County seeks to get more Latinos involved via Spanish-language website
Robb Wolfson
Julie Cortez
El Hispanic News
Portland, OR — The Multnomah County Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC) has launched a Spanish-language section of the Office of Citizen Involvement website, with the aim of informing the Latino community about the county’s programs and services, as well as encouraging and empowering residents to become more civically engaged.
Not merely a translation of English content, the site (https://web.multco.us/compromiso-cívico) features content specifically geared to the Latino community, thanks to input from Catholic Charities, Latino Network, the Hispanic Chamber, and community members. Additionally, translation has been provided by volunteers.
“[The project has] spawned all these other ways of interaction that I think have been really useful,” Robb Wolfson, citizen involvement coordinator, told El Hispanic News.
The CIC was founded in 1984 because “voters did not feel like the county board was listening to them,” Wolfson said. It was voted into the county charter with a mission “to further the citizen involvement process.”
The 2009 Census Community Survey indicated that 1 in 24 Multnomah County residents are Spanish dominant and speak English “less than well.” Those numbers showed the CIC that Spanish-speakers were a “significant contingent of the community we could do outreach to,” Wolfson added.
One key point Wolfson and the website make is that while the word “citizen” is in the names of both the committee and the office, the services and information are geared toward all who live and/or work in the county, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
Currently, the page’s “featured item” is a link to Spanish-language budget survey, in which residents can prioritize where they’d like to see their tax dollars go. The results will be analyzed and delivered to Multnomah County’s commissioners.
Visitors to the site can sign up for the committee’s mailing list and receive email alerts in Spanish about upcoming events and activities. Wolfson also encourages visitors to click on the “Contáctenos” link to provide feedback about the site.
For more information on the Office of Citizen Involvement, visit http://web.multco.us/oci (English) and https://web.multco.us/compromiso-cívico (Spanish).
Este artículo también está disponible en / This post is also available in: Spanish
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Short URL: http://www.elhispanicnews.com/?p=3662
Posted by julie
on Apr 5 2012. Filed under Local, Local News.
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