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TextCommunity Engagement Initiative
It has been said that you don’t need to move in order to live in a better neighborhood. This statement reflects the power that individuals possess to effect positive change in their communities. As our lives have become busier and more complex and our society more diverse, we have lost some of our connections to one another, leaving us more isolated as individuals and our communities less connected than they once were. However, the Kings Park Neighborhood Initiative, which I launched as civic association president to increase civic engagement and pursue innovative approaches to property maintenance issues, proved that a desire for strong communities is very much alive. It just requires a bit of encouragement and direction.
To build upon that work and to expand its successes across the Braddock District, I am launching a Community Engagement Initiative. This Initiative is the result of a collaborative effort among my office, the Braddock District Council, Fairfax County’s Departments of Systems Management for Human Services and Community and Recreational Services, and Volunteer Fairfax. Our aim is nothing less than to generate a renewed sense of community and a new wave of service. We want to give community organizations the training and resources they need to marshal the great ethic of volunteerism that we know resides within the people of this county. We will train a new generation of community leaders, and build dozens of ‘engaged communities’ - places where people have made a specific commitment to strengthen their communities.
Building stronger communities begins with building stronger connections between people. It is incumbent upon us to get to know one another. Each month, I encourage each and every one of us to meet one new person on our street or in our neighborhood. We should hold block parties and say hello as we pass neighbors when walking down the street. And as our communities become more diverse in age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, we must make a greater effort to get to know people with backgrounds different from our own. To make all feel welcome and invited to participate, our community organizations must make a special effort to reach out and include all people.
We use the term ‘community organizations’ in the broad sense. It includes home owners associations and civic associations, PTA’s, community pools, recreational clubs, scouts, and business and religious organizations. It also includes non-profit service organizations, which need not be geographically constrained. In all of this, government will act as a facilitator – bringing people together, providing expertise, sharing best practices and lessons learned.
I hope you will join me in the effort and commit yourself to helping to build stronger communities. Working together, we will usher in a new era of community engagement that will provide lasting benefits to all our communities.
If you would like more information on the Initiative, including information on Neighborhood College and the Leadership Institute please read this brochure
The Community Engagement Initiative in the News
* Cook
Launches Community Engagement Initiative (Connection,
October 7, 2009)
* Community
Engagement Initiative Kicks Off (Connection, October 21,
2009)
*
Community Engagement Initiative Pushes On (Connection,
January 6, 2010)
* Strengthening
Civic Leadership (Connection, January 27, 2010)
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