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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Moving from Exclusion to Belonging 251 Even in places where there are no obvious barriers to participation, immigrants may feel uncomfortable engaging in a process they do not understand or one that is unfamiliar. One service provider explained, “in regards to political meetings: the word ‘political’ is already intimidating to most. It means ‘authority.’ They stay away because they may not know how to participate and they would be afraid to participate. They also don’t think that these meetings are intended for them.”1235 Another activist attributed some of the confusion to the informality of the political system in her city: “They have a perception of certain things that aren’t true, that things aren’t accessible. If you want to talk to the mayor, you just walk in and talk to him, but they feel they can’t. I think people bring preconceived notions of how things are done from their own cultures and they don’t know how things are done here…I tell people they can just go talk to people in government, and people find it a very strange notion, because that’s not the way things were done at home.”1236 Some groups have tried to address that discomfort with deliberate steps to bring immigrants into contact with the political process so that they understand the system and are able to meaningfully participate. Minneapolis created a Latino Taskforce and provided support through the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department so that it could engage with the government. One city employee explained, “We’ve started to connect Taskforce members with the city government so they can understand its structure. … My goal is to create a pipeline through the Latino Taskforce, have them learn about the city so they are better equipped [to serve on commissions and boards]. Other taskforces [for under-represented groups] will be modeled on the Latino Taskforce.”1237 Non-governmental organizations can play a similar role. One union described how they help members become advocates: “We try to teach them to get involved in the city council, bring them to meetings. It is an educational process. …It is extremely inspiring to see the progress. Members started getting used to what they were doing, making phone calls.”1238 A community service organization is using a similar process to try to cultivate more diverse leadership in their community: “There’s a broad community effort toward more integrated leadership, including boards. We have done leadership training to help both groups better understand. … We bring together established leaders with emerging leaders, especially immigrants and refugees, in informal settings with free-flowing conversation.”1239 1235 Interview 133. 1236 Interview 93. 1237 Interview 128. 1238 Interview 118. 1239 Interview 64.