A Youth City Council?
"America's infrastructure is broken" and I am not talking about roads, bridges, storm water systems and the things most associated with infrastructure. I am talking about our democratic system which is the foundation of our free society and government. I am also not talking about the political parties. I am talking about civic engagement. According to a thesaurus "democratic," is outlined as self-governing, self-ruled, autonomous, independent and representative. I am talking about the people and our seeming inability to do our part by staying informed, sharing our thoughts with our elected officials, participate in local planning initiatives, serving on local boards and commissions, running for elected positions and voting. There are many explanations for this, but rather than taking about what is wrong, I would like to share what I am hoping to do to help address the challenge. For the past several years, I have been "googling" civic engagement and, in doing so, found that many college campuses and civic groups are creating programs to engender the notion of citizen participation. Some have formal courses in civic engagement, while others create "experiential learning opportunities." I want to start with younger people, specifically middle schoolers. When I attend schools, which I do as often as I am invited, I am surprised at how many students know that I am the Mayor. I am also surprised they do not know what I do, who I work with, about how our government is organized and that they can attend City Council meetings and be heard. I applaud the schools who bring "leadership classes" to visit City Hall and other governments each year. I would like to do more than the traditional show and tell. I would like to work with teachers to create a positive experience which demonstrates the democratic process, civic responsibility and opportunities for the future. Accordingly, I am working with teachers from our middle schools -- under the leadership of Noel Tillman, a veteran teacher, administrator among other accomplishments -- to help create a substantive and meaningful program for eighth graders. One or more of this group is likely serve in government and it is never too early to start to learn. We will not formally launch a program until next school year, though the teachers will help us recruit a team of students to help design the program. That begins in January and I am very excited about what we might accomplish. Stay Tuned. If you want to learn more about Youth City Councils, read the story from Governing Magazine. (I am sorry it is a bit blurry, but that is the best scan I could make.)
NEXT WEEK I WILL TALK ABOUT HOW THE CITY STAFF IS WORKING TO BE EVEN MORE TRANSPARENT AND CITIZEN FRIENDLY THOUGH PROPOSED ACTIONS PRESENTED BY HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR BILL PROKOP.
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