Civic Engagement February 2022
Engagement through Action
By John Hughes, Lynchburg Assistant City Manager
Community engagement should be Civic Engagement in Action. The VLGMA Civic Engagement Committee’s charge is to “…promote civic education and engagement, to help citizens better understand local government, to foster a positive sense of community and to prepare the next generation of local government managers”[1] To that end, the ongoing movement dedicated to strengthening neighborhoods in the City of Lynchburg epitomizes this mantra.
Government and community stakeholders in Lynchburg have partnered to address the strengths and challenges within neighborhoods on a personal level. The effort is focused on building and maintaining strong neighborhoods through engagement, support, effective communication, and empowerment. Initially, internal discussions on data points, plan coordination, and location options helped to determine a pilot neighborhood. City staff then met with identified residents and School colleagues to develop an engagement strategy. A diverse cadre of City employees subsequently embarked on community walkthroughs with the goal of meeting neighbors in real time. Residents were encouraged to express their views on living in Lynchburg, neighborhood facts, City services, and any other topic they desired. For residents not available during walkthroughs, a survey card and information on how to contact the City were placed on the premises. All neighbors were invited to a larger community conversation scheduled at a future date.
During the community conversation event, neighbors met with City staff to delve deeper into residents’ needs. Attention to issues such as landlord setouts, speeding, bulk and brush, and right-of-way hazards identified during the walkthroughs were reinforced. The City worked to remedy these “quick action” items where possible. In addition, a greater collective statement on lack of information pertaining to available resources, opportunities for self-help, and empowerment programs also came to the forefront. As a result, the City collaborated with several partners to hold a neighborhood resource festival with over 20 organizations taking part. We intend to maintain connections within the inaugural neighborhood and have a tentative plan to provide similar interventions in other neighborhoods over the next few years.
Developing relationships with residents creates an avenue for information exchange, education and civic responsibility. Citizens, especially those not accustomed to participating in the civic process, are more likely to engage when government not only makes a concerted effort to reach out, but also shows a willingness to sustain involvement. Help your neighbors understand how local government operates by showing them how crucial they are to the process.
[1] https://www.vlgma.org/civic-engagement