Agenda Goal & Strategic Planning Process Survey Results Obstacles / Barrier Identification  Goal Next Meeting – October 7 th Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland

Goal: To help our community understand and accept all cultures and to engage each other genuinely. Provide an emphasis on bilingual and multicultural knowledge, learning and cultural competencies for everyone. Promote opportunities for learning that reflect the current population with open enrollment policies that target English speaking employers and residents of all ages. Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland

Cultural Engagement & Understanding Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland Engagement: emotional involvement or attachment, to interlock with, to mesh with, to bring together or interlock, to induce to participate Understanding: to be thoroughly familiar with, sympathetically aware of other people’s feelings, tolerant, compassionate, mental process of a person who comprehends

Strategic Planning Process: Identify Assets Identify Target Audience Identify Obstacles/Barriers Education and Assessment Goals  Prioritize Planning: who, what, where, when, why, how & funding Action Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland

Current Assets/Resources in our Community

Adult Education CCC Literacy Council Public Library Child Education GIPS Language Project Public Library Business & Government Chamber of Commerce Downtown GI City Budget County Budget Legal Aid Nonprofits Multicultural Coalition YMCA/ YWCA Hope Harbor Nebraska Arts Council Nebraska Humanities United Way Crisis Program Lutheran Family Services Boy Scouts/ Girls Scouts Field House Stuhr Museum Latino Network Cultural Engagement/Understanding Assets Breakdown

Target Audience Summary

Community Continuum Community U.S. Born Predominant Residents - English Fluency - Basic Needs Achieved - Aware of Community Resources - Intercultural Education - Varying Levels of Cultural Competency Cross-Cultural Residents Immigrant Cross- Cultural Residents - English Fluency - Varying Levels of Community Resources - Advocacy and Education Assimilating Residents Residence - Developing English -Knows their Culture Citizenship - Citizenship status - Inquisitive - Comfortable in Community Newcomer Residents - Basic Needs - C ommunication Services Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland

Barriers / Obstacles: Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland Bias/prejudice Ignorance Language Multi-generational poverty Access / knowledge to (of) basic needs Engagement opportunities (lack there of) – social Housing --- segregated (insulated) neighborhoods; economics Cultural separation in schools Representation of diversity (govt, Media Economics acceptance / comfort Job opportunities College prep. Opportunities Parent Education Generational assumptions (knowledge / acceptance) Collective vs independent thinking

Wrap-up: Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland Identified Assets Identified Target Audience Identified Obstacles Summarize Obstacles Community Assessment/Education Goals Prioritize Goals Plan Action

Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland Web & Social Media E.N. Thompson Activism Forum enthompson.unl.edu/

Next Meeting …. Wednesday, October 7 th Grow Grand Island … A Grander Vision for the Heartland