About Us
Collaboration, Community, Hope
These are the words our members use to describe the Pierce County Community Engagement Task Force. We understand that collaboration is the new inclusion.
The only way to stay true to that goal is to cast a wider net to serve Pierce County’s individuals and families by focusing on cross-sector networking, evaluation, and the transferal of ideas. This will foster and enhance the trust of the community for long-term sustainable engagement. We have become the bridge, no longer the barrier.
Why
The Pierce County Community Engagement Task Force was formed in May 2019 by the Pierce County Workforce Development Council and WorkForce Central in recognition that workforce services were not truly welcoming and accessible to everyone in our community.
Who
Anyone who shares our commitment to recognizing and addressing disparities in services and outcomes can join the Task Force; we currently have nearly 150 members from multiple sectors throughout Pierce County.
Our Mission
We use an innovative community engagement framework to integrate services with a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to foster the economic mobility of Pierce County individuals and families.
The Pierce County Community Engagement Task Force stands with the community to tackle our toughest workforce challenges. We are proactively seeking people’s stories, building trust, and creating hope as we strive to redesign services and systems in which no one is pushed aside or left behind.
Leadership
This group supports the Task Force’s committees and plans overall strategic direction, systems alignment, and partnership opportunities.
Organizational Structures
This group works to empower Pierce County organizations in examining and improving their policies and practices to become more equitable and inclusive for all community members.
EXAMPLE: Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Welcome Packet is available to help organizations learn about racism and oppression, and we’re planning a DEI training series in 2021.
Outreach and Engagement
This group collaboratively promotes available services, especially to historically underserved communities. They also identify unmet needs and coordinate Task Force members’ outreach efforts to fill gaps.
EXAMPLE: Task Force members joined to unload trucks of supplies that helped more than 400 high need families in the Eastside and Hilltop communities.
People & Providers
This group focuses on building trusting relationships with diverse communities, facilitating resource navigation, and ensuring community voices are heard when services are developed and assessed.
EXAMPLE: We are creating a Speakers’ Bureau of people who have faced homelessness and other challenges; they will help organizations understand how to build and improve services that fully address their real needs and barriers.