NEWBURYPORT — City employees will soon be participating in professional learning sessions to help build needed skills to better serve and collaborate with all members of the community, according to officials.
The effort is part of a new, multi-year strategic plan to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) efforts in every aspect of municipal work.
“Together, we can create a city that truly reflects the strength and diversity of its people,” Mayor Sean Reardon said, in a statement.
Partnering with the Boston Young Women’s Christian Association, the city wants to advance its commitment to creating a more welcoming community. The Boston-based nonprofit organization assists individuals as well as organizations in creating a more-inclusive environment where women, people of color (and especially women of color) can succeed by transforming policies, practices, behaviors and attitudes.
Over the past two years, DEI Coordinator and Associate Director of Services and Supports Tina Los has been leading the city’s DEI initiative by hosting employee learning sessions as a lead-up, to the new strategic plan.
All municipal employees, other than those employed in the school district (which has its own DEI initiative), will be a part of the new program’s roll out.
The city, Los added, has been working on the programming since fall and hopes to have it hammered out by summer.
The city will also improve its inclusivity by making sure staff have the necessary skills to equitably serve all members of the community, as well as reflect the demographics of the Newburyport. Tools that help employees communicate in languages other than English would also be developed. At the same time, staff will be empowered to integrate DEI principals in everyday work.
Los said dedicated staff members have already volunteered to lead these projects internally.
Having a cross-departmental team leading the work, she added, will be invaluable.
“The diversity of perspectives and personal experience increases our group’s creativity and flexibility when problem solving and ensures we’re creating programs that will resonate with both city staff and community members,” Los said in the press release. “These benefits mirror the advantages a more diverse workforce and community would bring.”
New DEI efforts will ultimately lead to the creation of a new staff position geared towards increasing accessibility for residents as well as visitors who don’t speak English as their primary language. Los said the new job would not be funded in the current fiscal year but added to a future city budget.
“The hope is that we could hire a full-time role,” Los said. “But until that role is filled, we’re working with our internal team.”
The city’s DEI programming is paid for, annually, through a $50,000 line item in the mayor’s office portion of the operating budget.
Reardon said he intends to continue to work within that budget as the new strategic plan rolls out.
“I see this as department heads working together to drive this professional development,” Reardon said. “This really is about the experience of the resident who’s working with the city. Whether that is working with someone of a different color or who has challenges with their vision or hearing, how are they accessing city departments and services on a regular basis?”
Diversity, equity and inclusion are not simply ideals, according to Reardon, who added they are essential to building a stronger, more vibrant community.
“At the city level, these efforts ensure that every voice is heard, every perspective valued, and every resident has access to opportunities to thrive,” he said. “Cross-departmental professional development plays a crucial role in this work, fostering collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to serving all members of our community with fairness and compassion.”
In the coming months, the city will reach out to new and existing partners, including the Human Rights Commission as well as the DEI Alliance to identify opportunities for partnership and joint initiatives.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.