Mar Vista Community Forum

Sharing the Power

Addresssing community diversity

At the August 3rd,2002 Congress of Neighborhoods, strengthening the community council's power base was considered to be an important component to increasing visibility and participation for the council. The presenters emphasized the importance of learning the demographic changes in the community based on the 2002 census, producing a strategic plan for outreach and message development that addresses community diversity. They also pointed out that the Neighborhood Council's plan needs to be an inclusive, participatory process in which the Council and community take on shared ownership of outreach, is accountable to the community and, most important, leads to action that brings about the changes desired by the community. This is a huge task and requires concerted effort on the part of the Neighborhood Council's leadership.

Prepared by Evelyn Dravecky