My observations regarding minority paticipation at the neighborhood level as it relates to Jordan at least, is that it hasn't been as good as it should be. A couple of observations:
1) If I'm not mistaken owner occupancy (in Jordan) is only roughly 60%. For the remaining 40% that are renters, the overwhelming majority are minorities. My guess, it's pretty tough to get renters as invested personally in NRP matters as it is homeowners. Not to say that it can't happen, but it does take a special effort.
2) Speaking from experience, a significant segment (again in Jordan) of our population is represented by single parent families (mostly single women). Many from this segment (again, I can only speak about Jordan), are not in a financial position to either leave their children with a childcare provider, or hire a baby-sitter.
As one of the founding members of the Jordan Livability Forum, we were able to make our meetings more accessible by providing childcare on-site during the meeting. It turned out to be a very good decision.
Sometimes it's not that people aren't well-intended, it's just that they don't understand the issues related to the subject. I know my personal thoughts on matters such as this have changed dramatically in the past fews years.
Dennis Plante
Jordan
>From: Barbara Lickness <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: Michael Atherton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,'Minneapolis Issues' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: RE: [Mpls] NRP and cultural involvement
>Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 11:21:39 -0800 (PST)
>
>I think you are making the box too small Mike. You
>cannot judge NRP participation by how many people
>attend meetings. There has to be other ways to
>measure participation. Participation in a neighborhood
>survey or focus group is participation. Participating
>in a program or project funded by NRP dollars is
>participation. Attending a festival or event paid for
>by NRP is participation. Using a facility paid for by
>NRP is participation.
>
>The fact that "regular" monthly meetings in
>neighborhoods is predominantly attended by white
>people may be making a statement about how meetings as
>a rule are interpreted by different cultures.
>
>Not everyone is going to attend a monthly committee or
>be a board member. However, they will fill out a
>survey either in writing or on the phone if they are
>asked to. They will participate in a focus group if
>you accommodate the barriers that prevent them from
>participation. They will send their kids to a program
>that is funded by NRP. They will use a facility that
>was paid for by NRP. They will attend a festival or
>event paid for by NRP funds.
>
>Attending meetings and benefitting from the
>expenditure of NRP funds are two entirely different
>things.
>
>I do not mean to say that I am not concerned about the
>lack of participation from people of color or low
>income people at neighborhood meetings. It concerns me
>and many of the neighborhood volunteers I work with.
>Many of the neighborhoods I work with including the
>one I live in have done outreach to low income people
>and people of color in an attempt to increase meeting
>attendance. The results have not been successful for a
>variety of reasons. Lack of resources for
>interpretation into various languages is one barrier.
>Lack of funds to pay for aggressive organizing. Lack
>of relationships with leadership in the various
>communities. Lack of personal empowerment in many
>cultures based on years of history is a reason.
>
>But, attempting to organize these people just to get
>them to come to your meeting is limiting. It is just
>as important to organize people to participate in
>whatever way makes them feel comfortable. That could
>be a program, event, festival, survey, focus group,
>project etc. and not a meeting.
>
>I have said for a long time we cannot judge the
>success of this program solely based on who shows up
>at a meeting.
>
>That being said, I think we need to look for other
>opportunities beyond neighborhood meetings to engage
>the greater community. Neighborhood volunteers should
>be thinking out of the box about how to engage people
>in their community in a way that is comfortable for
>them.
>
>When Whittier did it's Phase I plan review, they did
>focus groups with all the representative communities
>in the neighborhood. Extensive efforts were made to
>do outreach to communities of color. Accommodations
>were made to remove the barriers that would prevent
>people from participating. Whittier was successful at
>gaining involvement and participation from hard to
>reach communities because they tailored the outreach
>to those communities. As a result, the information the
>neighborhood recieved came from people in all walks of
>life and all the different cultures in Whittier.
>Whittier was able to proceed confidently into it's
>Phase II NRP plan knowing that they were informed with
>solid information that was derived from a
>representation of the whole neighborhood, not just a
>small portion. None of this would have happened if
>Whittier depended solely on monthly meetings to
>accomplish this.
>
>Barb Lickness
>Whittier
>NRP Staff
>
>=====
>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
>it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
>
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