The 2016 Community Connections Conference will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2016 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The conference will focus on the City’s update to the Minneapolis
Comprehensive Plan, Neighborhoods 2020 Initiative, and Community Involvement
101. Lunch will be provided. All are welcome. This is a free event.
Planning for the 2016 conference is underway. Stay tuned for
more updates shortly.
NCR is now hiring a
Neighborhood Support Specialist who will specialize in providing guidance and
support to neighborhood leaders. Our ideal candidate is comfortable working in
both the government and nonprofit worlds, is solution oriented, can work with
diverse communities, understands the importance of working with a team, can
crunch numbers and convey complex information quickly and accurately.
Applications will be accepted until Wednesday, January 20,
2016. Visit the City of Minneapolis jobs
webpage to view a full job description and to apply.
Members of NCR’s Access and Outreach staff, Abdirashid Ahmed, Mariano Espinosa and Michael Yang attended the National Immigration Integration Conference in Manhattan, New York this past December. The conference brought together stakeholders from around the nation to discuss issues relating to immigration, refugees and equity. The focus for staff attending the conference was to learn how the City of Minneapolis can become more inclusive and welcoming in services and programming that serve all Minneapolis residents.
Minneapolis is home to an increasing number of immigrants and refugees from across the world, and the conference provided a great way for staff to share the work that Minneapolis is doing to engage more immigrant and refugee residents and learn new and innovative programs in other Cities and States that could be replicated here in Minneapolis. One key connection made was with the City of New York’s Office of Minority Affairs, which recently implemented a city issued identification card program that allows undocumented individuals ages 14 and older to receive an identification card so that they can obtain jobs and drivers licenses. This connection will allow staff to determine if a similar policy would be feasible here in the City of Minneapolis.
Immigration work will be a priority for the Access and Outreach team in 2016. Learn more about the Access and Outreach Team.
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The NCR
website now includes a directory of
services and support that NCR provides for neighborhood organizations. This
directory provides links to information about neighborhood organizations,
information about how NCR staff can work with neighborhood organizations,
and links to other resources.
In December 2015 the Minneapolis City Council adopted the
updated Language Access Plan. The Language Access Plan is a resource document
for ensuring City programs, services and activities are accessible to residents
with limited English proficiency (LEP). This plan is intended for City elected
officials, department managers, supervisors and staff who interact directly or
indirectly with residents in Minneapolis who speak limited English to ensure
that the City is able to deliver the proper City services to all residents.
The Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) department
spent most of 2015 meeting with City departments and leadership to update the
plan and ensure that the City is working towards meeting the goal of One
Minneapolis. NCR will roll out training and information to City leadership and
staff in early 2016.
Welcome to the first “Meet a Commissioner” series of the
monthly Minneapolis Connects newsletter! This new series is intended for
readers to get to know representatives of the Neighborhood and Community
Engagement Commission (NCEC). The NCEC is a 16 member board. Seven members are
appointed by the City Council and Mayor, one member is appointed by the Park
Board and eight members are elected by neighborhood organizations.
The purpose of the Commission is to advise the Mayor and
City Council on a wide range of community engagement issues. The NCEC is
responsible for developing guidelines for the City’s principal neighborhood
funding program, the Community Participation Program, as well as the One
Minneapolis Fund and the Community Innovation Fund. The Commission also works
to broaden participation on advisory boards and commissions and develops
recommendations for improving the City’s public participation process.
Meet Commissioner Tessa Wetjen
City Council
Appointee
Term: 3rd two-year term
Ward: 9
Neighborhood: Powderhorn Park
Sub-Committees: Executive Committee (Vice-Chair) and One
Minneapolis Fund Committee (Chair).
Tessa currently works at the State of Minnesota Department of Health as a
planner working with clinical systems to improve preventive care for
children and mothers. She is the happy and exhausted mom of a 31/2 year old and
a 2 year old, the proud wife and daughter of public school teachers and a South
High graduate.
How long have you
been active in your community and what made you get involved in community work?
It's always been important to me to get to know people around
me and to enjoy being a part of communities. I bought my house about eight
years ago and started trying to meet people and understand how to build a sense
of community on our block and in our area.
I got involved in the work of the NCEC when I was doing work
in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood and started to recognize that people in the
community didn't seem to have much of a say in City actions or decisions and
wanted to understand how to work with community members to change that.
What do you like most
about your neighborhood or community?
I really enjoy my neighbors and all of the things we
can do in our neighborhood. The parks are amazing and we feel really lucky to
be able to walk to so many cool and interesting places like the Mercado,
Midtown Farmers Market, and Powderhorn Park. I like being in a place where
people care about doing things together and making our community as welcoming
and inclusive as we can (a work in progress).
Are there other
boards and committees you are or have been on?
No, this is my first formal experience on a city commission
or board.
Do you have any tips
for residents interested in running for neighborhood boards and/or City boards
and commissions?
