311 is now fully at Windsor residents’ fingertips
Congratulations Windsor311! It is now easier for Windsor residents to get in touch with its 311 services. The city unveiled a new smartphone app for its 311 reporting system this week.
Sourced through Scoop.it from blackburnnews.com
Why Do You Need a 311 Contact Center?
311 call centers ease 911 congestion, improve call management.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.govtech.com
Establishing a dedicated 311 contact center to serve as an "interaction hub" for citizens, businesses and other government customers is worthy of serious consideration.
Penn Treaty Closing Ceremony
For our final session of Philly311 YEP at Penn Treaty EducationWorks after school program, we had the Philadelphia Youth Commission hold a workshop for the students. The Executive Director of the Youth Commission Joy Soto, and the Program Coordinator Ricardo Calderon explained what they do, how the commission got started, and why it is important.
The Philadelphia Youth Commission is a platform for young Philadelphians to come meet with local leaders and express their opinions and concerns about issues that affect the youth in our city. The Youth Commission hosts meetings that are entirely youth lead. The youth commissioners set the agenda and run the meeting, the commission is only there to support them. They also work with their City Council Representative to make sure that their concerns, and the concerns of their peers, are being acknowledged and addressed. The Youth Commission is very important because it empowers youth to have an active role in their local government.
The Philadelphia Youth Commission is a tremendous partner to the Philly311 YEP program. They come to every session to help facilitate presentations throughout the five week program. They work with us consistently throughout the program to build meaningful relationships with our participants. These circumstances allow for the Commission to present a powerful “end of the season” closing workshop.
During their presentation, after they talk about the Commission and how the students can get involved with the Youth Commission, they revisit the topics that we learned about throughout the program. They reaffirm that this program is designed to help these students learn how to use their voice and make positive change in their neighborhoods; bringing all of the presentations themes together to support one common theme of youth empowerment and civic engagement.
To close this round of Philly311 YEP, the Youth Commission broke all the students up into three groups to do a mock-presentation to City Council about issues of their choosing.
Group one talked about the appearance of the community and how graffiti and trash bring down the quality of life and the community pride. The solution they offered was that instead of walking past the trash and going home, we pick up the trash on our block, and we report graffiti to 311.
Another group talked about how many young people face difficulties at home, with the health and well being that affect confidence and academic performance. They offered more programming outside of school as a solution: more programs like Philly311 YEP and EducationWorks after school programs.
The last group talked about violence and how it is really troubling to see young people caught up in violent crimes, and how there are too many guns on the streets and they do not feel safe. We did not get to solutions for this during their allotted presentation times, but in group discussion talked about how improved community/police relations, after school programming, and out-of-school time enrichment programs and activities could greatly reduce youth involvement in crime.
This session was very meaningful because the children got to see first-hand what it was like to present to others about their opinions and ideas. It was also really refreshing, because the children were not just identifying what was wrong with their communities, but also talking about solutions and ways we can fix the problems they see every day.
This program is designed to foster meaningful relationships with these students. By coming in and working with these students each week, we start to get to know them and what their goals are for community service. “How do you want to have an impact on your community?” is one of the first questions we ask them. “What do you want to learn about in this program?” we say. They tell us, and we adjust our programming to fit their needs. This is the definition of responsive government. We are working to be more available and to ensure that the information we are giving them and the resources we are connecting them with is both interesting and accessible for the students.
After five weeks, we again come to a close with this site, and just as it was over the summer at Harding Middle School, the closing session is bittersweet. We get feedback from the students and realize that many of them got something out of this program. We are looking into a continuation of our partnership at Penn Treaty with EducationWorks. Currently, we are planning a spring series with the same students, to help solidify some of the key concepts we have been talking about, while introducing new and more advanced topics. We want to continue building relationships and supporting our young people anyway that we can. YEP has been a wonderful success so far. With each site we continue to grow and adapt our program to meet the needs of our participants and we learn so much along the way.
Also, as part of the closing, the Youth Poet Laureate David Jones performed a beautiful piece about loving yourself that was entitled “Through the Fire” and will be available on the Philly311 Youth Engagement facebook page if you would like to watch it. He was very inspirational. I think having a student their age come talk about how he is participating in local government, and using his talent/passion to reach and teach others was very impressive for the YEP participants to experience.
We are forever grateful to all of the amazing presenters we had throughout this series: Mural Arts Program, PhillyRising Collaborative, Philadelphia Urban Creators, Philadelphia Youth Commission, Creative PHL for connecting us with the Youth Poet Laureate, and of course EducationWorks for being our host for a second time and such a fantastic and supportive partner throughout this process. Thank you all, from the entire Philly311 team, for your support and for all of your efforts to make a better way for our children.
