The City Engagement team partners with New Haven officials, non-profit organizations, and community organizers to support ongoing efforts and sustainable progressive change in the city of New Haven.

Over the course of the semester, City Engagement Fellows partners with New Haven community organizations, officials, and organizers on the forefront of progressive change to work for and learn more about the city of New Haven.

During Tuesday meetings, we hear from grassroots community leaders and activists, sign petitions, write testimony to the Connecticut General Assembly and Board of Alders for public hearings and meetings, and stay updated on the city’s current events and politics. In the end, City Engagement works collaboratively and in coalition with instrumental community organizations and individuals in New Haven to support ongoing community efforts.

If you have any questions about what we do on City Engagement or are interested in getting involved, please contact our City Engagement Coordinator, Alastair Rao, at alastair.rao@yale.edu.

Check Out Some Past Projects!

Source Development Hub

Fellows spent part of the semester learning from a wide variety of materials and texts on housing and eviction across the United States. Fellows then had the option to work on one of two action projects: Fair Housing Narratives and Landlord Narratives to understand the supply and demand mechanisms for fair housing across the state.

Sponsor: Billy Huang, Founder and CEO

New Haven Public School Advocates

Fellows livestreamed board of education and committee meetings (Finance and Operations, Teaching and Learning, & Governance) and took notes on major decisions to encourage accessibility and transparency of proceedings.

Sponsor: Sarah Miller, New Haven Public School Advocates

HAVEN’S HARVEST

Fellows worked with Haven’s Harvest, an organization in New Haven that promotes food justice in the city and the surrounding areas by redistributing excess food from grocery stores and other institutions to communities in need. Fellows volunteered at a Haven’s Harvest Banquet to celebrate the growth of their program and celebrate volunteer labor.

Sponsor: Lori Martin, Co-Founder and Executive Director

NEW HAVEN CLIMATE MOVEMENT

Fellows spent the semester conducting research on electrification throughout cities similar to New Haven. Fellows leveraged this research to propose plans for a sustainable future.

Sponsor: Chris Schweitzer, Program Director