I'd talk with people already involved in a board or
commission and see what they like about it and what the hard parts are -
especially the time commitment.
The Commission meets every 4th Tuesday of the
month at 5:00p.m. Learn more about the Commission.
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Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization seeks Executive Director
The Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) is seeking a full-time executive director. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall operations of CANDO and achieving its mission. This includes day-to-day administration of the CANDO office, financial management, fundraising, grant writing, supporting the Board, its 4 task forces and carrying out Board directives. For more information, visit http://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/job-details?id=108942 .
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Hawthorne Neighborhood Council seeks Housing Coordinator
The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council (HNC) is seeking to a part-time (32 hour per week) housing coordinator. The successful candidate will be a detailed, organized, flexible, motivated pro-active individual with a passion for community engagement in the non-profit world. The housing coordinator will primarily provide support for housing development in the Hawthorne neighborhood. Learn more at https://db.tt/fXBfW3ti.
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The City of Minneapolis youth employment program STEP-UP is now
accepting applications for 2016 summer interns. Eligible Minneapolis youths
ages 14-21 who are interested in participating in the 2016 STEP-UP class have
until Feb. 5, 2016, to complete an application online.
STEP-UP is one of the country’s premiere youth employment programs,
serving Minneapolis youths who face some of the greatest barriers to employment.
This includes youths from disadvantaged economic backgrounds, youths of color,
youths from recent immigrant families, and youths with disabilities. In
addition to summer jobs with more than 230 top Twin Cities companies,
nonprofits and public agencies, STEP-UP also offers work readiness training,
advanced-level internships and industry-specific career opportunities that help
interns integrate their career exposure with post-secondary education and
career planning.
Prior to being placed in their internships, youths receive work
readiness training certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce
that prepares them for a professional work environment. Returning interns
receive advanced training that helps them deepen their professional skills.
Throughout their internships, they gain valuable on-the-job skills, make strong
professional connections, and become exposed to careers they may have not
otherwise accessed without STEP-UP.
Since the program was launched in 2004, it has provided more than 21,000
internship opportunities. In 2015, STEP-UP placed more than 1,600 Minneapolis
youths in jobs with more than 200 businesses, public agencies and nonprofits. The
2015 class held 91 percent youths of color, 40 percent youths from recent
immigrant families, and 12 percent youths with disabilities or other
significant barriers to employment. Representing 38 different languages from
around the world, 30 percent of the class spoke fluently in languages besides
English.
Businesses, public agencies and nonprofits interested in employing
interns in 2016 can find information on the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP website.
STEP-UP is a City of Minneapolis program in partnership with
AchieveMpls, the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and Project for Pride in Living.
To learn more about STEP-UP or to access the online STEP-UP application,
visit the City of Minneapolis website.
The City of Minneapolis is offering free Home Energy Squad visits to
income-qualified Minneapolis households while funds last. Qualified households
have incomes less than $35,310 for one person plus $12,480 for each additional
person. That’s $47,790 for two people, $60,270 for three people, or up to $122,670
for eight people. Homeowners can call 612-335-5874 to confirm eligibility and
schedule a visit.
Minneapolis households over the income limit can still receive the visit
for $70 – which includes a consultation, materials and labor.
The Home Energy Squad visits bring energy efficiency experts to
participants’ homes to install energy-saving materials and make recommendations
on energy-saving upgrades. A crew of energy consultants will visit homes and:
- Install energy-saving materials such as
door weatherstripping, compact fluorescent light bulbs, a programmable
thermostat, and high-efficiency showerheads and faucet aerators.
- Test for air leaks.
- Inspect the insulation in attics and
walls.
- Check heating systems and water heaters
for safety.
- Recommend energy upgrades based on what
they find in the tests.
- Refer homeowners to no-interest
financing if they decide to do certain recommended upgrades.
To schedule a Home Energy Squad visit, call 612-335-5874 or visit mncee.org/hes-mpls.
For a limited time, the
City of Minneapolis also offers no-interest financing to participants making
insulation and air sealing upgrades recommended by the Home Energy Squad. For
more information about no-interest financing on recommended insulation and air
sealing upgrades, call 612-335-5884.
The City of
Minneapolis approved new rules in leasing City-owned vacant lots for community
gardens. Now 43 more City-owned parcels will be available for community
gardeners to lease in 2016, bringing the total to more than 100. Eligible
leaseholders will now also include urban farmers and market gardeners besides
community gardeners. Other changes to the rules include:
- Leases for one-, three- or five-year
terms.
- Insurance liability requirement
decreased by $1 million.
- Lease agreements will require
pollinator-friendly practices.
These
changes came about through the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council’s 2015 policy
recommendations following increasing demand from residents for both community
and commercial gardening space in the city.
Access to
these lots will help improve food equity and access to healthy food, and grow
the local food economy.
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