Action Groups Project, 2007-2008
This page talks about the first year of the action groups project. Click here to see more about what the project is doing today.
In 2007, the Citizens League launched this pilot program to test out another way of engaging young people in our work. In addition to the specific project chosen by each group, the purposes of the action groups were to:
- Build the capacity of participants by building organizing skills and connecting with other leaders, and
- Build the capacity of the Citizens League by bringing in new, diverse, and committed leaders.
Here's what the groups did:
Public Leadership Action Group
Though most nonprofits value the contributions they receive from all volunteers, members of the public leadership action group know from personal experience that it can be difficult to find substantive volunteer opportunities. So the group organized Connect for a Cause on February 11, 2008 -- a volunteer speed-matching event that brought together area nonprofits needing volunteers with young leaders looking to contribute civically.Energy and Environment Action Group
The Energy and Environment Action Group worked with St. Bernard's High School to reduce pollutants in storm water runoff in the school's urban environment. Students and the action group will constructed a rain garden on school property, and students will maintain the garden as part of a service-learning project the school will begin in conjunction with the garden's construction.
Students participating in the project will benefit from a service-learning experience that will instill the values of environmental stewardship and civic consciousness along with teamwork and project management skills.
Rain gardens re-introduce native prairie plants into the urban setting. The rain garden at St. Bernard's will allow students to study the biological processes of a variety of native Minnesota prairie and wetland plants as well as the natural processes that protect water.
Materials:
April 2007
Are you a young person (18 to 25) looking to get involved in our community?
Join a Citizens League action group.
We're organizing two action groups around the broad topics of poverty and public leadership and energy and the environment.
What you'll do:
- Frame a specific question in your topic area
- Learn about the question
- Make a plan to address the question
- Put that plan into place
What you'll get:
- Funding to complete your project
- On-the-job training on organizing skills
- Connections with other young leaders
- Relationships with established civic leaders
Over the course of the project, each group will:
- Narrow their focus to a specific question they can act on
- Do the research to learn about the question
- Make a recommendation on how to answer the question
- Put that recommendation into place
Each group will be led by two co-chairs, who will have the responsibility to organize meetings, meet regularly with the co-chairs of the other groups and Citizens League staff, and keep their group on track.
The groups will be run in accordance with the Citizens League mission, principles, and operating guidelines and with the support of the Citizens League staff, but you, the participants, will be in charge.
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This initiative was made possible with a three-year grant from the Comcast Foundation, beginning 2006, for youth organizing and technology. |