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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 01/23/2014APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2014 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: PG Narayanan (Chair), Zina Nourkadi, Jenny Buckland, Sana Elassar, Sandra Filardo, Connie Iacovelli STAFF: Patricia Fenrick, Staff Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Kristina Busch, Karena Lin, Chase Carlson, Emily Higgins I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Following a mini potluck, Chair Narayanan called the meeting to order at 7:26 p.m. Commissioners Nourkadi and Iacovelli and Student Representative Carlson were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Buckland moved, seconded by Elassar, to approve the agenda. Motion carried by informal consent. III. MINUTES MOTION: Elassar moved, seconded by Buckland, to approve the December 19, 2013 minutes. Motion carried 2-0-2 with Elassar and Filardo abstaining. IV. REPORTS FROM STUDENT COMMISSIONERS Lin stated she recently served as a leader for a staff appreciation event sponsored by the National Honor Society (NHS). She was impressed by how well the baskets turned out. Busch reported Youth in Government hosted a fundraiser and donated the proceeds towards a well. Higgins commented how pleased she was with the manner in which administration and teachers communicated with students about changes in the end of the semester and finals schedule because of the weather-related school closing. She received email notifications from all of her teachers and found comfort in their flexibility. Lin disagreed saying teachers appeared confused about how to handle two-part finals. Some of her friends were counting on the full test to help their grades. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 2 V. OLD BUSINESS A. WORK PLAN REPORTS 1. Commission Recruiting - Fenrick There are two seats needing to be filled. One vacancy is due to Laura Kaczmarek’s resignation, the other due to Nourkadi’s decision to roll off the commission at the end of her term. People are more apt to apply if given a personal invitation. Students wishing to serve another term need to reapply this spring. Fenrick will get additional information on this and follow-up via email. 2. Human Rights Awards Publicity - all Commissioners went around the table to state where they had advertised the Human Rights Awards or intend to soon: Narayanan, Elassar, and Filardo - personal Facebook pages Narayanan - Indian Association Fenrick - school district, Chamber of Commerce, area churches, two community Somali organizations, and Starbucks across from the mall Buckland - New American Academy, Russian School, Barro, and the International School of Minnesota. Some of her contacts are in the process of completing paperwork. Elassar - her workplace, Eden Prairie Police Community Emergency Response Team, and the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota Filardo - her contacts in the Hispanic community Higgins - Eagle Vision News TV at the high school Busch - student presidents and teacher advisors Lin - teachers and NHS Busch asked if we contact People Reaching Out to Other People (PROP) annually and ask them to apply. Fenrick said she has been in touch with PROP, but not PROP Shop. They have received the award in the past and understand the need to give others a chance. Narayanan recommended a second round of announcements be done and inquired if there had been a write-up in the Eden Prairie News. Buckland said she found targeting her emails with a personal comment to be effective and encouraged others to do the same if there is anyone they feel really should be applying. They are more likely to respond. Fenrick confirmed a press release was sent out. Discussion followed on how to best advertise at the community center. Higgins offered to take extra flyers to post there. Elassar asked if it was being advertised at the library. Fenrick said it had been sent there. Buckland said she will check to see if it is posted. Fenrick encouraged commissioners to take additional flyers to places they regularly frequent and to let her know if they need more color copies. There will be a big push to advertise in the next month, although it is not uncommon for nominations to arrive last minute. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 3 Fenrick asked if anyone would be willing to be interviewed for the paper. Narayanan, Higgins, and Lin volunteered. Elassar suggested commissioners draw attention to themselves as ambassadors and gave an example of pinning the flyer on the back of her shirt as a means of advertising. It is more likely to spark conversation. Brainstorming took place on t-shirt advertising and incentives to encourage nominations. Fenrick explained nominees must live, work, or go to school in Eden Prairie and have done work to make the world better for other people. We want to recognize people who are engaged. She will work on creating an electronic form to make the nominating process easier. Lin requested Fenrick add wording as to what we are looking for rather than referring to the Eden Prairie Manifesto. People might not know what that is. She likes what Fenrick said about making the world a better place. Fenrick agreed to work on rewording. It will take one step out of the process and make it more user-friendly in Facebook. She asked the students to hit up their contacts at the beginning of the new semester and said she will let everyone know to do reminders as the date gets closer. February 28 is the deadline. 3. MLK Day - Fenrick There was an article in today’s paper about the Freedom Riders event at Hennepin Technical College (HTC). Appetizers are at 5:30 followed by a movie at 6 p.m. Buckland will do a welcome at the beginning. Fenrick plans to have a table at the event with copies of the Human Rights Awards form and the Muhammad Ali Community Cinema posters as well as information on other upcoming events. Narayanan asked about listing the Human Rights Awards on the TV news at City Center. Fenrick will check on this. Lin requested that changes to the flyers be emailed to her. She wants to forward it to her AP Comparative Politics teacher who frequently tweets about current events and has a loyal following. His items often get re-tweeted. 