Van Auken describes faith-based partnerships and community liaison work
Van Auken details the Office of Faith-Based Partnerships building relationships at over 120 faith events, interfaith tenant canvasses, and community liaisons supporting cultural events like the African Heritage Reception and staffing parades across all five boroughs.
Some of OME's teams include the Office of Faith-Based Partnerships, which fosters reciprocal relationships with New York's diverse faith communities.
Our team of faith liaisons have built relationships at over 120 faith-based events and meetings since OME's inception and facilitated the mayor's presence at nearly half of those events.
These range from visiting houses of worship with the mayor to interfaith and holiday events like the 38th annual Pagwa Parade, Passover at Gracie Mansion, and backpack distribution with the New York Disaster Interfaith Services.
To name just a few.
Faith-based partnerships supports roundtables that bring New York's faith communities into deeper engagement with city government.
We also hosted three interfaith tenant canvases, one of which was OME's highest attended canvas with nearly 50 attendees, forging a new model for faith-based civic engagement.
Our community liaisons bring a range of communities into the work of governance, develop meaningful heritage events that connect the mayorality to the cultural life of our city, and build civic leadership in under-engaged communities.
OME community liaisons have visited
community-based organizations in all five boroughs, supported the planning of cultural events at Gracie Mansion, like the African Heritage Reception and the Mid-Autumn Festival,
staffed parades from the West Indian Day Parade to the Mexican Independence Day Parade.
and attended community events on behalf of the mayor's office from the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival to the recent Battle of Jollof, which brings the West African community together over food, sport, and culture.