Please check back for more updates. We have officially kicked-off our MLK Recreation Center series which will be our largest group yet! We cannot wait to see how this series comes together and how these kids respond and interact with our program. It is both exciting and incredibly gratifying to see the rate at which this program is growing and the communities eagerness to get involved in what we are trying to accomplish through this program. Keep up with us on social media for photos and live updates from the program.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the Philly311 YEP, please reach out to Gabriela.Raczka@phila.gov.
Philly Urban Creators Inspires our Youth, with Poetry, Food Awareness, and Civic Imagination
Last week’s presentation with the Philadelphia Urban Creators was a tremendous success. We started with a quick recap on the Philly Rising session, since many of the students missed that presentation. The children who were present for that session eagerly caught up their peers on the highlights of the Philly Rising workshop. I was impressed at how well they had retained the information from the week before. It appears they are really taking in the sessions, both actively listening and understanding the topics.
Philadelphia Urban Creators Co-Founder Jeaninne Kayembe came to talk to our students about food access but she opened up the conversation to the students and what was on their mind was broader than food access.
Jeaninne introduced herself and opened with a spoken word piece, the students were instantly intrigued but what they recognized as hip hop and you could see an almost tangible respect for Ms. Jeaninne as she closed her poem. The poem was about earth, women, and respecting each other. It was a very moving piece; you can see the video of Jeaninne’s poem on the Philly311YouthEngagement Facebook page.
After her poem, Jeneanine asked the students if they had ever heard of Whole Foods. What do they sell at whole foods? Where is it located? Who lives there? What is the closest place to your house that you can buy food? Do they sell organic food there? Why not?
One child answers her matter-of-factly, “Because that is not where the money is.” Why do I have to buy the bottom of the barrel? She asks. “Everyone deserves good food.” Another student adds.
“Exactly!” she says, and with that she introduced their urban farm, located at 11th and York. She explains that her and her friends started this garden when they were not much older than our YEP participants. She told the students that they mostly started Hoodstock because they were bored, and also because they wanted everyone to have access to good quality, affordable foods near their homes. She talked to the students about how they found the land for their garden extremely dirty, it had diapers and drug paraphernalia, etc. and they cleaned it up, built garden beds and grew food. She told the children that when they started the organization they had a budget of $0 and have now grossed more than $500,000, attracting the attention of celebrities and local officials alike. She showed pictures from their annual music festival Hoodstock (play on Woodstock, but in the “hood”) with Nick Cannon.
The most important lesson she taught this group was that if you are passionate about something and you set your mind to it, you can make an incredible difference in your community. She also told the children that if they wanted to build an urban garden in their community that they could contact her and she would help them organize it.
Then she gave everyone a piece of paper and instructed them to write down five things that they like about their neighborhood and five things they would change. Many of the students said they wanted to see less litter, less criminal activity, more plants (trees, flowers, fruits and vegitables, etc.) and a greater sense of community.
This process of identifying what you want to see in your neighborhood is civic imagination. First you imagine what it could be, and then you take it into your own hands and you make it happen. One young woman spoke up about how angry she was about the state of her neighborhood, and she was angry at the police who come to her neighborhood and shoot the young black men, but she was also mad at the young black men who are not acting right and taking responsibility for their own senseless acts of violence. It was chilling to hear this young person express these complex problems with such insight and clarity. It is easy to see that many of these young people will grow up to be great leaders and have a real impact on their community and beyond. I hope that this program will help give them the tools that they need to achieve their goals.
This week, we look forward to our closing session, facilitated by our fantastic and incredibly supportive partners, the Philadelphia Youth Commission. It will be sad to see this program end, but we are starting our series at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center next week. So even though we must close out our work with the Penn Treaty students, we will continue to expand this program and work with more young people to inspire, educate, and engage as many students as we can reach. As always, we thank all of our tremendous partners, for working with us on YEP and for all of the great work that they do every day to improve the lives of young Philadelphians all across the city.
Philly Rising Workshop Teaches Students to Shine at the Philly311 Youth Engagement Program
Philly Rising Youth Engagement Coordinator Alex Peay has a booming voice and immediately commands the room. Our session on Thursday, October 29th was smaller than other weeks due to an AVID awards ceremony that many of our participants were attending at the same time. But, the group we had was focused and very interested in the presentation and the activity that Alex had organized.
