Town Hall Discussion

NAPERVILLE, IL September 25, 2015: Do you remember the good times when you happily shared your toys and played harmoniously on the playground? We enjoyed feeling heard, valued, respected and acknowledged with no prejudice and stereotyping. Sadly, as adults, we have forgotten the social skills lessons and developed incorrect or misunderstood dynamics of social relationships between individuals and groups which is driving isolated community based existence and hate crimes. How can we build communal bridges and develop necessary social awareness in order to eliminate prejudice?

Naperville Indian Community Outreach (ICO) is hosting its first town hall discussion part of an educational series
aimed at exploring and addressing pressing socio-economic issues faced by the Indian American community at
large in the city as well as other parts of the United States. This town hall discussion is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 2 at the Naperville municipal center, 400 S. Eagle St., to start the awareness-building process.
Indian Community Outreach’s primary mission is to embrace, preserve and promote the Cultural Heritage and
contributions of Indian American’s while educating them to get involved in Naperville’s growth. It is a non-
partisan organization that is community based and its purpose is to serve as a bridge between the Indian
American community and all other communities in the City of Naperville while making a conscious effort to be
all-inclusive.

This first event specifically focuses on raising social awareness about India, Indians, their family values and
heritage which when misunderstood or underappreciated, leads to misunderstanding, stereotyping and even
prejudice. The best way to overcome those misconceptions, organizers say, is with education. It is more to
educate and create awareness so we can avoid some of the undesired incidents that have been happening
across the state and the country.

Indian Community Outreach is planning to hold these outreach forums on quarterly basis. Upcoming forums
would cover career and workforce development, leadership, civic responsibility, education, health and other
social problems.