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Earlier this year, the Cambridge Community Engagement Teams (CETs) celebrated two decades of service to the Cambridge community. What began as an initiative to support low-income families around early literacy has expanded to two teams based at the City’s Department of Human Services (CET@DHSP) and Community Development Department (CET@CDD).
The CETs include Outreach Workers from Arabic, Amharic, Bangla, Haitian Creole, and Spanish-speaking communities, in addition to Outreach Workers from the American-born Black community and - as of this fall - an Outreach Worker for youth. Outreach Workers engage Cambridge community members who are unheard, underserved, or historically excluded to help them access programs, services, and planning processes.
This pioneering model of inclusive community engagement started with a small team based at the Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) in 2006. “We knew we needed to develop strong community leaders—people who already understood the nuances, strengths, and challenges within their communities,” explains Michelle Godfrey, Division Director for Community Engagement and Family Support and a member of the sub-committee that created CET.
This vision led to the creation of the first three Outreach Worker roles, which focused on engaging underserved Cambridge families. Following a successful pilot, CET became a permanent, City-funded team in 2008. This success also began a longstanding and deep partnership with Cambridge Public Schools.
“CET has been a guiding force in my life,” says Carrine Bury, who has been a Haitian Creole Outreach Worker for 18 years. “When I was new to the community, CET helped me find my way. Now, I come to work every day knowing that each day is a chance to learn, grow, and help someone take the next step to a better life.”
“Outreach workers are experts at connecting with their communities. Their work is built on deep knowledge and relationships. “We’re the people who help community members connect to spaces, resources, and opportunities they may not have known existed,” says Lindsay Diaz, Community Engagement Manager at DHSP.
As awareness about CET’s impact spread, staff across City departments reached out to collaborate with Outreach Workers to promote programs, services, and initiatives. They also sought CET’s guidance in developing inclusive engagement processes.
“When we launched the Envision Cambridge strategic plan, we needed to ensure that our plan would not serve the privileged few,” says Melissa Peters, Assistant City Manager for Community Development. “Partnering with CET amplified the voices of the people who are most impacted by our policies and programs - and who are often not the voices heard at City Hall. CET Outreach Workers were critical in creating a roadmap for the future of Cambridge that reflects our community’s values.”
During the Envision Cambridge planning process, CET connected with hundreds of community members from underheard populations. This strengthened the citywide plan’s priorities and recommendations – and underscored the importance of embedding CET into all planning initiatives.
As a result, CDD implemented its own Community Engagement Team (CET@CDD) in 2022, focused on supporting planning processes and increasing access to resources. By collaborating with project managers during engagement planning and doing outreach to the community, the CET@CDD helps community members get access to resources they need today and participate in planning processes that will better the future of Cambridge. This work complements the outreach efforts of CET@DHSP, which focuses on directly supporting Cambridge families and helping them understand and access community resources and supports.
From informing the City’s strategic plan, to sharing crucial information during the COVID-19 pandemic, to helping families apply to the Cambridge Preschool Program, CET Outreach Workers have supported the City’s most important community outreach initiatives.
“CET is a resource mecca for school, housing, and other resources,” says Abebe Kelemework, an Amharic-speaking Outreach Worker. “CET has especially helped connect residents to housing and eviction [prevention] resources at the city.”
In addition to direct outreach with community members, the CETs provide feedback and technical support to staff, agencies, and programs serving the Cambridge community. Outreach Workers review engagement plans, provide feedback on translations, and give recommendations for increasing accessibility. The CETs also host four Learning in Community Events per year to bring providers from across Cambridge together and facilitate Making Connections, an annual training for staff and local providers that focuses on culturally responsive community outreach.
“CET has always transformed to meet the needs of the moment, and there are many more ways we will rise to meet the needs of our community. Against broader forces of inequity and exclusion, we focus on deep partnerships and the knowledge that our efforts are stronger together,” says Marlees West Owayda, Community Engagement Manager at CDD. “CET is a bridge; a two-way street between the City and the community. The bridge is always open.”
CET at the Department of Human Service Programs (CET@DHSP) directly supports families to understand and access community resources and supports for basic needs. If you would like to refer a family to CET@DHSP, please email Lindsay Diaz at ldiaz@cambridgema.gov.
CET at the Community Development Department (CET@CDD) supports community members to access resources, services and planning processes related to the work of CDD. If you would like to refer a community member to CET@CDD, please email Marlees Owayda at mowayda@cambridgema.gov.
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