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A new video project, highlighting the many cultures that make up Ocoee’s community, was green lit Tuesday by the city commission, which voted unanimously to approve it.
Called Discover Ocoee, the project will be a one-minute video, featuring a broad cross-section of city residents and business owners saying “Hello” and “Welcome to Ocoee” in their native languages. The video, to be produced by the city’s Human Relations Diversity Board, is meant to spotlight the numerous cultures that co-exist within the city, as Kellie Beck, chair of the Human Relations Diversity Board (HRDB), explained in her presentation to the commission.
Discover Ocoee is expected to be released in early 2026 and will be featured on the city’s website and social media pages as well as for special events.
Residents are encouraged to submit five- to 10-second videos of themselves via Google form, which will become available in November. The videos will then be edited together, “creating this digital asset reflecting the amazing diversity of cultures we have that have chosen this city as their home from all around the world,” Beck said.
Ocoee is a diverse community in many ways, Beck told VoxPopuli in an interview after the meeting. She pointed to the city’s intergenerational population; its mix of residents of varying socioeconomic status; the multitude of languages spoken; the different races and ethnicities. She said HRDB has also strived to communicate just how “broad the definition of diversity is” — it's not just about race or gender — by featuring speakers at meetings who have talked about U.S. Military veterans being a protected class and how business owners can facilitate access for those with disabilities, which are two aspects of diversity and inclusion that don’t get much attention.
The Discover Ocoee project, she said, is a way to cap off a year spent educating the community and promoting understanding. With the commission’s enthusiastic go-ahead, Beck said that video submissions will be accepted, once the Google form is active, throughout the fall.
“This project only works by having the voice of the community literally driving it,” Beck said. “We can't do it without community members that are wanting to lend their voice and video and invite people and welcome them to our city and show them that everybody is wanted and welcome here.”
She added that the “beauty” of the project is that it’s not something just being done by board members or city employees. Everyone, she emphasized, is invited to say “Hello” and “Welcome to Ocoee."
