Several citizens of Somerville gathered last Saturday, January 30 to engage in a workshop about the commissions that work in the city. This workshop was the first of many in the city-sponsored series of civic engagement "how to..." workshops. About eighteen residents attended the informative meeting at the central branch of the Somerville Public Library. The goal of this meeting was to educate residents about the functions of the various commissions operating in Somerville, as well as how to get involved with them, and how important it is to have resident involvement within them. | ||||
The atmosphere of the workshop resembled that of a classroom setting. Those in attendance were divided into two smaller groups. The groups sat at round tables and were given tasks to tackle and discuss. Most of the tasks entailed categorizing issues or events into which commissions they would fall under. The purpose of this was to raise interest in each given commission by discussing which commission would adhere to which issues and events.
The four commissions in discussion were the Commission for Women, the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Human Rights Commission, and the Multicultural Affairs Commission.
The Commission for Women states in its ordinance that its duties, among others, is to ensure equality for women across the social, economic and educational realms, as well as creating and coordinating activities and programs to promote involvement and a voice for the women of Somerville. It has facilitated events such as the "Jumprope-a-thon Event" and programs such as Teens Against Dating Abuse.
The Commission for Persons with Disabilities was established to find problems within the community for people with disabilities and solve them. Some events and committees they have created or participated in are the Snow Removal Committee, Transportation Accessibility Surveys and Emergency Preparedness Workshops.
The Human Rights Commission focuses on providing workshops for community groups to learn about each other, and thus respect the others in Somerville's diverse community. In addition, they investigate and act on complaints pertaining to human rights issues and many other functions.
The Multicultural Affairs Commission is made to ensure that underrepresented cultures and communities still get fair and equal voice and consideration in legislative and communal matters. This commission works with the Human Rights Commission to help further the voices of all Somerville residents to the city.
The Director of the Office of Somerville Commissions Sonja Darai was one of the co-leaders of this workshop. She stated that "Commissions are like portals to the city, these are actual wide open doors that are inviting people in and are saying how do we prioritize the most important things." She explained how the commissions basically serve as an organized and informed middleman between the people and their elected officials. Ms. Darai stressed how important resident involvement is in making the city work as best as possible, and that in a democracy it is imperative for the public to work to get their points across.
At the end of the meeting, those in attendance seemed to be not only excited to begin involvement in the commissions, but somewhat enlightened to what these commissions are capable of and how important they are in sustaining a content and stable community in Somerville.
For anymore information on this series of workshops, or for information on these commissions and how to get involved, visit the City of Somerville's website. In addition, all dates, times and locations of both commissions meetings and the civic engagement workshop series are listed on the City of Somerville's calender.
The four commissions in discussion were the Commission for Women, the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Human Rights Commission, and the Multicultural Affairs Commission.
The Commission for Women states in its ordinance that its duties, among others, is to ensure equality for women across the social, economic and educational realms, as well as creating and coordinating activities and programs to promote involvement and a voice for the women of Somerville. It has facilitated events such as the "Jumprope-a-thon Event" and programs such as Teens Against Dating Abuse.
The Commission for Persons with Disabilities was established to find problems within the community for people with disabilities and solve them. Some events and committees they have created or participated in are the Snow Removal Committee, Transportation Accessibility Surveys and Emergency Preparedness Workshops.
The Human Rights Commission focuses on providing workshops for community groups to learn about each other, and thus respect the others in Somerville's diverse community. In addition, they investigate and act on complaints pertaining to human rights issues and many other functions.
The Multicultural Affairs Commission is made to ensure that underrepresented cultures and communities still get fair and equal voice and consideration in legislative and communal matters. This commission works with the Human Rights Commission to help further the voices of all Somerville residents to the city.
The Director of the Office of Somerville Commissions Sonja Darai was one of the co-leaders of this workshop. She stated that "Commissions are like portals to the city, these are actual wide open doors that are inviting people in and are saying how do we prioritize the most important things." She explained how the commissions basically serve as an organized and informed middleman between the people and their elected officials. Ms. Darai stressed how important resident involvement is in making the city work as best as possible, and that in a democracy it is imperative for the public to work to get their points across.
At the end of the meeting, those in attendance seemed to be not only excited to begin involvement in the commissions, but somewhat enlightened to what these commissions are capable of and how important they are in sustaining a content and stable community in Somerville.
For anymore information on this series of workshops, or for information on these commissions and how to get involved, visit the City of Somerville's website. In addition, all dates, times and locations of both commissions meetings and the civic engagement workshop series are listed on the City of Somerville's calender.
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