2023-09-23-LHRC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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b.Goal setting Link:LHRC Goal Setting Presentation for Sept2023 GOAL:Increase resilience of the community against divisive rhetoric and ideology ●Build capacity for Civil Dialogue Discourse (effective communication to understand each other to build human connections,building/maintaining trust): ○Creating a shared vocabulary -Start with understanding Human Rights and Civil Rights.This will help us understand what the LHRC does and hopefully,help the community know what their rights are. ○Building skills -Active bystander training -how to stay in the conversation when things get heated. How to hear/listen to each other. ●Increase the community’s sense of belonging ○Building a stronger sense of community -Programming on seeing that we have more in common than not :CPA (community preservation committee)-major discussions about how much money the town should be spending on recreation,historical renov.,affordable housing. ○Understanding across cultures and differences in identity- ■Understanding Indigenous perspectives on relationship with land in the context of current challenges with housing ■others? ○Understanding what it means to be inclusive. ■Collaboration with committees working to amplify non-traditional voices c.Comments on the goals shown above are: i.Remove “ideology”-the term is too confusing and prone to differing and triggering interpretations ii.Change ‘Discourse’to “Dialogue”to promote more two-way conversation iii.A comment that Active Bystander training,while valuable and important,is not address the goal of promoting dialogue. d.Ideas shared by committee members: i.Training for a basic level of understanding Human and Civil rights would be valuable,not only to the community,but also to committee members.Having terminology and definitions aligned across the community provides a basis for effective communication not bogged down by differing assumptions that can hamper communication on the work of the LHRC,understanding of human and civil rights. ii.Seeking non-traditional voices and supporting ‘we all belong.’-Those who feel their perspectives are non-traditional or less popular to the majority in Lexington often do not feel they belong and are not listened to.We are left with a skewed conversation and unable to tap into different ideas and experiences that may lead to different choices.The LHRC should invest more efforts to reach out to these groups as part of the effort to make Lexington a place where all people can feel they belong.Non-traditional voices include: age -youth,political differences,differences in values,etc. iii.Interest in expanding outreach to youth who are often not empowered to be part of the community conversation.There are some bystander programs in LPS,but not all students can participate and there is a concern that the 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE •LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02420