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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 02/12/2015 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Sandra Filardo (Chair), PG Narayanan (Vice Chair), Tonj a Bivins, Jenny Buckland, Sana Elassar, Connie Iacovelli STAFF: Patricia Fenrick, Staff Molly Koivumaki; Mgr. —Housing/Comm. Services Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Emily Higgins, Karena Lin, Elizabeth Corpuz, Tanvi Mehta, Shreya Venkatesh L CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Filardo called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. Commissioner Elassar and Student Representatives Higgins and Venkatesh were absent. Commissioner Bivins joined the meeting via telephone. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Narayanan moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Iacovelli moved, seconded by Bivins, to approve the January 8, 2015 minutes. Motion carried 3-0-2 with Narayanan and Buckland abstaining. IV. BRIEF STUDENT REPORTS Corpuz said French classes at the high school recently held presentations and discussions about the January events occurring at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo. They were held in a format similar to how she envisioned One Voice working. Lin said the sessions were well-advertised and well-attended. Buckland recommended selecting a current relevant topic on which to focus for One Voice. Fenrick suggested getting a class to sponsor it. Mehta mentioned there are also student-led talks during CORE time. Filardo inquired about connecting with them to partner. Fenrick asked for a Diversity Fair update. As there was none, Narayanan asked student commissioners to speak to the respective advisor now so we are ready when planning begins. Fenrick said we could use this event to promote HRDC and highlight HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 12, 2015 Page 2 commission-sponsored events. She will touch base with Higgins. Corpuz was asked to get a contact name. V. REPORTS OF STAFF —Fenrick A. CULTURAL SERVICES UNIT Twelve to twenty people who can give insight into another culture or who are multi-lingual are needed to become members of an on-call medical corps. Classes start in April and training is free. Those who train will become official Community Emergency Response Team members and Hennepin County Medical Corps members for disasters. Minimum qualification is 18 years of age. Preference is given to those who live or work in Eden Prairie as proximity is ideal for emergency situations. Applications are due in March. Five people have indicated interest so far. Iacovelli said she created and posted a recruitment blurb and will share it with the other commissioners. Narayanan offered to create a JPEG file to share as well. Fenrick said personal requests/connections will be most effective. She will send commissioners a link to the Star Tribune article about the program. B. SENIOR CENTER PRESENTATION Fenrick gave a presentation on Monday about refugees and immigrants to a current events group at the senior center. Attendees expressed a desire for further conversation with Muslims and about the Muslim faith. C. YOUTH JOB FAIR A variety of employers will be coming to the Career Resource Center at the high school over a period of three Wednesdays starting next week. If successful, a bigger event will be held and will be open to youth first and then the community. Narayanan and Filardo inquired about unemployment rates in Eden Prairie. Fenrick said she will check into available statistics. D. FAIR HOUSING TRAINING Fenrick held a fair housing training in January for a property managers group that meets quarterly. E. DIVERSITY TRAINING Fenrick is working with Human Resources with the hopes of doing some diversity training in the fall with City employees. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 12, 2015 Page 3 F. MONITOR VISITS Fenrick is conducting monitor visits next week to non-profits to which the City grants funds. G. BAHA'i DOCUMENTARY The Baha'i are an oppressed religious minority in Iran. People are being jailed for having higher education as it is illegal in that country. Hennepin Technical College (HTC)is hosting an awareness campaign on April 10 featuring a documentary about the issue. G. DEAF/HARD-OF-HEARING PANEL Elassar and Fenrick will attend a deaf and hard-of-hearing panel next week in St. Paul. Fenrick said Elassar asked her to announce the Silver Jubilee of the Americans with Disabilities Act. H. BEST BUY GRANT $5.10 remaining. VI. NEW BUSINESS -Fenrick A. HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS No applications have been received to date. The deadline is March 10. Fenrick shared her idea for a non-profit nominee but encouraged others to advertise and nominate as well. Filardo said the Community Center is a busy place and attracts a diverse group of people. We should have more of a presence there and partner with them. A brief discussion