the very best in the years to come, and to extend a heartfelt thanks for his dedication and commitment to the ideals of legal aid.