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Editor, Caroline C. Pozycki
Thursday February 18th, 2010 Issue 28 |
What Tea Partyers, Princeton Students and Labor Organizers Have in Common.
In January, our chairman, Harry Pozycki, presented the Jersey Call to Service to the Morristown Tea Party, and was accompanied by Steve Balog, Citizens' Campaign board member, Dave Gruol, the Campaign's Morris County Co-Chair, and Ted Sienicki, longtime Citizens' Campaign volunteer. The presentation received a standing ovation from the audience, and produced requests for citizen leadership training, especially our classes in Political Party Service and Citizen Legislator Service.
In the same week, the Citizens' Campaign taught about Political Party Service and Citizen Legislator Service at Princeton University. Bill Stephens, one of our top ACE (Academy for Citizen Empowerment) teachers taught 130 Princeton students at the University's PACE Center, their Center for Civic Engagement. The students who were on semester break and were receiving no credit participated enthusiastically, and signed up to answer the Jersey Call.
Two days later, Lauren Skowronski, our State Campaign Director, also taught Citizen Legislator Service to a large contingent of organizers for Laborers International Union. Much like our partnership with Verizon, we will offer training to thousands of their members in our civic empowerment classes, so that they can apply for appointed positions on government boards and commissions, make constructive proposals to their towns and school boards and become leaders in local and county political parties. Whether your from the Tea Party, Princeton or a labor union, the Citizens' Campaign will give you the tools to be a constructive citizen leader. |
| Take the Class in Political Party Service |
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 If you want to make an impact on who gets endorsed to become candidates of your political party and what they stand for, you will want to learn about how to become a neighborhood party representative.
If you are interested in political party service, please take note that the filing deadline to run for a neighborhood committee seat is April 12 to get on the June primary ballot.
To learn how easy it is to win political party committee seats and the power these positions hold, take our online class in Political Party Service (click here to take the class). This will give you the A-Z's on running for a committee seat. You will have over a month to collect the few signatures needed (typical average is less than 10 signatures.) With the education, information and encouragement of the Citizens' Campaign, you can get involved! Read Alysia Welch-Chester's Success Story. Get Motivated! |
South Jersey Call to Service Summit Expanded
Spread the Word |
 The South Jersey Call to Service Summit has a new date Tuesday March 16th from 5-8pm and will be expanded to accommodate the overwhelming response we have received for the event. Sign up online now for the rescheduled summit.
What the Press is Saying:
- "We urge local residents upset about soaring property taxes and concerned about maintaining the quality of their communities to attend. There has never been a more critical time for this kind of effort." February 2, 2010, Press of Atlantic City
- "One of the most timely ideas is lowering the cost of local government. State aid to municipalities is dwindling as Trenton grapples with large deficits, which puts more pressure on local elected leaders to raise property taxes. The Citizens Campaign shows its volunteers how to present cost-cutting proposals to local governments. For example, eliminating benefits for part-time elected officials can save as much as $12,000 per person, lowering costs in even small towns by as much as $100,000." January 28, 2010, Philadelphia Inquirer
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Coach Recruitment Meeting a Success |
 Aneil Mohammed, Education Director for the Citizens' Campaign's Academy for Citizen Empowerment, organized a successful coach recruitment meeting this month. Citizens' Campaign "coaches" Peter Cammarano, former Chief of Staff to Governor Codey, and Haskell Berman, former Chief of Staff to Congressman Bob Franks, co-hosted the meeting, and recruited other governmentally experienced individuals to volunteer as coaches, to mentor citizens who answer the Jersey Call to Service. Coaches use their extensive political and governmental experience to provide citizens with insider knowledge of the workings of government and politics, so they can learn how to participate effectively. Personal coaching is a free benefit to those who answer the Call.
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New Feature! Insider Tips
Insider Tip #1 "Pursue the Specifics" |
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When you have made a constructive proposal to your town, school board or county government, a good tip is to "pursue the specifics." For example, if the Mayor or Council President compliments you on your proposal, "we like your idea and we are going to look into it," do not just be pleased with the compliment. Ask them to which committee or town official your proposal will be referred and when and at what public meeting can the public expect a response. |
| Tradition of Empowerment Continues in Perth Amboy |
 The Perth Amboy Call to Service is continuing the City's tradition of empowerment. Perth Amoy was the home of Thomas Mundy Peterson, the first African American to vote under the 15th Amendment. He participated in voting on important issues facing Perth Amboy. Now, the Perth Amboy Call to Service is giving residents power for positive change, beyond the ballot. Citizen empowerment trainings are taking place in the city, most recently with a group of high school students at the YMCA who took our class in Appointed Office Service. Also, city residents will be invited this spring to a class in Citizen Legislator Service, to learn about "ready for adoption" local government cost cutting proposals and to prepare them to be able to present them to the town council for adoption. The Citizens' Campaign's Jersey Call to Service seeks to empower citizens so that diversity can assert itself, and doesnt have to depend solely on regulation. |
Production Volunteers Needed
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Citizens' Campaign's online class offerings have been advancing, first offered as on demand powerpoint presentations, then upgraded to include audio narratives. Now we are upgrading again. With guidance from Citizens' Campaign volunteer Ted Mann, Digital Director of NJ Gannett, we learned about Livestream Procaster as a tool to combine a video & powerpoint presentation in our classes. This format is very engaging and will help deliver a learning experience like our very popular live presentations. Classes will still be offered for free, and site registration is no longer required.
 If you have video skills, a camera, and would like to volunteer to be on the production crew for the new e-learning classes, please contact Caroline at 732-548-9798 x 8 or email her at caroline@jointhecampaign.com. If you would like to volunteer to be trained as an ACE teacher, please contact Aneil Mohammed at 732-548-9798 x3 or aneil@jointhecampaign.com. The Academy for Citizen Empowerment, or ACE, is our educational arm, led by Michael Delli Carpini, Dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. |
Support the work of the Citizens' Campaign's Jersey Call to Service with a tax-deductible gift
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Take responsibility for the leadership of your community!
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