followed on ways to publicize the awards. Fenrick said there are no public bulletin boards there, but she will check into our options. Buckland suggested student groups might be suitable for the student category rather than focusing only on individuals. Fenrick said February 20 has been selected for a Culture and Conversation dinner dry run. It is a Friday evening and will be held at Central Middle School. Filardo stated she would like to do a walk-through beforehand to see what equipment is available. Interview-style might be a good format since those presenting are not professionals. It might be too difficult to cook and talk at the same time. Buckland asked about health and safety. Fenrick said Community Ed liability insurance covers the event. Different methods for handling food allergies were discussed. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 12, 2015 Page 4 B. DAKOTA 38 FILMI"WHY TREATIES MATTER" EVENT The Dakota 38 film/"Why Treaties Matter" event will be held at HTC on March 23. An indigenous chef may be on hand to make appetizers using native food. Eden Prairie youth will participate in a youth forum. Fenrick was surprised to learn a couple commissioners had already seen advertising for this event since other details are still being finalized. VIL OLD BUSINESS A. TOWN HALL -Fenrick The International Town Hall Date has been changed again. Fenrick is waiting to hear about a new date. B. "THE MASK YOU LIVE IN" FILM—Bivins Bivins has been in contact with Teens Alone about their schedule to determine some possible dates for a showing of"The Mask You Live In". They have no foreseeable conflicts in the next three months. She is looking for input from commissioners on a target date for the event as well as ideas for venues. She is not able to procure a license until those have been determined. Discussion ensued about scheduling and venues, but no decisions were made. Bivins said she envisions having a teen psychologist there to speak about the film and field questions. Filardo suggested having someone from The FATHER Project on the panel. There is also a treatment center for at-risk male youth in Minnetonka we might approach about being involved. Bivins said she will send the synopsis and additional information to share. She encouraged participation from women, too, for a different perspective. C. GIRL SCOUT EVENT—Filardo Filardo expressed in interest in having her troop partner with HRDC to celebrate World Thinking Day for Girl Scouts. Several troops will be meeting on April 10 at 6 p.m. at St. Andrew's Church for this year's theme"Develop a Global Partnership for Development". It is about women empowerment, education, and making the world a better place. Each troop will pick a country and showcase something from that country. Proceeds from the event will go to the World Thinking Day fund from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). Filardo said she would like there to be a table with information about the Commission and to have HRDC arrange some sort of presentation or entertainment. She envisions the event working passport-style where girls would `travel' from country to country and learn something about each one. Connie HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 12, 2015 Page 5 volunteered to staff the table. Buckland, Mehta, and Lin agreed to consider helping with entertainment. D. "TRACKS IN THE SNOW" UPDATE -Fenrick The"Tracks in the Snow" exhibit will be split up in different locations for security purposes. Pieces will be on display at the Art Center, City Center, and the library. A fall time frame is planned which will include an open house event with food. Fenrick has been working with Lindsey Danhauser of the Art Center on a grant. E. COMMUNITY CINEMA -Fenrick "American Denial" is the next film airing in February. The Senior Center has said they are not interested in partnering with us for Community Cinema events. The challenge will be determining whether we want to find partners who are interested in the film topics or try hosting on our own and hope people will come. Bivins asked if there was a way to advertise on the local news. Fenrick said we can disseminate the information but it is up to individual stations to choose whether or not to cover it. Filardo suggested getting a list of the films and trying to match them with partners. We could move forward with a showing if we have a partner and skip it if we do not. Brainstorming a list of partners followed. Fenrick said part of the problem is the tight turnaround time. We do not find out what the films are in time to advertise them via Community Ed. Although the films are worthwhile, we might need to determine if scheduling showings is the best fit for us. VIIL FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, 2015, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Iacovelli moved, seconded by Narayanan, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Filardo adjourned the meeting at 8:42 p.m.