The Chinatown Coalition

Agenda Items

Outcomes/Action Items

I. Refreshments, Welcome, Introductions

II. Announcements

A. Emergency Preparedness Planning (EPP) Part 4, Beverly Wing

· Boston providing EPP for past 3 years

- RFP on January 26 due last Monday

o Application: choose 1 of 2 or both components:

- Initiate new collaboration

- Further education / outreach

- TCC applied for both – $20,000 maximum. Grant period ends June 30.

o Work more closely with Coalition members and integrate EPP into curriculum, on-going activities.

- Offer staff training

o Bring information out to another venue

- Relied on press to get message out

- Work with new constituency of youth, work with YES youth program, possible comic or video on YouTube or Facebook

o YES, AACA, Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center, BCNC on behalf of TCC

1. CHNA Mini-grants, RFP will be issued soon, due in March, Sherry Dong

· Sherry is the link team leader for TCC to mini-grants

- This year early issue one RFP as pooled funds

- Only 1 application from TCC, so interested groups should contact Sherry

- Due March (late)

- Contact Sherry Dong if your group is interested in CHNA mini-grants

III. Organizational Update, Phillips Brooks House Association. www.pbha.org

Kerry McGowan, PBHA’s Director of Programs

· PBHA is a student-run, staff-supported, non-profit

- Governed by student cabinet, officers elected every year

· About 70+ programs – all volunteer

- About 1,200 Harvard undergrads involved each year

- Only student-run homeless shelter in the country is at Harvard Square

- Prefers to run community-based programs

· Dual mission:

(1) Serve communities

(2) Train undergrads in non-profit management

· 12 staff supporting programs, don’t really handle operations

- Serve as links to communities and as institutional memory with student turnover

- Step in to address issues of liability, financial advisors, etc.

- Kerry is 1 of 4 program directors but they just advise, don’t “direct”

· Funding

- Budget is about $1.5 million annually. Raised by students, through grants, alumni, and some events.

· Talk about Chinatown programs (see handout)

- 6 programs which allow PBHA to serve Chinatown year-round

(1) Chinatown Afterschool Program

(2) Chinatown Big Sibling

(3) Chinatown Teen Program

(4) Chinatown Citizenship Program

(5) Chinatown ESL Program

(6) Chinatown Adventure (CHAD)

IV. Follow-up: Coalition Readiness Assessment, Nilushka Nethisinghe, Greater Boston Center for Healthy Communities

- October 9: Nilushka came to administer Coalition Assessment Tool

- Working with YES for a community prevention strategy and implementation

- 12 members filled out survey at regular meeting

- Go over strengths and area concerns

A. Coalition Structure

- Challenge: agreement in current org chart may be refined by not comprehended

- Unclear on decision-making process

B. Coalition Capacity

- Half of the members unsure if coalition actively engaged all members

- Unclear difference between paying and non-paying members

- Should engage more residents, business members

C. Community

- Agree

o All members agree TCC works actively in the community

o Use resources in TCC and community

o Did not intentionally collect data on substance abuse

- Disagree

o Half of the members felt substance abuse issue

o Majority members agree substance abuse control needs more work

D. TCC Readiness

- Members well-networked, understood community

- Participation in members

- Agree community is aware of TCC presence

- Nilushka provided document with more information

o Member direction

o Mission / vision

o History / accomplishments

o Engage members in strategic information

o Clear defined roles, dues

o Update decision process

o New and seasoned members more interaction

- Discussion

o Good that TCC invited David Moy to talk to new members re: background

o Make membership dues more clear

- Confusing. Good to have clear payment structure.

- Beverly: Historically there were 2 membership levels.

o Full membership, dues paying – must attend 4 meetings before

o Associate membership – non-voting

- We wanted TCC to stay welcoming / open, so didn’t make a big deal about dues.

- Next Steps

o Exec Committee come back with something, even if just materials as a starting point.

o Pursue funding sources for staff.

o Include next Executive meeting dates in future agendas.

- Exec Committee come back with something, pursue funding sources for staff