Cultural Connections Committee

Gate City Integration Initiative Meeting Nashua United Way May 28th 2014 Minutes The Gate City Initiative combined this meeting with the Endowment for Health Immigrant Integration Planning Group. The meeting began at 9:00. Attendees were Tom Lopez, Tom Woodward, Sharon Dalton, Karen Emis- Williams, Janeth Orozco, Scott Jaquith, Bobbie Bagley, Brandon Anderson, Barbara Seebert, Najirah, Erica Rivera, Paul Hebert and Michelle Holt-Shannon. Janeth started with introductions; Minutes were approved by Scott Jaquith and Cathy Chesley and the Mission Statement was read. Michelle Holt-Shannon explained the Endowment Planning process and presented the following items on what we have heard so far:  How Nashua might be a more welcoming community  Considerations of how the provider network might support immigrant integration  Possible focus on youth and parenting  Housing NH Listens organized a World Café exercise to gather input on these areas for both groups. The participants did an exercise “World Café” to reflect, draw and shared knowledge of highlights of the GCII mission of statement and all three goals for the EHI4. Karen Emis-Williams spoke in behalf of the Gate City Initiative (GCII). She discussed the history of the initiative as a sub-committee of the Ethnic Awareness Committee. Discussion followed on the role and mission of the GCII and how the GCII might become a “voice” in the community; whether there needed to be an individual hired as a coordinator to oversee that initiative; how to conduct outreach to both immigrant and mainstream community; and how GCII might connect with the Chamber of Commerce and the Community Development Departments as well. For announcements’ Janeth and Cathy Chesley invited the group to attend Interfaith Breakfast at Rivier University on June 13, 2014. The meeting concluded at 12:00