Minneapolis residents are invited to mark their calendars for Neighborhood Day May 11. Neighborhood Day is an annual day set across the city to increase resident participation in local civic engagement through one of the city’s 70 recognized neighborhood organizations. On this annual day, neighborhood organizations host a neighborhood engagement activity and or board elections to increase resident participation in their neighborhood organizations.
Minneapolis residents can picture the neighborhood they want to live in and then help make that vision a reality by becoming involved in their neighborhood organizations. Residents can learn more about their neighborhood organization by attending a Neighborhood Day event. Examples of 2024 Neighborhood Day events include neighborhood meet and greets, garden tool swaps, plant giveaways, youth choir concerts, youth summits, pot lucks, happy hours, neighborhood/street cleanups and board elections.
Neighborhood voices are important for equity, but typically fewer than 1% of eligible people vote for neighborhood organization boards. Neighborhood boards are important local forces for change; they make investments and decisions about the community. Voting in board elections can help make sure the board members who are making these decisions and setting priorities for neighborhood organization activities represent voters on the most local level.
Neighbors are invited to find out how they can help make their neighborhood better – including neighbors who haven’t been involved before. This will help neighborhood organizations better represent their neighborhoods for more equitable, accessible services.
Look up your neighborhood organization to find updated listings and see if your neighborhood is holding an event or an election this year. People who don’t know which neighborhood they live in can look it up by address at cityoflakes.maps.arcgis.com/. Find info about neighborhoods at minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/neighborhoods/neighborhood-organizations.
And of course, read about your neighborhood every month in the neighborhood section of the Camden Community News.