Alex opened by explaining what Philly Rising does and how it can help communities affect change. Then he began an ice breaker – the students had to line up in order of birth date without talking. This activity demonstrated how some people naturally want to lead the effort. He talked about leadership and how some students were inclined to take on a more active role trying to direct the group while others seemed to instinctively follow instructions.
After the ice breaker, Alex moved on to his presentation. He spoke to the children about self-branding and how even at their ages (11-18) people are already fitting them into an archetype. The way teachers deem you the class clown or neighbors know you to play music loudly at night for example. He explained that branding plays a significant role in the way that others view you, and what opportunities are available to you. We talked about celebrities, like Mike Vic, who had an extremely successful career until something completely unrelated to football, dog fighting, ruined his reputation and caused him to lose all of his contracts. He gave several other examples. He told the students that it is possible to change your brand, but it is important that you are consistent if you want people to know and respect your brand.
We also talked about the importance of networking. Alex defined networking for the students and he explained that everyone who comes through this program to talk to them can become part of their network. He then gave out his business cards and shared some of the nuances of networking, such as reaching out to people regularly to check in, not just when you need something. Alex used Michael Jordan as an example: “How many of you know who Michael Jordan is? Could you call him for a favor?” Alex asks. “Many people say, ‘It is not what you know, it’s who you know.’ I say, ‘It’s not who you know, but who knows you. Build your brand so people know you and think of you when opportunities arise.”
We closed the session with another exercise. The kids used pieces of paper as rocks and had to get everyone across the river (classroom floor) without touching the water/floor. It took several tries but in the end, the students realized that they had to plan ahead and work together to get everyone across the “river” and successfully complete the activity. It was really interesting to see them work through the process and assess through trial and error the best way to get across the river together.
It was really great to see how engaged the students were with Alex’s presentation. He caught their attention and talked about some important concepts in a way the youth could relate and understand.
The overall goal of the Philly311 Youth Engagement Program is to teach young people about local government and empower them to make a positive change in their community. By teaching them about leadership, branding, and networking we can empower them to take responsibility for themselves, and their neighborhood. Another major factor of our program is that we are humanizing government. Instead of government being some mysterious entity, we are showing students that government is run by people who are just like you. I think that by putting faces like Alex Peay and Joy Soto of the Youth Commission to City government we are really changing the way these students think about government. Hopefully, by meeting these different government employees and getting to know us, the students will be encouraged to work with local government and help make Philadelphia better for all of us.
Mural Arts Program and Philly311 Bring Civic Engagement and Art Together for a Powerful Session of YEP
Last week, the Philly311 Youth Engagement Program hosted an amazing presentation at the Education Works after school program at Penn Treaty, facilitated by the Mural Arts Program.
Teaching Artist Henry Lee came to the program and talked to the kids about recognizing and practicing their talents. Henry spoke about the Gift Showcase where artists with all different talents come together to collaborate and perform their talents. He explained that, for him, being a part of the Mural Arts Youth Program was life changing and he encouraged the students to consider joining the program.
After we all shared what we are passionate about and good at, we created a collage. Everyone drew a picture and then we ripped up the pictures and pasted them back together. Taking our individual artwork and then combining them to create something even greater than our own works of art.
The point of this arts and crafts project was to show that we can create something beautiful separately, but sometimes, by combining our skills, we can produce something bigger, better, and more beautiful than we imagined. The project was a lovely metaphor for community building and civic participation.
This session really got the kids attention. Everyone participated and seemed to really enjoy this presentation and art project. It was particularly special because we got to share our interests, get to know one another, and make something together.
We have arranged for presenters to speak on the topics the students expressed interest in during the first few sessions because we want to be responsive and relevant when working with these young people. Our goal is to engage the students in programs that foster civic participation and introduce the students to opportunities to be active and engaged in their government and their communities.
I love to see how this program continues to grow, evolve, take root with each session. Working with different partners and schools allows us to see how the program changes based on the context. So far, the program has been a great success and we cannot wait to see how this program will continue to develop as we host more sessions at this site and others.
As always, we must thank our terrific partners Education Works. We also want to say a special thank you to the Mural Arts Program, for all they do to make Philadelphia more beautiful every day and for presenting this tremendous session for YEP. We look forward to today’s presentation with the Philly Rising Collaborative on Thursday, October 29th.
Stay tuned for more updates. Like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter for more updates about the Philly311 Youth Engagement Program. If you would like to participate or have any questions about the program, contact Gabriela Raczka at Gabriela.raczka@phila.gov.
