The NJTPA is recruiting community members to participate in its pilot Outreach Liaison Program, which launched last year. The deadline to apply is December 15.
Outreach liaisons serve as trusted advocates who help engage members of their communities in the NJTPA's projects and programs. Residents of the NJTPA's 13-county region are eligible to apply. Outreach liaisons work with the NJTPA to tailor the agency’s public outreach strategies to the specific needs of communities in the region.
The purpose of the Outreach Liaison Program is to increase diversity, inclusion and participation of underrepresented racial, ethnic, and cultural groups in the NJTPA’s transportation planning work. Potential activities could include attending community events on behalf of the NJTPA, distributing information about projects or public surveys, planning and hosting community conversations, or sharing information through social media and other online networks. Outreach liaisons have also provided translation services.
Outreach liaisons have helped engage the public in the creation of a regional Active Transportation Plan, which aims to establish a safe and functional regional network of pedestrian and bicycle facilities to better connect where people live to where they need to go
Ideal candidates are members of grassroots networks who are passionate about community involvement, particularly engaging traditionally underrepresented communities. Through this program, participants gain skills in networking, communication, event planning, meeting facilitation, and outreach and engagement techniques. More importantly, they provide the NJTPA with valuable insights for our projects and programs. Participants are paid a stipend for their time.
The NJTPA is developing the pilot Outreach Liaison Program with support from the Public Outreach and Engagement Team at the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. To learn more about the program or apply, visit njtpa.org/OutreachLiaisons.