RCLLG December Newsletter

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Newsletter Content:

1. Annual Dinner & Program Recap

2. Year-in-Review & Strategic Plan Presentation

3. Dr. Irina Fursman Presentation Summary 

4. Previous RCLLG Monthly Programs

Annual Dinner & Program

Last Thursday evening, our Annual Dinner & Program was held at the Wakefield Park Community Building in Maplewood from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. The evening began with time for socializing and hors d-oeuvres, followed by a buffet dinner. RCLLG President Scott Arcand, Vice President Marylee Abrams, Treasurer Teresa Miller, and Past President Jan Jenson conducted a presentation of RCLLG's Year-In-Review and the 2023 strategic plan.

We were thrilled to feature Dr. Irina Fursman as our speaker for the evening. Irina is the Co-Founder and CEO of HueLife, HueLife standing for "Human Understanding and Engagement."

It was a beautiful, snowy evening full of food, conversation, and inspiration. Thank you to these sponsors for helping make the evening possible: HueLife, Karen Arcand's Child Care, Kraus-Anderson, and Costco.

RCLLG Year-in-Review

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION

At the beginning of 2022, the Executive Board set initiatives to drive better engagement and communication with our members. These initiatives were accomplished as demonstrated:

•Monthly e-Newsletters with organization and community updates (sent to 300+ members)

•40+ e-invitations and attendee engagement emails

•Monthly website updates including newsletter postings and links to info

•August social event with networking game

•60+ social media posts or reposts (Twitter)

•Personal outreach by Board President & Executive Committee

ORGANIZATIONAL ROLES & STRUCTURE

The Board also established initiatives to continue to redefine our organization’s structure and the roles that various individuals and member organizations play. Accomplishments included:

•Three new associate members added

•New board member orientation provided & website updated with member roles & benefits

•Strategic initiatives tracked and reported quarterly to Board of Directors

•Collective Action Committee is a Board committee with an Executive Committee member liaison

PROGRAMS & EDUCATION

We had several initiatives to help our members learn about important topics that relate to their work, as well as opportunities to learn from one another. Accomplishments included:

•10 monthly programs for members held

•4 monthly programs related to mental health

•Legislative update & priorities session held in January

•Other Topics:

workforce/economic development; public safety issues & responses; homelessness current issues & resources; veterans recognition & resources

•Over 288 members registered – 44% increase over 2021!

•State legislators invited to all programs – 19 legislators or assistants registered

COLLECTIVE ACTION

A collective advocacy letter was developed and sent on behalf of RCLLG members to legislators regarding both legislative priorities. The committee expanded to five members and four monthly programs developed/coordinated by the committee

•Primary Legislative Priority:

•Advocate for Housing Infrastructure Bond (HIB) money to expand the affordable housing stock in our communities.

•Secondary Legislative Priority:

•Request state funding for Ramsey County in support of the Voluntary Engagement law that was passed by the legislature in 2021.

Dr. Irina Fursman Presentation

Leadership in a Loosely-Coupled World

Irina began the presentation by sharing her story of growing up in Eastern Siberia and living in a communal home in harsh conditions during the time of the Soviet Union. As she grew older and reflected on her challenging experiences, she experienced healing, revelation, and the importance of critical thinking.

Irina was a first generation college graduate. After she met her husband, they traveled to America and settled in Maplewood. This is where Irina learned about local government. She reimagined how to transform communities.

Irina became a part of Global Synergy Group, non-profit organization formed in 2012 whose purpose is to support Ukraine. Irina helped develop YouLEAD, a 5 week program in which she and Global Synergy Group help youth individuals develop leadership skills. Irina explained how the program has inspired youth to take on leadership roles.

Global Synergy Group held a peace summit in 2014 in Ukraine, the goal to honor all voices. They sparked discussions, asking what kind of world people wanted to live in when the Russian/Ukraine war was over. The peace summit attendees discussed governing principles, including how government can be decentralized.

When the war was over, the team realized how difficult it was to lead in cross-sector collaborations. This led to the findings:

The key pillars to a loosely-coupled system in order to sustain itself include:

1) Purpose (Why)

2) Product (What)

3) Partnership (How)

Instead of top down layers, think of a Russian doll in which dolls fit inside of each other. Think layers in which the why, the who, and the what are independent of each other.

Why – the heart of the system. Your purpose.

How – the gut of the system. Held together through trust.

Who – the head of the system. Establishes rules and norms.

We have three brains – the brain in your head, the brain in your heart (largest electromagnetic field in the body), and the brain in your gut (processes information during sleep).

Following the presentation, Irina held time for discussion, allowing our members to apply what they learned.

Thank you, Irina, for sharing your story and efforts with us!

January: On January 21, we held a legislative update in which we heard from multiple State legislators. The members of RCLLG and the Minnesota State Representatives talked about a variety of issues, including mental health, housing, education, crime, climate change, and more. We heard what bills our legislators are creating and supporting, especially those regarding mental health.

February: On February 11, we heard from a panel of community service organizations who focus on food security. This meeting provided an opportunity for RCLLG members to learn how food is brought to those in need in our communities, and how we as local government entities can find some ways to provide support individually or collectively.

March: On March 11, we heard from Maplewood's Mental Health Outreach Team (MHOT) and Roseville's Community Action Team (CAT) on their challenges and benefits in embedding a social worker into their emergency response teams.

April: On April 8, RCLLG members attended "Mental Health: From Pandemic to Endemic" and heard from representatives from Ramsey County and NAMI Minnesota on we can learn to live with the pandemic’s effects and understand how the past two years has affected mental health in our communities.

May: On May 13, we learned about workforce trends in Ramsey County, and heard from Erin Olsen, Director of Strategic Research at RealTime Talent; Ling Becker, Director of Workforce Solutions at Ramsey County; Mike Hauswirth, St. Paul Chamber’s Education and Workforce Committee; and Jenny Moore, Career Pathways Coordinator for White Bear Lake Area Schools and White Bear Chamber of Commerce Member.

June: On June 10, we attended the “Ramsey County Public Safety Update” program, in which Ramsey County Attorney John Choi shared data from his office related to recent increases in violent crime and described how he and other county leaders have responded. He also discussed new sources of funding, relevant policies and initiatives, & legislative efforts.

July: No Meeting

August: Member Social

September: On September 9, a program on “A View of Mental Health in the Classroom," took place, in which three school-based social workers in Ramsey County shared what mental health challenges look like in the classroom at the K-12 level, including the current tools they use to address these challenges.

October: On October 14, we attended the program on “Responding to the Homelessness Crisis," in which Roseville and Maplewood public safety leaders shared philosophies, policies and resources that provide a humane and effective response to a homelessness crisis.

November: On November 11, we hosted a Veteran’s Day program in which our member veterans were recognized and honored. We heard presentations on veteran resources from Christina Rost, Ramsey County Veterans Service Officer Interim Director and Kurt Johnson, Metro Regional Director for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV).

Stay tuned for membership renewal information to come out in the New Year!