October 3, 2011
For Immediate Release: Regional Neighborhood Network Conference
Our neighborhood associations are the backbone of our community. These institutions ensure that our neighborhoods remain connected, clean and safe. Knowing the importance of having well informed and resourceful neighborhood groups, our campaign saw fit to send a representative with the United Neighborhood of Evansville delegation to the Regional Neighborhood Network Conference in Cincinnati, OH.
This conference, titled “Building Bridges – Making Connections,†focused on connecting neighbors to neighbors and involving our youth in order to improve the quality of life. It will be our administration’s goal to bring people together to solve community problems, evolving together to improve our city one neighborhood at a time.
Our administration will look to share what we learned and help implement positive change from the ground up. Some of the ideas that we will be taking with us to the Civic Center are:
· Neighborhood Gateways: Our administration will propose partnering with the United Neighborhoods of Evansville, churches and youth programs to create gateway signs and public art defining our distinct neighborhoods. This program is a great opportunity to involve our residents, create public art and beautify our neighborhoods. It is also an opportunity to educate residents and visitors about the history of our city.
This program will also help to identify and develop future neighborhood and city leaders. Neighborhood youth would work with established leaders and the city on all phases of the project, from design to fundraising to implementation. Our administration will take an active role in teaching our children about collaboration and cultivating the future leaders of Evansville.
· Mock City Council: Our administration will partner with local schools to host a Mock City Council Session for local students at the Civic Center. Middle school and high school students will be selected twice yearly from each Ward of the city and sponsored by their City Council Representative. Each age group will be asked to address an issue facing local government and follow proper governmental procedure to form a resolution. Our administration will provide the Civic Center council chambers, format and any resources needed to make this a rewarding and educational experience for our city’s youth.
This program will allow our students to better understand how local government works and why it is important to participate. This program will also serve to involve our future leaders in the process now, teaching them listening skills and how to collaborate to solve a problem. We must find new ways to involve our youth in city government at a young age if we expect to grow our future leaders from within and keep the best and brightest here in Evansville.
As a community, we need to take an active role in developing our next generation of leaders. Our administration will create and present opportunities for our young people to get involved in their neighborhoods and in city government, whether it is a public art project or serving on a board or commission. We must give our future leaders a reason to care about Evansville.
Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.†This quote not only applies to our youth, but to our neighborhoods, as well. Our administration will work to involve our young people, teaching them skills they can use when it is their time to lead. By making youth and neighborhood involvement a central tenet to our administration, we hope to give our future leaders a reason to stay in Evansville and keep our neighborhoods vibrant.
