Public Invited to Civic Engagement Summit April 4

What needs fixing in Hampton Roads?

If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved, what’s your top issue? If you think you have a perspective other people need to hear, where should you go, and when?

Here’s a starting point for you: the first Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit on Saturday, April 4, 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., at the Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) in Suffolk.

The theme is “Our Region, Our Future,” is free of charge, and is open to the public with advance online registration.

The day will be a unique attempt to share and focus on an agenda derived by the citizens of Hampton Roads that identifies priority issues and opportunities we see for our future. The results of the inaugural Batten Survey, a sampling of more than 2,000 citizens throughout Hampton Roads, will be shared.

The survey, conducted by Christopher Newport University in conjunction with the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE), establishes the “civic health” of our region. The results will help launch conversations at the Summit that, hopefully, will become the future public work of citizens and groups throughout the region.

The Summit will help average citizens participate in exploring the broader dimensions of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Citizen input and action is needed to shape our region and its communities in these historic times.

The Summit also features two recognized civic engagement authorities, Suzette Denslow, Chief of Staff for the City of Richmond, and Chris Gates, past President of the National Civic League. Ms. Denslow was also Chief Policy Adviser for Governor Kaine and Secretary of Education during Governor Wilder’s Administration. She has extensive experience in working with communities throughout Virginia. Mr. Gates directs a national non-profit agency which specializes in civic engagement work.

If you’ve ever wondered: is there room at the table for me? April 4th will be a day set aside to measure the interest and willingness of citizens to come together and create productive paths, to do future constructive work, all to improve our quality of life in Hampton Roads.

“Our Region, Our Future” will be hosted by HRCCE in association with the Future of Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Partnership, The Planning Council, and WHRO Public Television. Online registration is available at HRCCE’s website www.HRCCE.org.