Embracing Community: Empowering Our Dialogue, Deepening Our Understanding
After Empowering Our Mission Through a Year of Learning, the City’s Embrace Naperville evolved into Embracing Community: Empowering Our Dialogue, Deepening Our Understanding. In 2024, the City presented a series of "Inclusive Community Conversations," in partnership with other community organizations that share the goal of engaging and building a community where everyone feels a sense of value and belonging. Building upon the work already accomplished, this series paved the way for deeper dialogue and understanding as we continue to advance the City’s mission of creating an inclusive community that values diversity and furthering the values of People, Respect, Trust, and Pride.
During our Embracing Community series, the City co-hosted a musical with North Central College in February 2024. In March 2024, we kicked off Women’s History Month with an empowering panel discussion moderated by longtime Naperville resident and community leader Nicki Anderson. Other 2024 community events included: a Human Library co-hosted with Naperville Public Library and Naper Pride in April, as well as speaking at Race Amity Day, Juneteenth, and The Civic Humanities Project Dinner at NCC, all in June. In conjunction with the Naperville Public Library, in July, we also launched a community-wide book read of Peter Block’s “Community: The Structure of Belonging.” The book read included a City employee version focused on building community inside the organization. Finally, we partnered with the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce to host its Immersive Event in October. Six dynamic speakers from organizations with a presence in Naperville discussed their strategies and successes in implementing inclusive employee initiatives.
Embracing Our Future
Learn more about how the City and its partners – including the next generation of leaders – have been sharing diversity, equity, and inclusion messages. All are invited and encouraged to share in these important efforts as they move forward.
Events
2025 Community Book Read
The year 2025 kicked off with a group of community members who volunteered to continue the journey of learning and discovery that began with the 2024 Book Read of Peter Block's book "Community: The Structure of Belonging."
The group met between January and March to discuss lessons from “How to Know a Person” by David Brooks. Another group met to discuss the book at a local church. Both groups were lively and had a goal for participants to get to know each other more authentically and deepen understanding of community-building skills and each person's unique gifts.
More Community Events to come in 2025
A group of community members has once again come together to help organize a community initiative that will take place in late 2025 into 2026. More details will be available as they unfold.