In May, the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs welcomed four University of North Carolina Chapel Hill recipients of the Morehead-Cain scholars’ program to Fresno. The Morehead-Cain program provides summer opportunities for its scholars to visit local municipalities across the U.S. and help city leaders tackle community-wide issues. In the City of Fresno, Morehead-Cain scholars Sarah Chocron, David Nicholson, Elizah Van Lokeren and Asher Wexlar were tasked with improving sentiment among 16-to-30-year Fresnsans.

Youth enrichment and engagement
Youth engagement and enrichment opportunities, including leadership, mentorship and employment opportunities are top priorities included in Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s One Fresno vision. Towards this end, visiting Morehead Cain scholars were encouraged to connect with Fresno youth and recommend solutions to increase city pride.

“Our young people are the leaders of tomorrow and today. They need to see themselves as such. Our ‘One Fresno’ commitment is to invest in our youth giving them opportunities to be and see themselves in places that they might not have accessed previously,” shared Mayor Dyer.

The visiting Morehead Cain scholars were tasked with increasing positive city sentiment among Fresno youth. Scholars met with youth-serving community-based organizations that engage the city’s diverse young people. They also had one-on-one conversations directly with young people about the things that inspire them about our city.

The work in Fresno led by the Morehead-Cain scholars was overseen by Deputy Mayor, Matthew Grundy. “We are so proud of the work that Morehead-Cain scholars did here in Fresno. Their vision, enabled by our own youth, turned into a beautiful art piece promoting city pride that is visible to all and will be on display for years to come,” said Deputy Mayor Grundy.

Youth vision comes to life
For their final project, scholars teamed up with local muralist Cynthia Velazquez, who also serves as resident artist with the Mennonite Central Committee, to paint a mural. The goal for Velazquez and the scholars was to offer a unifying artistic piece for youth and families visiting southeast Fresno’s Calwa Park. Velazquez designed a mural depicting a young Latino boy playing with a soccer ball—Calwa Park youths’ most popular sport.

According to Morehead-Cain scholar, Sarah Chocron, the mural provided a way to unify the Calwa Park community around a beautiful work of art. “We hope this mural serves as a constant reminder of the joy and vibrancy that Fresno is made up in all its streets and neighborhoods and the childhood memories made in this park during soccer practices,” shared Chocron.

The Calwa Park mural titled: “Si vas a soñar, sueña que es posible.” Translated to English, the mural’s title is, “If you are going to dream, dream that it is possible,” and is open to public during the park’s open hours. For more information on the mural, contact the Office of Community Affairs at (559) 621-7923.

Nearly 20 residents joined the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs Civic Academy. The Civic Academy welcomes Fresno constituents to enroll in four in-person sessions to learn about the city’s government structure and have a close-up look into municipal departments.

“The Mayor’s Civic Academy takes to heart our city’s mission of an inclusive city. We want our constituents to have a personal connection to what happens at City Hall and the academy does just that,” shared Mayor Jerry Dyer.

The Civic Academy is a prime engagement tool for the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs (OCA) which is under the purview of Deputy Mayor Matthew Grundy. “Certainly, the Civic Academy speaks to the heart of the OCA’s mission. We strive to be a government that is responsive to all our diverse communities’ needs and one of those needs is to be informed and active in what happens at City Hall,” said Deputy Mayor Grundy.

OCA Civic Academy as an engagement springboard
The goal of the Civic Academy is to provide residents with the tools they need to be active constituents in the legislative process. In addition to learning how city government functions, residents will learn how to identify and engage their elected officials, locate, and understand Council agendas and participate in public comment periods, forums and municipal engagement opportunities.

The foundational knowledge that the OCA Civic Academy provides will equip resident participants to take on leadership roles including municipal boards and commissions. “We are providing our participating community members with the information they need to feel empowered to lead in their neighborhoods and in our city,” said Sandra Lee, OCA’s Asian Pacific Islander liaison.

Resident engagement at City Hall is key

The first Civic Academy session kicked off at Fresno City Hall Chambers. Residents learned about California’s several municipal government styles, including an in depth look at Fresno’s strong mayor structure. “We want residents know how our city government works and that their participation and voice is key for a more prosperous city,” said OCA’s BIPOC liaison, Pastor BT Lewis, II.

In the upcoming three in-person sessions, OCA Civic Academy residents will meet with city department directors and leads for Economic Development, Planning and Development, Public Works, Public Utilities, and Fresno Police and Fire departments. The final session will feature a graduation ceremony.

Rosa Rodriguez lives in Fresno’s District 7 and is a participant of the OCA’s inaugural class. “I want to thank everyone who collaborates to make this very interesting program. It helps us to better know our city officials. We look forward to the next session!” said Rodriguez.

Future participation opportunities

The OCA will hold future Civic Academy classes. For residents who are interested in participating in future cohort opportunities, please reach out to the Office of Community Affairs at (559) 621-7923.