4. “Warmth of Other Suns” Book Discussion – Buckland Buckland would like this collaborative event with the Eden Prairie Library to be advertised at the MLK event. It could be something simple like a copy of the book cover with basic time/location details. Fenrick said she can get color copies if she gets the information by Tuesday morning. Buckland stated a more professional- looking poster will be needed for the library at a later date. Possible dates were discussed. It was decided the event will be held Saturday, April 26 at 3 p.m. and will be about an hour in duration. 5. January 21 Presentation to Council - Narayanan Fenrick did a good job with the slide preparation and write-up. Fenrick complimented Narayanan on his presentation of the work plan. The mayor read the proclamation for the Human Rights Awards at the council meeting following the workshop and Narayanan went over the timeline and dates. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 4 6. “Islam Neighbor” Seminar – Elassar People commonly have the impression there is an excessive focus on Islam thus the scope may be broadened. Although still in the preliminary stages, the thought is to focus more on distinguishing between culture and religion, finding similarities, and encouraging interfaith. The Islamic Resource Group gives great presentations and would be a good group to contact. Fenrick noted this will not be so much a lecture style format as it will be getting to know real people and dispelling stereotypes. Elassar said she would like to have someone help her with this since Nourkadi is leaving. Fenrick said she will help for now and others can be recruited later. She expects they can get Community Ed support. Filardo recommended Dunn Brothers as a suitable place to hold this event. 7. Welcome Packets/Center – Filardo Filardo and Iacovelli have not gotten together on this yet. It remains unclear as to where this will be happening. Fenrick said to start, she envisioned identifying more materials and resources for inclusion in the new resident packets. Her office can take steps to get the packets into rental properties. Narayanan said we should think about moving away from paper and towards electronic information since it is easier to update. A link to an online welcome packet is the only thing needing to be posted at a rental property. Elassar expressed concerns about accessibility. We don’t want to completely get rid of hard copies. Buckland noted there may be language barrier issues, too. Fenrick said she would like to see a welcome page in multiple languages and suggested we brainstorm ideas for what should go in the packets. Buckland recommended setting aside 15 minutes at the next meeting to pair up and look through what the existing packets look like. Filardo requested it be put on the agenda for next month and asked if there is a budget available for translation. Fenrick said there may be. The extent of it will determine whether or not funding is necessary. Fenrick said it is ok to request meeting time for group discussion as needed, but she would like written updates on behind-the-scenes committee work a week in advance of the regular meetings so meeting time can be spent on brainstorming. 8. 5K – Elassar There is so much information available on planning a 5K, it would be good to partner with someone until we get the hang of it. We may just want to be a sponsor or have a smaller presence at first. Fenrick discovered Grace Church is already planning a justice 5K to fight human trafficking. A meeting has been scheduled with Grace Church in the near future to learn more and possibly discuss a partnership. The City already has a 5K route, so it makes sense to use the one in place. The planning involved is a lot of work for four people; it may require the whole commission. Fenrick said we would need to partner with Parks and Recreation due to the magnitude of the event. Filardo said we need to be cautious about any potential religious aspects. Elassar said it seems like the topic focus is more human rights based than religion based. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 5 Fenrick explained if charging for an event using city property, the money has to be donated to a non-profit. Buckland said although the point of the justice 5K is to fundraise for a non-profit, they need to make sure there is not a conflict of interest. Narayanan inquired about partnering with the Indian Association. Buckland said they need to have a discussion with the church. Trafficking is definitely a human rights issue, but it might not be suitable to add an international component. We need to determine how this fits with our plans. Fenrick said there are many factors to consider. The committee can bring back recommendations. It may be possible to combine a 5K with a larger event down the road. 9. One Voice Youth Conversation - Filardo Filardo has a meeting scheduled for February 7 at 1:30 p.m. with the Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) principal to present the idea and discuss what was done in the past. She would like to request a date for this school year, if possible, and discuss logistics. The committee needs to meet before then. Fenrick said the concept shouldn’t be completely new to him because of the “art of hosting” event last year during which barriers to welcome and world view conversations took place. Higgins said she can be available for the February meeting. 10. One Voice Adult Conversation - Buckland A date has not been determined, but Buckland liked the youth aspect before and would like to have this as a continuing conversation. It would be nice to have it focus around specific questions. Higgins said she liked the August timeline. Fenrick said she will partner with Buckland. It is a good opportunity to provide feedback to HRDC and she would like to have more exposure in the paper. Once dates are nailed down, she intends to have a rolling list of upcoming events at each event. 11. International Town Hall – Fenrick This is a City Council event. The date is dependent on the City Manager and Council. Fenrick has let them know we want to continue hosting these on a bi- annual basis. 12. Welcoming City Initiative Tabled since Iacovelli was not in attendance. 13. Connection with EPHS Youth Clubs - Filardo Wise Act was not comfortable sending special needs students to an HRDC meeting so, as a group member, Higgins will present on their behalf. Higgins explained Wise Act is a social inclusion drama club providing students with an opportunity to get to know each other and perform skits and dances. Although not advertised as such, the goal is to spotlight kids with disabilities and showcase their abilities. She knows the family of one of the students well and will see if she can get his mother’s permission for him to attend. Buckland said this group might be a good candidate for the Human Rights Awards. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 6 14. Community Cinema - Filardo There was a good crowd at last month’s film showing. Although the weather was not good, about a dozen people attended in addition to HRDC commissioners. Busch was successful in recruiting three Spanish teachers from the high school, two of whom offered extra credit for the event. Two Spanish students also attended. Filardo expects they will share with their class. Fenrick thanked Filardo for facilitating the discussion. Higgins said she expects extra credit would be appropriate for the Muhammad Ali movie. Fenrick said she notified the history teachers for the MLK Day event. Higgins is hosting the March film. 15. Human Rights Awareness Months - Fenrick Fenrick explained it might be good to have brief brainstorming discussions beginning in March for each of the designated topics. We can start small by raising awareness via social media and the website and build on that if we wish. Our involvement can be as simple as posting video clips or something else already created. Basically we can piggyback on what the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) is doing and add whatever else we want. They have designated particular months for raising awareness for certain groups. The first one is in June. Since Busch’s term is ending, someone may need to partner with her. Filardo suggested doing daily Facebook posts. Elassar said she did something similar for homelessness. 16. Unity Day - Fenrick We will be partnering with HTC again for this event. We need to do a better job of awareness in the schools. There was not enough lead time this year, but there should be plenty of time to plan for the next one. 17. Youth “I Have a Dream” Competition - Fenrick This is a writing competition with a scholarship award. Our goal is just to help spread the word. Narayanan asked Fenrick to send her the link via email so he can post it on Facebook. Elassar said if one “likes” the MDHR Facebook page, they will be sent information which they can then share on Facebook. 18. Fact Sheets - Fenrick Fenrick has demographics on poverty, homelessness, and trafficking. HRDC needs to decide how to best utilize this information. All were in agreement it would not be appropriate to include it in the welcome packets. Narayanan asked how other cities share this type of information. Elassar said it is not shared; one has to dig deep to uncover it. Fenrick said it is usually gathered by an outside non- profit. The purpose is not to point out percentages locally, but rather to educate people about important human rights issues. The information may be on a county or state level rather than on a city level. Buckland suggested commissioners talk to students in school health classes and bring along a packet containing useful information and a fact sheet so a conversation can take place. Getting in front of people serves as a way to connect, HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 7 and it might be better than posting information online. Higgins agreed presentations were an effective way to engage high schoolers. Students are often required to journal about them. Narayanan asked why, for example, trafficking would be relevant to people as Eden Prairie residents. Filardo said she expected people would question why such information is being provided by a government entity versus a media outlet. Fenrick explained Minneapolis/St. Paul ranks in the top three cities of trafficked individuals. Eden Prairie is next door to an international passage city so it is in our backyard. That is our link in. As a commission concerned with human rights and diversity, part of our role is to educate people about related issues, particularly if connected to our area. Discussion ensued about various means of disseminating information and how to best introduce the sensitive nature of trafficking in order to draw attention and raise awareness. Elassar said she is still bothered by the homelessness issue. While there is a lot of information available about who homeless people can contact for help, it is meaningless without a phone to make those calls. She tried to map out where pay phones are located but they are few and far between. Perhaps there is a way to collect old cell phones and put a few bucks on them for people in need. Filardo said she is not sure how it works, but a method already exists for the homeless to get free phones at Century Plaza in downtown. Fenrick said the program is called “Free Phone Minnesota”. There have been phone giveaways in Eden Prairie. Those who are income-qualified can get connected via Fenrick’s office. Lin asked who they would call if they had a phone. Elassar explained there is a list of shelters and resources. Fenrick said her office is another resource and Teens Alone is the City’s outreach group. Higgins shared about a youth event at her church that raises awareness about homelessness. Elassar said with the community center webpage and city communications about all the cold weather closings, there were many messages but there was nothing about what to do if you see a homeless person. Fenrick said it is legitimate to request emergency contact information be made available on there. VI. REPORTS OF STAFF (reference report) - Fenrick A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) The Community Development Block Grant proposals have been reviewed. Agencies that applied include PROP, HOME, CAPSH, YMCA, and School District childcare. B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS The perpetrator in the bias crime reported on previously pled not guilty. The trial date is set for May 19. The victim and his family are doing ok. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2014 Page 8 C. OTHER REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. Youth Job Fair Fenrick is working on the next annual youth job fair scheduled for March. 2. Ongoing Meetings -Nonprofit Brown Bag Series with Community Ed and the Eden Prairie Foundation -Somali Mothers (monthly) 3. Best Buy Grant $5.10 remaining. VII. NEW BUSINESS None VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 13, 2014, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Filardo moved, seconded by Elassar, to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Narayanan adjourned the meeting at 9:16 p.m.