September has always seemed like an extra new year to me - a second chance to keep some of those resolutions and get organized, make time to learn new things, find a new pencil and sharpener and lay down some ideas on fresh paper.
The idea of a civic education series started a few years ago. We looked at the kinds of information other cities provide to their residents, how civic literacy is taught by other levels of government and around the world, and we started to developed our plan. We soon realized we could spend every one of the next hundred evenings discussing how cities work, how decisions are made and the roles within local government - because issues, economies, communities, ideas and more, are always changing.
Fortunately after many discussions and revisions we found our focus, built the session agendas and put out the word that were looking for a few curious people (and we were thrilled that over 900 of you responded to that call!). We hope that our 6 session curriculum will, at the very least, provide the foundations for future learning and interest in your City government.
As an aside - the staff who have come together to plan and prepare for the first Toronto Civics 101 session, have had a chance to get to know each other a bit better - Kevin's enthusiasm for civic literacy has resulted in a great list of resources and reading materials, Lin is ready to evaluate, manage data and report back your questions and comments during and following each session, the entire office has been corresponding with applicants, participants and other interested Torontonians wanting to follow along on-line and staff from City divisions have provided information and have developed excellent content and presentations for each session.
My own not-so-secret love of school and learning showed itself when I got excited over the arrival of 175 participant binders - at the ready for notes and information - in our offices last week. I just wanted to crack them open and get started!
We are all looking forward to seeing if this idea turns out to be all that we - and I hope you - hoped for. Your comments and feedback as we proceed will help us plan for future sessions - in time to catch the next back-to-school wave of excitement.
- Meg Shields
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Attended the first civics 101 session.
ReplyDeleteI went in with a high level curiosity to see how tax dollars are put to use and the process behind decisions made by city council.
I left with a wealth of knowledge and a clear objective of what I want to take away from this unique opportunity.
There was no doubt to the commitment and passion of not only the speakers but also the participants and their thought provoking questions. I was especially impressed with Mayor Miller; he is truly an agent of change and I was left with no doubt his commitment to the citizens of Toronto.
I’m looking forward to the next session. I’ve already started reading the resources!