We are excited to congratulate our 2021 Food Systems Change Fellow, Antunesia Harris, on her new role as Community Engagement Coordinator at . MidTown Cleveland aims to create a connected, complete, and safe community. Through working with MidTown’s members, stakeholders, businesses and organizations, residents, and visitors, MidTown Cleveland utilizes these diverse assets to construct a dynamic neighborhood, unifying Cleveland’s downtown and innovation districts.
As Community Engagement Coordinator, Antunesia will be piloting and managing the Neighbor to Neighbor Campaign, which aims to close the digital divide and achieve housing security in Cleveland. This work is imperative given that almost 46% of Cleveland households lack internet access, especially at a time when many companies and schools rely on connectivity for successful work and education. To aid this community issue, Community Ambassadors will be utilizing a survey tool to engage with residents in Midtown, Asiatown, Hough, St. Clair, and Superior neighborhoods, listening to the thoughts and experiences of these residents related to internet access, housing, food, employment, and land use.
Antunesia is excited to be taking on a role that allows herself and “an outstanding team of Community Ambassadors to capture the lived experience of community residents.” She explains how the goal of the Neighbor To Neighbor Campaign is truly to “ensure residents are central to how programs are evaluated and designed.”
In 2021, Antunesia participated in the Food Systems Change Fellowship launched by the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health. The Fellowship aimed to provide support for local leaders to develop and validate their visions for community-driven food systems change.
Congratulations, Antunesia! We can't wait to see how you bring people together to support their neighborhoods!