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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 10/10/2013 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Laura Kaczmarek (Chair), PG Narayanan (Vice Chair), Zina Nourkadi, Jenny Buckland, Sana Elassar, Sandra Filardo, Connie Iacovelli STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Staff Patricia Fenrick, Staff Heidi Wojahn, Recorder STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Kristina Busch, Karena Lin, Chase Carlson, Emily Higgins GUESTS: Mackenzie Davis, Lisa Herrmann EPHS Foreign Exchange Club I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Kaczmarek called the meeting to order at 7:22 p.m. following introductions. Commissioner Narayanan and Student Representative Busch were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Buckland moved, seconded by Nourkadi, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. MINUTES Elassar said her name should be removed from the second paragraph of Item IV.B. ONE VOICE FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION, as the Cafe Connect idea was actually Buckland's. MOTION: Filardo moved, seconded by Buckland, to approve the September 19, 2013 minutes as amended. Motion carried 6-0. IV. PRESENTATION— School Group/Filardo Filardo introduced two students representing the Foreign Exchange Club (FEC) at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS). Davis said the role of the club is to help foreign exchange students adjust to life here, introduce them to other students, and answer their questions. For example, football players and cheerleaders talked at last month's meeting about the homecoming game. A potluck is being planned with different foods. Foreign exchange students can bring friends they have made at school to the potluck, and attendees will HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 2 have an opportunity to learn about other cultures. Bios and pictures of foreign exchange students are posted on a bulletin board for the rest of the school population to see. These students are well-known and tend to be popular. There are currently about 10 American and 20 foreign exchange students in the club representing various countries. Herrmann, a German foreign exchange student through Ayusa-Intrax, said students stay with host families and have community representatives in Eden Prairie. They are like a member of the family. Elassar asked about the placement process. Lisa said she picked the United States,but not a specific state. The organization tries to find a good family fit based on information the student provides. The amount of advance notice about placement varies since the host family selects the student. Some students are still waiting for host families and have temporary placements. Higgins mentioned she has a couple students in one of her classes who recently moved here from another country and asked if they could join FEC even though they are not exchange students. Davis said all are welcome. V. REPORT FROM STUDENT COMMISSIONERS Fenrick said she gave each student commissioner two questions to report on to stay connected with high school happenings each month. She asked for something positive happening on campus and something challenging or a barrier. She said Busch relayed to her students wore orange on Wednesday to spread awareness about bullying. A barrier: there are Somali students who still may not feel included or accepted. Higgins said she was able to get the anti-bullying theme and promotion for the Unity Day event at Hennepin Technical College (HTC) included in Words of Wisdom, a weekly loudspeaker announcement of encouragement from the EPHS principal. She was also able to get health classes to put up posters in the classroom promoting the event. A downside is there are still distinct groups and cliques preventing the student population from coming together as a whole. Fenrick thanked Higgins for her energy and efforts in advertising on campus. Carlson said he did not have a positive to report on,but something negative was a recent school fight. Higgins said the fight allegedly happened between two same-race girls over one or two boys. Lin said there are a lot of clubs at school centering on human rights. She recently attended an Amnesty Club meeting at which the death penalty was addressed. There is also a Face Aids club led by her friend. The organization aims to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. She echoed what Higgins said about a clear division between groups noting there are definite stereotypes. Even though she doesn't witness clear-cut bullying, there are still kids feeling left out. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 3 VI. OLD BUSINESS A. COMMUNITY CINEMA (CC) —Iacovelli/Elassar Iacovelli reported the first film had a small turnout but was well-received. The version of the film shown did not have subtitles so some parts were difficult to understand. A gentleman in attendance was able to help translate. Fenrick will work to try to prevent this from happening again. Buckland asked if a link to the online version was available. She knows of a Spanish teacher who would like to present it to his senior class. Fenrick said she will forward it to Buckland. Curriculum materials can be also be requested. Elassar noted links may be deactivated after a certain amount of time so it is probably best to use the tool kit. Elassar said"Half the Sky" will be shown October 24. She is currently reading the book and watching the documentary. The full documentary is four hours,but only a 45-minute prescreen will be shown as part of CC. It is about the oppression of women world-wide and how to change that into opportunity. It covers a variety of issues such as sex trafficking, gender-based violence, maternal mortality, forced prostitution, and economic opportunities. It spans the continents of Asia and Africa and is based on the travels of award-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist. She highly recommends the 2009 book and suggested liking Kristof s Facebook page. She is using Half the Sky on her desktop and as her Facebook cover to promote the event. Fenrick said "Half the Sky" is one of last year's documentaries. It will not be airing on PBS which is extra incentive to encourage attendance. We are not able to create a Facebook page for Community Cinema or other HRDC events, but those who"like" the City of Eden Prairie Facebook page can post and advertise events there or on their own individual pages. Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment and Heal Africa are two organizations with local ties being considered for community partners for this film. Kaczmarek asked for feedback on the September film discussion. Iacovelli said it went very well—people were engaged and gave a lot of thought to the subject. Higgins said comments were positive and attendees found the film eye-opening. Elassar said they had originally planned to split attendees into multiple discussion groups,but the number of participants was small enough to warrant just one. Iacovelli said "The Graduates" will first air on PBS on October 28 with part 2 airing November 4. Air time is 10 p.m. on both dates. Buckland noted word was spreading as people attending one HRDC event are learning about and choosing to attend other commission-related events. Fenrick cited and circulated a list of themes addressed in the November 21st movie. She is seeking ideas for local partners to invite. It is about the immigration debate in Arizona. It might be interesting to have someone from a legal perspective. Filardo suggested the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. She has contacts there. More on this topic was discussed out of order under Item VI.B. UNITY DAY. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 4 B. UNITY DAY— Kaczmarek/Higgins Kaczmarek reported that she, Fenrick, and Higgins attended this event. The crowd was small; the nice weather may have deterred people from going. The documentary "Bullied" was shown, not to be confused with a movie shown in theaters called "Bully". "Bullied" is about a small-town Wisconsin boy who was bullied for being gay. He eventually sued the school district and won. He lives in Minneapolis now and does speaking engagements. Higgins said she discovered from friends many classroom teachers talk through Words of Wisdom which interferes with students hearing about events. Her health teacher indicated she would like to have had more notice saying she would have promoted the event more had she not already scheduled a Know the Truth drug speaker for the same evening. Iacovelli said it would be worth finding a way to advertise and specifically invite EPHS teachers to the various films. They might find them appealing. Higgins said it would be most appropriate to send the information to English, social studies, and some health teachers. Getting teachers to talk about it in class would help increase student attendance. Oftentimes teachers will offer extra credit to students who go. Buckland said forming personal contacts and having a conversation would be more effective than email. Fenrick said she could work on communicating with the EPHS principal. She also has contacts in the guidance and district offices. Buckland will work on Eagle Ridge Academy. Upon discussion, it was determined the films are geared primarily towards high schoolers and older thus it would not be prudent to spend time advertising them via the elementary and middle schools. Fenrick explained there is a big push for social media buzz in terms of the documentaries. It is a great outlet for engaging youth. CC partners are encouraged to write blogs and post video clips of interviews eliciting film feedback. The potential for what can be done in connection to each topic is far more than originally realized. More help will be needed in order to expand the scope of the project. Kaczmarek asked what CC does with the feedback they receive. Fenrick explained the movies are shown at no cost to the community. The people who watch them fill out an evaluation following the viewing. Elassar said we also provide demographic information. Fenrick stated the information they get is tied to funding and outcomes. Fenrick suggested having people pair up on specific topics they are passionate about on a movie-by-movie basis. She will send a schedule for the remainder of the year with blurbs about each movie. Commissioners can let her know if a specific topic is of particular interest to them. A discussion can then follow about how to best plan for that film. The schedule for next year will come out in August. Fenrick needs to submit to Community Ed now the schedule for the winter catalog. She recommended following the CC schedule of one movie every other month and then filling in with back copies in the off months if we want. Filardo favored sticking to the every-other-month commitment just to avoid spreading ourselves too thin. Buckland said if the plan is to delve in more in-depth with a social media campaign, it would be nice to have extra HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 5 time between movies. Fenrick agreed publicity has been more time-intensive than she thought. Sticking to the CC schedule for at least the first year is probably best. Filardo offered to work on the November movie and do the welcome. Discussion on logistics for the community partners' panel followed. Filardo suggested perhaps a group of local teachers of Latino descent could talk about politics and culture. Elassar, Buckland, and Kaczmarek will work with Filardo on determining and contacting panel members. For the October film, Fenrick said she will contact the agencies for the discussion panel. Higgins will do the welcome, and Elassar will facilitate the post discussion. Nourkadi volunteered to help. Iacovelli said she is unable to commit to either film at this time. Elassar recommended people rotate responsibilities so they are cross- trained in the event somebody needs to cover for another person. It will help with sustainability. VII. REPORTS FROM STAFF - Fenrick A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) HSRC heard presentations on proposals for the 2014-15 grant cycle and will be forwarding a recommendation to Council for the December budget meeting. B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS Fenrick said there was no bias crime to report. Elassar asked about the parameters saying she would expect more bias crime for a city the size of Eden Prairie. Fenrick explained the victim needs to identify it as a bias crime. If it is not indicated as such, HRDC isn't notified of it. That is not to say it doesn't exist; it is quite possibly underreported. Fenrick offered to have someone from the police department discuss the process with the Commission. Buckland said she is also interested in having police address how it is presented to the public. Filardo said from her past experience working with domestic violence victims, the public often doesn't know their rights; they need to be trained. Carlson said another thing people don't know about their rights is they are not required to show identification if they are not suspected of committing a crime or if they are not leaving the country. Oftentimes questions are asked at near-border, non-interior national checkpoints, but people are not required to answer those questions. Fenrick said she will look into the beginning of next year for a police presentation. Elassar said she is currently participating in the Eden Prairie Citizens Academy. She gave an overview of the program and said she highly recommends it. She plans to ask how bias crimes are reported at her next class. During the course, pocket-sized crisis resource lists were distributed. She