Philly311 Youth Engagement Program at Penn Treaty: challenges, lessons, and next steps
The Philly311 team, accompanied by the leaders of the Philadelphia Youth Commission, arrive at Penn Treaty School at 3:30 on Thursday, October 15th. The children have just gotten out of a full school day and are just getting settled into the afterschool program. We get to the classrooms where the Education Works afterschool program is held and the kids are participating in free time activities. Students have access to the four school computers in the back of one classroom, some are socializing, some have books or notebooks out, and the high school students are playing a heated game of Clue in the middle of another classroom.
We bring all the students together for our presentation. Everyone introduces themselves and we pass out our survey to determine what the students know about city government and what they want to get out of the program. Only one student had heard of Philly311 before today. I ask the group what they know about City government and in response we get blank stares.
Danny launches into his presentation. To open the conversation he plays a short video about his background and his role at Philly311. He explains that he is from this area and knows about being from a place that feels beat down and broken. He understands it can be hard to see a way out from that environment. He reminds the students they can be whatever they want to be in life and never to let anyone tell them differently.
After his introduction, Danny tells the students what kind of issues you can report through 311 – “quality of life” issues, and what “quality of life” means. We talk about how the government works for the citizens and it’s our responsibility to tell government what we need it to do. We explain that in this program, they will learn how to communicate with their government.
One interesting exchange happened when we mention that the City can remove graffiti. One student raises his hand and says, “I think graffiti is artistic and I like it.” Danny explains graffiti is often artistic and can be a nice addition to a community if it is done with permission. When the artist defaces someone else’s property it becomes a crime and hurts the community. We mention that the Mural Arts presentation next week will talk about this in more detail. The child seemed intrigued and allowed us to continue.
At this point, we have already covered a lot of information in only a half an hour. We talked about what City government does, why it is important to participate in local government, we explained what you can report, and Danny talked about how you report issues on the mobile application.
Next it was time to go outside and use the mobile app. We got the children out of their chairs and walking around the community. The students point out things they think the City should fix and send those requests from their smartphones to the appropriate city department with the click of a button.
Watching the children learn how they can communicate with their government to have a positive impact on their communities gives me a sense of satisfaction. I can see them learning and participating. We also talk along the way about the student’s neighborhoods. Penn Treaty School was a receiving school for many other schools that were shut down. A lot of the students are from North Philadelphia. While they actively participate in the walk-through, listen to our instructions and diligently report issues, I can tell that because this is not their community, they are only half-heartedly invested in this process.
Joseph Brand, site coordinator for the after school program, had told our program manager at a site visit earlier that week, “These kids aren’t from here.” He had said it several times during this meeting. He also spoke about how amazing it would be if we could tie it back to their community – where they live. Taking the values of this program back to the communities these kids live in would be extraordinarily powerful because it would resonate with them more and hopefully make them feel invested in the process and the purpose. Additionally, the neighborhood around Penn Treaty School had very few quality of life concerns. This area was clearly well cared for and the residents here presumably knew how to connect with their government if needed. The poorer communities that most of these students live in is where these services and resources are most needed.
The goal of this program is to provide a lesson in citizen responsibility and civic engagement, to teach them to use their voice in City government. But first you have to reach them. That is what this Youth Engagement Program is all about – connecting with and educating young people about local government and being involved in your community.
We closed the session by talking about the walkthrough. Many of them remember exactly what issues you can report. I was very impressed with how many City services the students were able to list from the walk through. We tell the students about some of the different groups that will come to present to them over the next few weeks. Then, we say our goodbyes and being to prepare for next week.
I think next week’s session with the Mural Arts Program will be able to address ideas about place, home, and a sense of community that will help the students understand how this program fits into their lives. Our goal is to achieve Joe Brand’s vision of bringing the substance of our program into the student’s neighborhoods. I am also looking forward to the students working on art projects that express how they feel about their communities, and how the children can help their communities. In the first session, we walked around this place (Penn Treaty School). In the second session, we want the students to tell us about the place they live and to imagine what these places could be with a little extra love and care.
City of Philadelphia Celebrates Customer Service Week in a Big Way
Customer Service Week was a tremendous success! The conversations that took place during these trainings were meaningful and lead to very important questions and reframing of our customer service mentality.
During our first session, City employees and I deconstructed the role of customer service in creating a welcoming, responsive, connected city. We discussed this topic in great detail. What makes a welcoming city? Who is our customer and why are they customers, why not citizens? We talked about how to treat customers like you value their investment in our communities, workforce, and local economy. Our customers are what drives our city and we want to show them we appreciate them.
Public service means committing to and working for the people. Because of the nature of public service, an immense customer base and often limited resources can lead to disgruntled customers and equally frustrated city workers. That is why these workshops were geared towards training and development of the every day heroes who work directly with customers on a daily basis. These City employees came out to discuss the importance of quality customer service because they believe in their calling.
