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Commission staff proposes community-first strategic framework; plan to start after Oct. 17 annual dinner
Summary
Director Clements outlined a community-first strategic framework learned through a Harvard–Bloomberg cohort and proposed a needs-assessment approach for the commission’s work on the social status of African American males. Commissioners agreed to begin work after the commission’s Oct. 17 annual dinner.
At the Aug. 28 meeting, Director Clements told the Evansville City Commission that staff recommends a community-first strategic framework learned during a Harvard–Bloomberg cohort to guide the commission’s next steps.
Clements said the nine-month cohort produced a toolkit for community engagement that begins with data gathering, soliciting community input and, later, prototyping potential interventions. She recommended the commission start with a needs assessment to identify priorities for the population the commission serves, specifically the social status of African American males, and then identify partner agencies that have capacity to implement programs.
Why it matters: Commissioners are volunteer members with limited implementation capacity; Clements said partnering with organizations such as CEMA and the YMCA can allow the commission to identify policy priorities and refer program implementation to agencies with existing infrastructure. Clements said the approach helps avoid “reinventing the wheel” and allows the commission to provide convening and advisory support rather than running programs directly.
Details and timeline: Clements said the commission should gather data and community feedback first, then move to prototyping. She proposed beginning the work after the commission’s Oct. 17 annual dinner. Commissioners asked whether the commission had ever completed a full needs assessment; Clements said she was not aware of a prior full assessment for the commission. Chairman Jeremy Taylor (mentioned during discussion) and staff will finalize a proposed schedule and materials for commissioners to review.
No formal vote was taken on the framework. Commissioners expressed general support for pursuing a structured community-engagement process and asked staff to prepare materials and a timeline for review after Oct. 17.
