Welcoming Community: A Roadmap

Transcription

1 Welcoming Community: A Roadmap City of Grand Forks City of Grand Forks

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3 Welcoming Community Reinforcing and strengthening the capacity of Grand Forks to be welcoming to all.

4 The Roadmap A strategy of tangible action steps developed through data and public input, including 486 survey respondents 55 focus group participants 40 working group members

5 Background Technical assistance grant from New American Economy and Welcoming America Grand Forks one of 25 Gateways for Growth cities in current round.

6 Gateways for Growth Cities

7 Welcoming Community Roadmap Team Project of City of Grand Forks Immigrant Integration Initiative Project Chairs: Robin David, GF Immigrant Integration Initiative Pete Haga, City of Grand Forks Cynthia Shabb, Global Friends Coalition Steering Committee: Project chairs, plus Alexander Azenkeng, UND Energy & Environmental Resource Center Reginald Tarr, Lutheran Social Services New Americans Becca Cruger, Grand Forks Economic Development Corporation Kari Goelz, Grand Forks Emergency Management

8 First step: Gather information! 1. New American Economy Demographic report 2. Survey 3. Focus Groups

9 Source 1: Demographic Report ND: Cavalier, Grand Forks, Griggs, Pembina, Steele, Towner, Traill, and Walsh Counties MN: Clay, Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau Counties The Grand Forks region includes 16 counties surrounding the Grand Forks ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

10 Snapshot of Demographic Report

11 Snapshot of Demographic Report, cont.

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14 Snapshot of Demographic Report, cont.

15 Snapshot of Demographic Report, cont.

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19 Source 2: Survey Focus on access to services and engagement Distributed through social media, , English classes 486 respondents, including 25% foreign-born

20 Snapshot of Survey Results Do you think Grand Forks is welcoming? U.S.-Born Foreign-Born

21 Snapshot of Survey Results, cont. Do you feel connected to the Grand Forks Community? U.S.-Born Foreign-Born

22 Snapshot of Survey Results, cont. What are the most important services in Grand Forks? U.S.-Born Foreign-Born

23 Snapshot of Survey Results, cont. What services are hardest to obtain? U.S.-Born Foreign-Born

24 Source 3: Focus Groups 7 conducted 55 participants Included Cameroonian, Liberian, Bhutanese, Nigerian, Somali, Greater Grand Forks Young Professional, UND Student populations

25 Snapshot of Focus Group Responses Generally welcoming, positive experience in GF Desire for more involvement/leadership opportunities Desire for more connections across the community Language access issues Transportation challenges Concerns with workplace discrimination Small business startup challenges Housing costs high

26 Next: Identify emerging themes Access to Services: Ensuring all have access to basic services, such as housing, health and human services, and transportation Advancement Opportunities: Ensuring all have the means to advance through access to education, information, and leadership opportunities Economic Opportunities: Ensuring all have opportunities for validating work environments and small business startup support Connected Community: Ensuring all have opportunities to connect across race, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or veteran status

27 Second step: Gather people! Working groups include approximately 40 individuals representing 30 institutions

28 Working Group Agenda/Timeline Focus Group Meeting 1: challenges and opportunities Focus Group Meeting 2: recommendations and actions Focus Group Meeting 3: metrics August 15: Submission of recommendations from each Working Group to project chairs

29 What will working groups prepare? Focus Area: Connected Community Goal: Provide opportunities for immigrant and broader community interaction SAMPLE Recommendation 1: The city will support diverse participation in community social events Lead Agencies: City of Grand Forks Key Partners: New Flavors Food Truck, Global Friends Coalition, GFPS, CAT, GF Parks District Strategies, by year: Hold annual Community Picnic (Years 1-3) Provide free busing to all major GF Parks & Rec events (Years 2-3) Promote immigrant hosted events through City forums (Years 1-3) Metrics:

30 Want inspiration? See what other communities have done! All Gateways for Growth strategic plans are available online, as are Welcoming America s Welcoming Standards.

31 What comes next? Steering Committee will review recommendations and prepare plan Public comment Presented to City Council September 10 Then implementation and assessment...