You may have seen my recent post on our second session. To recap, Darryll Adams, General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia spoke to City employees about what it means to provide outstanding service. He talked about your attitude, appearance, and presentation all being a factor. He talked about choosing the right employees, with a customer-oriented mindset both on and off the job, and getting employees invested in the mission. Customer Service is directly connected to efficiency. In a cyclical way, when your employees are invested and believe in what they are doing they provide better services and the customer satisfaction rate increases dramatically.
Our thirds session, with Stacey Mosley of the Office of Innovation and Technology, covered open data. We went through what open data is, how we obtain and share it, and what practical uses it has in your department, particularly as it relates to customer service. Open data increases transparency. When residents, businesses, and visitors have more data, they are equipped to make better decisions. Open data can also reduce the amount of calls from customers looking for information that is public through open data and media can access information without a right to know request. All of these aspects of open data help make Philadelphia, more efficient and responsive to the needs of our customers.
In our final session, we talked about putting yourself in the shoes of your customer. We went through the process of defining your desired customer experience and did some brainstorming on what the customer experience model could be for the departments present at this session. Reading Terminal Market presented about their customer service model and how they developed it, and how it has helped them in creating a cohesive experience for all of their customers and vendors too. We closed by talking about what role social media can play in defining and enhancing the customer experience.
All of the Customer Service Week sessions were about training, brainstorming, and working together to provide the best interaction possible when customers work with their local government in Philadelphia. But this week was also about recognizing the great work of our very own every day heroes in Philadelphia. The customer service representatives on the front lines, helping people understand and navigate city government; these are the every day heroes. The City of Philadelphia celebrates all of the employees who directly impact the experience customers have with city government, these representatives are the first impression customers have of the City.
City services are directly related to quality of life concerns. Citizens and government need to work together to keep making this city cleaner, greener, and safer. That is what we are here to do, and we want to acknowledge and celebrate
the success we have had so far, as we continue to improve our service standards.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Customer Service Week! We are looking forward to doing it again next year!
National Customer Service Week: Day Two
A brief recap from yesterday’s great presentation from the General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, Darryll Adams:
There were a lot of takeaways from Adams’ presentation, but perhaps the most valuable element he brought was opening up the floor for questions and comments. For City workers, having an opportunity to ask a question to an expert outside of the public sector is incredibly valuable. Granted, not everything relates between the two, but the fundamental principles of customer service are universal. Adams pointed out that his employees—no matter if they are on or off the clock—are instilled with a customer-centered attitude. Even when we are not at work our friends, family, and neighbors know that we are city employees, therefore, our actions and attitude should reflect that in our day-to-day lives.
For many departments, customer service is not the highest priority, and that’s why workshops like Darryll’s are important; they are geared towards training and development of the every day heroes. These City employees came out to discuss the importance of quality customer service because they believe in their calling. Getting employees invested in your mission is directly connected to your efficiency. In a cyclical way, when your employees are invested and believe in what they are doing they provide better services and the customer satisfaction rate increases dramatically.
In the private sector, companies compete for customers. The choice of service provider helps keep companies working to improve their services. The customers of the City have their families here. People who choose to work for local government have decided to participate in the civic responsibilities of this city. That is an admirable commitment. Our motivations in the public sector are driven, not by competition, but by the desire to help build a better city for all of us. We want our customers to keep coming back to Philadelphia. As a place to live, start a new business, or to visit and enjoy.
National Customer Service Week: Day One
Today I asked a group of city workers, “why treat citizens like customers?” The answers were on the right track, but my question drove at a larger philosophy. I’ve spoken before about translating private sector practices to the public sector, but today it’s no longer a question about translating practices. Being customer facing, friendly, or centered is no longer a matter of adaptation but one that should be built into your company or organization’s vision. We treat citizens like customers because they are customers. Our citizens, often unknowing, are giving us feedback about their customer experience and shaping our interactions with them.
This is just one of the topics we touched on during my lecture today for national customer service week. As the week continues Philly311 will invite customer service experts to speak about best practices and how they are making their mark in customer service. Our communications unit has organized a series of workshops and lectures featuring Darryll Adams, General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, Stacey Mosley, Data Services Manager for the Office of Innovation and Technology, Layla El Tannir, Manager of Social Interactions, and Sarah Levitsky, Marketing & Special Events Manager, for Reading Terminal Market.
We look forward to hearing from all of the speaks.
Do you have any plans for customer service week? Share your plans with us!
Innovative Customer Service Leadership Strategies 