IV.10. Authorize Staff to enter into an agreement with Civic Bridgers to host an AmeriCorps Vista Member; Imihy
CITY OF HOPKINS
City Council Report 2025-069
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: Laila Imihy, AICP – Special Projects and Initiatives Manager
Date: April 15, 2025
Subject: Agreement to Host Civic Bridgers Fellow
_____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDED ACTION
MOTION TO Authorize Staff to enter into an agreement with Civic Bridgers to host an
AmeriCorps Vista Member.
OVERVIEW
The Civic Bridgers Fellowship immerses emerging professionals in a year of bridge-
building service at a nonprofit or public agency. Every assignment is different, but one
thing holds true: Fellows model, apply, and transfer bridging skills in service of their
communities.
The City of Hopkins has been accepted to host a Civic Bridgers Fellow, a division of
AmeriCorps VISTA, starting August 2025. The position will assist staff on a variety of
capacity building projects, including supporting curriculum development for the ACE
Program, improving city-wide community engagement, and building more connections to
our diverse communities here in Hopkins. The Fellow will join the City’s administration
department, working 30-40 hours per week.
The total cost to host a Fellow is $24,000 which will be paid out of the City’s 2025 Equity
Fund budget.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
• Civic Bridgers Fellow Position Description
Administration
VISTA ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT FELLOW
To review Civic Bridgers Fellowship qualifications and program information, seeCivic Bridgers
Fellowship: Host Overview 2025-2026.docx
To see exemplar VADs, See
2025 Civic Bridgers Assignment Description_Program Engagement Coordinator Exemplar
2025 Civic Bridgers Assignment Description_Enrichment Programming Developer
2025 Civic Bridgers Assignment Description_Volunteer Engagement Specialist
2025 Civic Bridgers Assignment Description_Program Development Fellow_Exemplar
General Details
Complete all fields in the right-hand column; some information has been completed for you
ORGANIZATION NAME City of Hopkins
ORGANIZATION ADDRESS 1010 1st Street S. Hopkins MN 55343
FELLOW JOB TITLE Program Development and Engagement Fellow
DEPARTMENT Administration
SUPERVISOR NAME & TITLE Laila Imihy, AICP - Special Projects and Initiatives Manager
SUPERVISOR EMAIL ADDRESS limihy@hopkinsmn.com
SUPERVISOR PHONE 612-245-1599
FIRST DAY OF SERVICE Monday, August 10, 2025 (Orientation with Civic Bridgers)
FIRST DAY OF WORK AT ORG Monday, August 18, 2025
LAST DAY OF SERVICE Sunday, August 9, 2026
HOURS OF SERVICE (WEEKLY) 35-40
LOCATION OF SERVICE 20% Remote, 80% In Person
Host Site Organization Description
What is the mission of your organization or agency?
Max 100 words.
The City of Hopkins is a local unit of government located in western Hennepin County, Minnesota
with a population of 19,079 residents. The City’s mission is Inspire, Educate, Involve, Communicate
and our vision is Creating a spirit of community where… All people feel safe and respected, and
diversity is celebrated, Business growth is supported, and a vibrant downtown is maintained and
People enjoy exceptional government services, neighborhoods and outstanding schools.
Summary of Assignment Goal
What do you hope for your Fellow to accomplish? This summary must make a direct connection to
how the assignment alleviates the causes or symptoms of poverty. The assignment must also
emphasize capacity-building work; Americorps VISTAs may not perform direct service as a main
function of their role.
Max 100 words.
The Program and Engagement Fellow at the City of Hopkins will increase the City’s capacity to
more effectively connect and engage with residents, building bridges with residents and
community partners so that the City can more effectively understand and address community
needs. Working between helping develop a comprehensive community engagement strategy for
the organization, to working to strengthen the curriculum of the ACE Program, this position will
improve organizational capacity to reach, serve, and honor all community members, this role will
advance equitable access to resources and support, ultimately alleviating poverty's symptoms and
addressing its underlying causes.
Objective 1: Develop and help launch the City’s new commission or task force on
engagement and belonging
● Conduct research on successful engagement and belonging commissions in other cities and
identify best practices for inclusive community participation.
● Coordinate and host community events, workshops, and listening sessions to gather
community input on the commission’s structure and priorities.
● Assist in drafting the mission, goals, bylaws and structure of the commission
● Create outreach materials , develop and implement a recruitment strategy to ensure diverse
representation on the commission
● Develop training and orientation for new commission members.
Objective 2: Strengthen Community Engagement and Partnership Efforts
● Conduct research on effective community engagement frameworks from other cities and
organizations.
● Identify best practices for equitable and inclusive engagement strategies.
● Analyze existing community engagement efforts within the city to assess gaps and
opportunities.
● Facilitate engagement with city leaders, staff and residents to understand current
engagement needs and priorities.
● Design a structured framework outlining roles, responsibilities, and processes for community
engagement. Including guidelines, policies, and procedures to standardize engagement
efforts.
● Create strategies for ensuring inclusive participation from diverse communities.
● Develop training materials and toolkits for city staff on community engagement best
practices.
Objective 3: Develop and strengthen ACE Program Curriculum
● Review existing ACE Program training materials and identify gaps or areas for enhancement.
● Research workforce development and career readiness curriculum tailored to youth aged 16-
24.
● Review and update current training curriculum for participants and supervisors to ensure the
curriculum is accessible to participants with different levels of experience and education and
aligned with teaching skills for jobs in high-growth, high-demand industries.
● Create 1-2 additional ACEentials programs that can be offered during the school year to teach
job skills and recruit students for the program.
● Design interactive workshops, case studies, and real-world problem-solving exercises to be
used with interns during summer professional development programming.
● Create a repository of resources, including reading materials, videos, and discussion guides,
for interns to access during downtime.
● Develop a system for tracking participant progress and curriculum impact over time.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess the following skills or qualifications:
● Strategic Planning:: Ability to analyze complex information, identify patterns, and understand
the implications of different strategies.
● Strong Communication: Ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse
backgrounds
● Relationship-Building and Networking: Experience or interest in building and maintaining
partnerships with community organizations, local businesses, and key stakeholders.
● Problem-Solving: Able to identify problems, develop solutions, and implement them
effectively.
● Proficiency in Common Software Applications: Familiarity with Google Workspace tools
such as docs and sheets.