In 2009, Colors of Influence interviewed Jeri
Williams, a manager at the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood
Involvement, regarding a civic and leadership engagement program that focused
on communities of color, as well as immigrant and refugee communities.
Portland's
Diversity and Civic Leadership (DCL) Program launched in 2007 with the
expressed goal of creating new pathways for participation, new efforts to
strengthen people’s ability to participate, and new levels of cultural
awareness and responsiveness by City staff and elected officials.
Jeri and her team recently published a report detailing the
program’s accomplishments since its inception. The report provides detail of
DCL’s work and funding of civic training and engagement programs executed by
diverse community organizations such as the Urban
League of Portland, NAYA, Center for Intercultural Organizing, the
Latino Network and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization
(IRCO).
We caught up with Jeri recently, and she gives us
this quick update:
What has been the most fulfilling aspect of the
journey toward the conclusion of the project?
There are so many fulfilling aspects of the DCL
journey. Our funding has grown from funding one organization to five. We have
participated in a program that had us all looking at things through the lenses
of others. We have increased engagement of communities of color and immigrant
and refugee communities with the City of Portland.
As the coordinator of the program, I’ve had the
honor to engage with all of these folks from historically under-engaged
communities is a stellar opportunity to work alongside of wonderful people who
are committed to creating change to benefit the whole city.
What are some of the most important lessons you learned managing the process?
What are some of the most important lessons you learned managing the process?
There were many lessons we learned together like
in order to have a great process people need to look beyond the project to find
out how it can benefit the greatest amount of community.
Blending equity in our public involvement processes creates a better product that the community feels ownership and pride in. Having the people at the table who are directly affected by decision making process they truly are the experts of the areas they live, work and play.
What's next for the Diversity and Civic Leadership Program?
Blending equity in our public involvement processes creates a better product that the community feels ownership and pride in. Having the people at the table who are directly affected by decision making process they truly are the experts of the areas they live, work and play.
What's next for the Diversity and Civic Leadership Program?
Program partners and many others would like to
see the program grow to a place where many more groups could be funded. The
City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement has a Bureau Advisory
Committee that is currently in a large conversation about the future of the
program. We have sent this report out to thousands of contacts through social
media, USPS and email far and wide asking for their input.
We are collecting input from the public until
March 31, 2015 at which time comments will be compiled and reviewed for
recommendations. If someone
would like a hard copy I would be happy to send one. My email address is jeri.williams@portlandoregon.gov and my phone
number is (503) 823-5827.