“Better Communities through Neighborhoods”
The City of Minneapolis’ Neighborhood and Community Relations department is hosting the first-ever Communities Connections Conference, “Building Better Communities Through Neighborhoods”, on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 at the St. Mary’s University Event Center – 2540 Park Avenue South (formerly known as the Zuhrah Shrine Event Center).
This new conference is specifically designed for neighborhood organizations, cultural communities, nonprofit organizations, City departments and residents to share best practices of neighborhood engagement. In addition, the conference will introduce people to new and innovative ideas for working within communities and neighborhoods. A major theme of the conference is building diversity and increasing participation in neighborhood organizations and communities.
The conference will include 16 concurrent workshops. The topics include: Minneapolis One Read, bridging the digital divide, reducing waste at local events, social justice, neighborhood safety and success stories of collaborations with City departments. There will also be neighborhood and community booths, a Neighborhood Café, food from communities throughout the city, local cultural entertainment and a closing reception. The Neighborhood and Community Relations department supports the city’s 71 neighborhood organizations, which serve as the City’s primary community engagement infrastructure. The department also has an Access and Outreach team whose focus is to support engagement of all residents particularly where cultural norms or customs, language or disabilities limit access.
For more information, including the agenda and workshop descriptions, please visit: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr/CommunityConnectionsConference