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Why we need CELs
We are celebrating over 50 years of Title VI of the 1964 US Civil Rights Act. To honor that promise, our public services should be accessible to all residents in languages spoken in the communities we serve.
Today, 1-in-5 Portlanders are foreign born. For Beaverton it’s 1-in-4. Nearly half of our public school kids go home to ethnic minority families.
CELs are expert bridge builders who are either bi-cultural, and/or bi-lingual. They deliver your intended message in a culturally-specific manner, allowing participants a level of comfort and familiarity in navigating processes and systems to help support the development of your projects. Liaisons have a range of duties including sharing information, gathering crucial feedback, connecting community groups with services they need, responding when issues arise, and providing technical assistance.
If your agency’s goal include equitable public services – or if, your project’s need include engaging immigrant, underserved communities, or ethnic minority neighbors in the delivery of your messages, your services, or your products – CELs can assist you!
How CELS build project success
CELs provide effective avenues for authentic public participation. Sharing more equitably public services, benefits, and burdens require intentional engagement of underserved communities. Having our many communities participate fully in our robust public life requires authentic partnerships. Hiring an interpreter to speak to populations you hope will show up is not true civic engagement and will not produce equity. CELs liaisons can identify specific ethno-cultural and language communities at targeted service area.
