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Residents say Mountain View civic academy and language-access sessions boost engagement
Summary
Participants at a Mountain View civic-academy session said the program — including offerings in Spanish and other languages — helped them learn how city government works, build peer networks and increase family involvement in local schools and events.
At a community civic-academy session in Mountain View, Speaker 1, a resident and academy participant, said, "Growing up in Mountain View, I think this is what I was missing," describing a lack of city-level civic education in high school and praise for learning how to volunteer and engage with local departments.
Speaker 2, who said they have lived in Mountain View for 24 years, credited the Chinese Academy with giving "a better view of what is going on" in city government and said the program taught residents that "I can ask," which the participant called an important step toward more active involvement.
Speaker 3 described how the program created sustained peer networks, saying, "I think there were about 30 of us," and that many classmates already had prior experience with local engagement that helped newer participants learn how to stay involved.
"I am personally a very big advocate of language justice and access across everywhere," Speaker 4 said, urging that offerings in Spanish and "any possible language that makes up, you know, the fabric of Mountain View" are needed because non-English speakers are often among those most affected by local problems but are not represented in decision-making rooms.
Speaker 1 returned to give a personal example of impact, saying the program helped her mother learn about city departments, become more involved in the community and engagement at her child's school: "It brings them access and makes them know that they belong," she said, adding that participants' skills and languages "are valued and they make Mountain View, Mountain View."
Why it matters: Participants framed the academy as practical civic education that addresses barriers to participation, including language access. They described tangible outcomes — peer networks, increased ability to ask questions of officials, and greater family involvement in schools — rather than abstract civic rhetoric.
The session did not record any formal actions, votes, or references to specific municipal ordinances or funding; comments focused on participants' experiences in the civic-academy program and the need for language-access programming.