noticed HRDC and the FamiLink Resource Center were not on the list. She thinks they should be included. Crisis resource lists will be available at the police open house on Saturday. She is planning to volunteer at the event. The police are doing a good job,but they wear a lot of hats and are over- HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 6 burdened with many different roles in dealing with mental illness issues, social workers, and domestic violence, etc. Filardo said the attorney general's office is a resource for apartment dwellers. Fenrick noted Molly Koivumaki formerly worked in the police department. She will check with her about getting on the list. Elassar said another option would be to create our own resource list. Fenrick distributed copies of the FamiLink brochure which includes resources available in her office. C. OTHER REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. Southwest Transit Fenrick will be working with Southwest Transit this fall to coordinate community feedback meetings on possibly expanding transit options within Eden Prairie. There is an ongoing need to eliminate transport barriers. She is planning to involve HTC students, Early Childhood Family Education families, and the Somali Moms group. Commissioners with ideas for groups within Eden Prairie who might be interested in talking options should let her know. 2. Advocacy Training There have been some issues between property managers and immigrant tenants. It hasn't been proven to be discriminatory and therefore currently doesn't rise to the level of bias crime, but it definitely falls under the category of adult bullying. One strategy coming out of Unity Day was the possibility of doing a training session to discuss how to stand up for oneself, knowing rights, etc. At this point it is looking like it will be geared towards women. Fenrick is looking for volunteers who navigate this culture well who would be willing to come to the training and accompany these women as an advocate when they face their landlords. It is not a firm commitment, but people who are interested should let her know. Initially they will work with people to start the documentation process. Filardo recommended the county attorney's office or attorney general's office as additional resources. They do outreach to teach people about housing rights. Elassar also suggested the Department of Human Rights. 3. Best Buy Grant $5.10 remaining. VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS TIMELINE Fenrick reported Narayanan has put together a timeline for the Human Rights Awards process. Creating flyers is on the plan for the first month. Iacovelli volunteered to take this on. The remainder of the timeline presentation was tabled until next month. B. 2014 WORK PLAN— ONE VOICE FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION—all Fenrick distributed a compilation of ideas from last month's brainstorming session and subsequent emails. The group split into pairs to add to the list,jot down notes, HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 7 and prioritize ideas. Each group was charged with ranking its top three items. After 15 minutes of discussion, the pairs shared their choices. Kaczmarek and Higgins picked ensuring the resource center offers services appropriate for all people as their first choice. The disabled and those with mental health issues should be added to the list. Second was the welcome center. It should be located in Fenrick's office rather than elsewhere, but we need to find an effective way to let people know about it. Third was getting youth more involved. Reaching and advertising to youth will be the most challenging part of the task. We need to do a better job of advertising, in general. Buckland and Iacovelli based their choices on the different levels of responsibility from the One Voice project(high-level, community, and individual). First on their list was a combination of two items: implementing youth One Voice discussions and centering them on a quarterly Cafe Connect theme. The diversity 5K walk came up second. The welcome center could have a significant presence there. Third was making the welcome center more visible so people know about the resources and it gets used more. Resources can be added as needs arise in the community. Nourkadi and Elassar combined the welcome and resource centers with a translated welcome letter as their first choice. Their second choice was to prioritize youth involvement. School administration and principals need to be included in this. The 5K was third in connection with the Cafe Connect concept, neighbor outreach, and a possible movie tie-in depending on the path of the walk. Filardo and Carlson ranked youth One Voice discussions highest noting accessibility, ease, and low cost. Advanced Placement(AP) teachers might be willing to give extra credit. Second choice was the 5K as another fun, creative, and low cost idea. Last was a combination of welcome and resource centers and the welcome letter. It ranked third due to the potential higher costs. Fenrick and Lin selected the 5K first. It is a healthy/active option and it should be easy to get people interested. There can be advertising along the way and treats at the tables. Second choice is to form a partnership with the Amnesty Club. The club centers on human rights at a world level. Third would be to work on teacher involvement, especially AP teachers. They seem to have the most influence among students at the high school. If we can tie what we are doing to education and school, families might find it appealing yielding in a bigger draw. Fenrick said she saw some distinct themes forming. Commissioners should email their top three choices along with feedback to her and she will compile the information and send it out via email so commissioners can come prepared to discuss items for the 2013 work plan at the November meeting. Kaczmarek pointed out she feels like we focus solely on immigrants. We need to be open-minded and all-inclusive so the focus is on all forms of diversity. Iacovelli agreed saying we tend to get distracted by the most obvious. Elassar expressed HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES October 10, 2013 Page 8 concern over unintentionally excluding the hearing-impaired at the CC movie due to lack of closed-captioning. She suggested having information about Minnesota becoming the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage at the 5K. Lin said perhaps the Gay Straight Alliance at EPHS would be interested in organizing that. IX. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS None. X. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting will be Thursday, November 14, 2013, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Iacovelli moved, seconded by Elassar, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Kaczmarek adjourned the meeting at 9:04 p.m.