COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT builds pride in Mesa,
encourages and develops a wide range of civic and neighborhood
leadership, involves non-profits, faith-based organizations,
community youth and volunteers, and maximizes direct
communications with residents using a variety of tools and
technology.
When asked: “It's two years from now...what priorities and
key outcomes do you believe we should have underway or
accomplished for Community Engagement?” The Mayor and
Council’s original responses included:
- Neighbors have stepped up to help with code compliance and
enhance their neighborhoods
- iMesa, iMesa,
iMesa. Recognize the potential to change our community
- A village
system of activism that invites participation
- Volunteerism
is at an all time high
- Mesa's
resident's participate in service projects to give back to the
community
- Channel 11
televises all advisory board meetings so that residents can get
a full picture of public decision making
- iMesa is
integrated with the community as a way to express new ideas and
innovations
- Having a
friendly face for Mesa's government
- Utilization of
all social media to engage the community
- Elevate our
ability for code compliance
- Fully utilize
technology (Facebook, Channel 11, twitter) as a new way to
connect council with constituents
- Being
responsive to all resident's concerns
- Added Council
staff to assist in community and constituent outreach
- Libraries have
been able to open full time because of the involvement of the
citizen volunteers
- Villages are
identified throughout the city and work together to improve
particular areas of the city
- More Building
Stronger Neighborhood programs, citizen self-help programs
- Quasi-village
system to encourage neighborhood engagement
- Enhanced
volunteer coordination program within the city
- Helping
residents become familiar with Mesa's government and the
operations so that they can understand how the city government
works
- Expand on
channel 11 programming to include more in community
- Developing a
feel of community buy in that comes from the neighborhoods we
live in
- Neighbors
helping neighbors has cut down on un-necessary 911 calls
- More community
development corporations taking accountability for how
neighborhoods reinvent themselves
- Go to the
village concept to encourage more community participation
- Have Mesa Arts
Center, museums and other cultural centers located in west mesa
reach out to residents in east Mesa
- Work more
closely with Mesa and Gilbert schools to improve engagement
- Have
neighborhoods participate in neighborhood watch to encourage
cooperation with Mesa Police
- Support the
volunteer coordinators within the City
- Encourage
neighborhood policing
- Increase ASU
Polytechnic engagement with the community
- Continue town
halls, breakfasts, City hall at the mall activities
- Encourage
residents to participate in iMesa so they understand that we
want to work with them to improve Mesa
- Help
businesses and other groups give back to the community
- A big push on
iMesa
- Collaborate
more with the high schools for volunteer students to work in
areas of interest in the city and other non-profit areas
- Faith-based
initiatives work! Build on them.
- Develop the
village concept and think about how community involvement ties
in to that
- Get the
legislature to mind their own business and let Mesa govern Mesa
- Engage
community more fully with Mesa United Way
- Engage with
other community leaders to improve Mesa
- More service
opportunities for youth
- Transition our
Building Stronger Neighborhoods program and registered
neighborhoods into the "next level" of engagement through
leadership development and integration with the iMesa process
- Building
strong neighborhoods continued outreach
- Get residents
to understand “shop Mesa” and that it really matters