Tempe Human Relations Commission Strategic Plan for 2006-2007

Mission Statement:  

To promote mutual understanding and respect among the many groups of people who live, work and visit our city. To eliminate conditions which enable prejudice and discrimination to exist, and to create an environment whereby people from different backgrounds feel welcome and at home in our community.

Core Values

The Commission upholds the following core values in its deliberations and actions:

  • Appreciation for and valuing of diversity.
  • Fairness, openness, equity, and tolerance.
  • Inclusiveness, full participation and respect.
  • Vigilance of the environment and climate for diversity.
  • Proactiveness and responsiveness.
  • Collaborative processes.

Guiding Principles

Based on our core values, the following are criteria that will guide our Commission’s initiatives and best practices:

  • Partner and collaborate when at all feasible
  • Listen attentively and have followed through (not necessarily resolution)
  • Focus on systemic implications which may underlie the situation being presented (i.e., cultural norms, institutionalized policies, protocols, practices)
  • Treat celebratory and critical diversity practices and initiatives in a strategic manner.
  • Be flexible in times of high need or crisis.

Overall Philosophy/Approach of Human Relations Commission

Cultivate a “can-do” mindset of self-empowerment which assumes that something can be done, even if it means that the only avenues of action are that the HRC can only constructively listen to and report out community member’s talk about situations of concern, the listening and reporting is important.
  • Try to keep our “eyes on the prize”, utilize all available opportunities to move on actionable items to move HRC mission and strategic plan.
  • Remain process-oriented.

  •  Build on and sustain progress through institutional change, not idiosyncratic gains.

HRC Sub-Committees  

Our mission will be fulfilled through the work of the following sub-committees:

 I.         Task Force on Commission Orientation (co-chairs (2):  Gail Paredes/Arlene Chin)
            Once orientation materials and activities are completed the Vice Chair of the HRC will
             be charged to maintain, monitor, and update commissioner orientation needs on a
            regular basis.

Activities and Initiatives (please refer to Strategic Plan Notes from 10/4/03 )

       1.         Develop formal orientation program

       2.       Define who we are to ourselves and incoming new members

       3.       Put together packet, materials, investigate criteria for HRC , change criteria to
           include  those who work in the City of Tempe , not just live in City

        4.      Pair up new commissioners to two current commissioners

        5.      Design and conduct exit interviews of commissioners

        6.      Develop protocols for ad hoc, standing subcommittees, or task forces

        7.      Provide laminated cards for each commissioner containing the mission, core values, guiding principles, and philosophy of approach to be distributed by staff at each monthly HRC meeting.

II.         Subcommittee for Development of Emerging Issues (chair):  Joel Navarro (members) Colleen Byron, Arlene Chin and Janis Webb

 Activities and Initiatives

1.   Develop protocols for working with Diversity Office and other city entities to identify and flag diversity related issues, programs, and decisions for advisory review by HRC in a timeline that allows for HRC input and advice.

2.   Evaluate and recommend time allocation within monthly meeting time to allow for subcommittee work, in-service for commissioners, and invited community guests who are part of HRC outreach activities.

3.   Review specific issues reported or brought to the HRC by the public. Make and report recommendations for further discussion and exploration to the HRC .

4.   Conduct ongoing scan of diversity issues in the Tempe area to develop programming that meets the criteria from the mission, core values, guiding principles, and philosophy of approach (not necessarily a full blown study).

5.   Develop outreach meetings, target invites to community organizations and leaders to meet with HRC to discuss issues of concern. 

6.   Identify regional, national, or global issues that may impact Tempe in the near future for
      proactive action by HRC . Examples: Immigration issues, inter-religious issues.  

III.       Subcommittee for Community Network and Outreach (chair):   Linda Ritland (members) Joe Mann, Zach Berning and Edwin Gonzalez-Santin

                  Activities and Initiatives

.                                1.    Establish and develop intra-city and inter-city working relationships with the following
      bodies to  familiarize them with HRC mission:

·        City Council

·        Mayor’s Office

·        Tempe residents

·        Tempe end-users (those who work, conduct business and leisure activities)

·        Other regional HRC ’s

·        Arizona State University

·        Other relevant organizations such as non-profits, for profits

2.                     2.       Develop case studies and protocols for working with all of the above entities and
                            partners to assist in outreach, education, programming and direct responsiveness
                            to queries and situations.                            

·        Explore possibilities with a community e-alert to standing subcommittee on responsiveness on diversity issues which reports directly to the Chair on an as needed basis.

3.      Develop interactive telephone assist lines, website, calendar

4.      Develop resource library of information on diversity related groups in local and 
   national.

5.      Develop talking points for commissioners for outreach

IV.   Subcommittee on Strategic Oversight (chair):    Gail Paredes-Ewen (members) Janis Webb, Colleen Byron, Joe Mann, Edwin Gonzalez-Santin, Safali Patel-Evan and Hassan Elsaad)

Activities and Initiatives

1.      Sustain Current Programming

i.   Sustain current events and programming

ii.   Evaluate promising practices in existing programming using criteria generated from, “mission, core values, guiding principles, and philosophy of approach.”

·      Tempe Talks

·        MLK awards

·        MLK valley event

                2.     Develop internal programming for commissioners to understand their own practices in
                         the HRC  that are consistent with mission, guiding principles, core values and 
                         philosophy.

V.   Subcommittee on Diversity Supplier (chair): Muhammed Zubair

Activities and Initiatives

1.      Partnership with the city to encourage diverse suppliers to do business with the city

i.   Outreach to communicate opportunities

ii.   Demystify the public procurement process

iii.   Assure that businesses have access to bids, specifications and plans both on site and off


 Revised May, 9 2006

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