\u201cFor too long,\u00a0city\u00a0government has only listened to the wealthy and well-connected while working New Yorkers\u00a0remain\u00a0further and further disconnected from those elected to serve them. The Office of Mass Engagement will fundamentally change this, creating a deeper connection between City Hall and community organizations, faith-based groups, and everyday New Yorkers looking to make their voices heard. Tascha Van Auken has been instrumental in creating the mass movement that delivered us to City Hall, and she will bring the same urgency, discipline, and principles to her work as Director of the Office of Mass Engagement,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Office of Mass Engagement will revolutionize how City government conducts community engagement.\u00a0City\u00a0government functions best when there is a direct line of communication between the\u00a0Mayor, his team and the people who built this city and keep it running. The Office will transform community engagement to ensure that it reaches New Yorkers where they are, organizes them, and builds long-term participation. It will also serve as a constant drumbeat within City government to ensure that New Yorkers\u2019 needs and perspectives are integrated into all elements of\u00a0New\u00a0York City government.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all too familiar with wanting to\u00a0participate\u00a0in City government and not knowing where to go.\u00a0On a daily basis, this limits the capacity of our government,\u201d said incoming\u00a0Commissioner Tascha Van Auken.\u00a0\u201cAt worst, when New Yorkers need support \u2014 when they are facing eviction, when they are denied unemployment, when they need to find care for a loved one \u2014 they do not know where to go. We will demystify government so all New Yorkers can be active participants and have the resources they need to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur current systems of governance do not work because power is concentrated at the top of government, and access is freely open to the powerful, but not to the vast majority of people. To achieve functioning transformative governance, we need practices of participatory democracy between the government and communities,\u00a0and for\u00a0collaborative strategizing between the government and movements. We look forward to working with the Office of Mass Engagement towards deep meaningful democracy,\u201d said\u00a0Fahd Ahmed, Executive Director at DRUM.<\/p>\n Van Auken is a veteran grassroots organizer who previously served as campaign manager for\u00a0State Senator Julia Salazar\u00a0and\u00a0Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, and as\u00a0Deputy Campaigns Director for the Working Families Party. On the Mamdani campaign, she led the\u00a0highest voter turnout in a New York City mayoral race since 1969, with more than\u00a02 million New Yorkers casting ballots\u00a0\u2014 nearly double the turnout of the\u00a0previous\u00a0mayoral election and approaching presidential-level participation across neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Earlier in her career, she served as Artistic Direction Manager for the Blue Man Group, bringing a creative, people-centered approach to large-scale public engagement.<\/p>\n The Office of Mass Engagement will:<\/p>\n Lead\u00a0mass engagement campaigns\u00a0that organize New Yorkers to\u00a0participate\u00a0in City decision-making;<\/p>\n Create and\u00a0maintain\u00a0accessible, inspiring channels and events\u00a0for residents to share feedback with government;<\/p>\n Proactively\u00a0reach communities\u00a0that have historically been excluded from policymaking;<\/p>\n Embed public feedback directly into\u00a0City policies, programs, and services\u00a0through strong, transparent feedback loops;<\/p>\n Support agencies in delivering high-quality engagement and more effective public services.<\/p>\n Under the Executive Order, the Office of Mass Engagement will oversee and coordinate the City\u2019s key engagement entities, including:<\/p>\n The Public Engagement Unit (PEU);<\/p>\n The Mayor\u2019s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships;<\/p>\n NYC Service.<\/p>\n The Executive Order takes effect\u00a0immediately.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
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