Provo will be hosting its first Spanish-language town hall, titled “Tu Voz Importa” or “Your Voice Matters.”

The town hall will be held at the Provo Recreation Center at 7 p.m. Thursday with Mayor Michelle Kaufusi and Provo City Council members there to answer questions and with free food, activities and musical performances being provided.

Various community organizations will be in attendance, such as Centro Hispano, The Refuge Utah and Early Learning Essentials, with food being donated by Se Llama Peru, a local Peruvian restaurant in Provo.

Jackie Larson, CEO of Centro Hispano, said Provo has seen an “influx” of immigrants, and providing a space for Hispanic and Latino community members to meet and interact with the city’s elected officials is “super needed right now.”

“We really want them to feel safe here and be able to interact with the government and, you know, express their needs and concerns without feeling threatened,” she said. “Our public city government has been awesome in that way that they’re approachable and they really want to involve the Hispanic and Latino community.”

The town hall’s agenda includes a presentation on the city government structure and resources, including financial assistance programs, a Q&A between attendees and the City Council, and Kaufusi sharing her personal story. There also will be performances by Mariachi Maximiliano y Victoria and The Rooftops.

According to the most recent U.S. census data, 17.5% of Provo’s population is Hispanic or Latino and 26% of families speak a language other than English in their homes.

Provo City Councilman George Handley said he’s been looking for ways to better engage Provo’s Spanish-speaking community and he pitched the town hall idea to Kaufusi.

“We know that, for some, there’s a language barrier that would make it harder for them or less likely for them to participate or feel that they have a government that’s responsive to their needs,” he said, adding that the town hall is part of a larger overall effort to engage Provo citizens.

Handley, who is the only Spanish speaker on the council, said the city has been working on improving its services for non-English speakers, such as doing some social media posts in Spanish.

“The last thing we want is for somebody to feel like, ‘I can’t go to the city because they won’t, you know, have anyone who speaks my language or they won’t be able to help me,'” he said.

Larson said she hopes the town hall will allow Hispanic and Latino residents to get involved and feel like their voices and opinions matter.

“I really hope that they can feel involved in what’s going on in the community and feel like their opinion matters and just understand that, you know, they are an important part of our community makeup and that people do want to hear from them and they are safe here in our Provo City area,” she said.

Handley said he hopes the town hall will be a success and will become a recurring event in Provo.

The event is open to all Provo residents, with English translation being provided. Residents can register to attend at www.provo.org/government/city-council.

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