Cranston residents had the opportunity to come and have their voices heard earlier this week as the One Cranston partnership hosted a citywide "Speak Out" on Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hugh B. Bain Middle School. The One Cranston partnership is a committee working towards the Working Cities Challenge, a grant that several cities in Rhode Island are in the process of competing for. Cranston's One Cranston partnership is one of seven R.I. cities, which has achieved the Design Grant level that ranges from $15,000 to $20,000. It is working towards the Implementation level, which could range from $300,000 to $500,000.

According to the committee, "The One Cranston partnership is working to identify strategies that increase 'social cohesion' in the city. A socially cohesive community is one where residents work to improve the well being of all community members, create a sense of belonging, and promote upward mobility for all residents. The One Cranston partnership plans to work with residents to increase civic engagement and increase education and employment opportunities over the next decade, particularly among the City's growing low income and minority communities. Partners are also interested in advancing strategies that increase understanding of and promote the city's many community assets and cultural traditions."

The event was set up as a series of stations that residents could visit to provide their feedback about the topic being discussed at that station.

At the “Social and Civic Engagement” station, guests were given three colored stickers and asked to consider some of the issues and their possible solutions presented on a chart, and weigh in on which solutions they thought their neighborhood might be interested in participating in, such as a neighborhood clean-up, for example.

When visiting the Connecting to Jobs station, guests were asked to talk about how they find out about job opportunities and to discuss the most difficult barriers they find in securing employment.

Stopping by the Faces and Places map station, participants were given stickers to place on a large city map. They were asked to indicate by color where they lived, where they felt safe, what their favorite spot in the city was and where they felt the lowest level of safety. In addition, the Faces and Places station included a DVD slideshow that showcased some of the 81,000 Cranston residents in a variety of locations and activities. Guests were also asked to share their cultural heritage at this station and talk about some of the ways in which they celebrate their background locally through traditions and experiences.

At the Youth Opportunity station, participants were asked about the types of youth activities their children were involved in and how they found out about them, as well as barriers for participation, and any suggestions for better ways to share information about these types of activities. Stickers were given so that guests could indicate their top three ways they'd like to be informed about youth opportunities.

During the event, residents, partnership committee members, school committee and city council members and Mayor Allan Fung circulated through the stations and talked together about some of the topics and issues and their possible solutions.

"If we are successful in getting this grant, we would be awarded approximately $300,000 over the next 10 years," said Ayana Crichton, One Cranston partnership committee member and Afterschool Alliance representative who runs the city's extended day programs. "Hopefully, this will be one of many Speak Outs to make sure that we are staying on track with the things we want to be better and with bringing our community together. We want to do a better job of making sure that anyone who wants any kind of resources or programming has the ability to find them, get them and knows what is available and has what they need. We have 81,000 residents and we are trying to unite them as one community."

Crichton stated that communities who have successfully been able to create social cohesion have found there to be more opportunities for jobs and for youth, better infrastructure and less violence.

"It's about celebrating all our assets and all of our areas of our city, and trying to create a vibe of diversity, of feeling welcome," she said.

New residents Elizabeth and Kevin Costello recently purchased a home in Edgewood and have had a wonderful experience in Cranston so far. They cited positive attributes to the area such as its central location to the city, to the beaches, and the wide variety of things to do such as shopping and other activities. They came to the event to share their city pride and to find new ways to be involved in their community.

"I love where we live. It's a nice neighborhood, there is a lot of life there, people are out all the time," Elizabeth said. "I really feel Cranston is a hidden gem, and I am always telling people who are looking for a house to consider moving to Cranston."

"We live five minutes from the park, we have a family membership and we're there with our daughter often," said Kevin. "It's nice to live in a place where kids are playing outside all the time and it's a very multicultural area."

Annette Bourne, a Cranston resident serving on the committee feels that their application for the next grant level is strong.

"At the Rhode Island Foundation, they told us that our application really gets to the heart of what the Working Cities Challenge is all about," Bourne said. "We have a growing, diverse city and we are coming up with solutions for making sure that it stays successful for everyone.

Those who could not make the event can still provide their feedback by completing a short survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/OneCranston.