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Receive Update on the Building Integrated Communities Action Plan.
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Staff:
Department:
Loryn B. Clark, Executive Director
Housing and Community
Sarah Osmer Vi?as, Assistant Director
Megan Peters, Community Connections Coordinator
Overview: The purpose of this item is to share the Building Integrated Communities (BIC) Action Plan with the Council. This is the second deliverable of three phases of the BIC initiative. BIC is a two-year collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated to strengthening the Town's engagement of immigrant and refugee residents.
Recommendation:
That the Council receive this update on the BIC initiative and associated Action Plan.
Overview of the Building Integrated Communitiesi (BIC) Project
BIC is a multi-year planning process that helps North Carolina local governments successfully engage with immigrant and refugee residents to improve relationships, enhance communication, and promote civic participation and leadership in local government. As a result of working with BIC, local governments and diverse community stakeholders gain tools and build capacity to generate locally relevant strategies for promoting economic development and strengthening educational advancement. The BIC project aligns with the Town's goals of making Chapel Hill a Place for Everyone.
Project Process & Progress to Date
Since the summer of 2017, an interdepartmental staff team led by our Housing and Community staff has worked with the UNC BIC Team on the three-phase project.
1. Community Assessment (COMPLETED: September 2017 - August 2018)
* Establish steering committee
? The project team recruited 24 individuals representing 17 organizations and institutions.
* Build relationships and share knowledge
? The steering committee met regularly from July 2017 through January 2019, building relationships with one another and providing direction for the project.
* Conduct research
? The project team hosted three m...
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