CIVIC LEADERS, POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS TO ACT ON CIVIC ISSUES ‘CIVIC KINGSTON NY: A Forum for Engagement’ Will Engage Audience to Turn Vision Into Action
* July 14, Kingston, NY *
A small group of respected civic leaders, politicians and journalists will gather in Kingston on July 14 to consciously create a vibrant community. Transcending the typical panel discussion — stimulating but often fruitless — “CIVIC KINGSTON NY: A Forum for Engagement” will focus on turning vision into action.
Thursday, July 14, 6 to 9 PM
Stella May Gallery Theatre
5 Sterling Street, Kingston, NY
Engaging with the audience, the group will use an organized creative thinking process to explore the issues that matter most and, more importantly, act on them. Following a discussion moderated by Brian Mahoney, editor of Chronogram, the group will break to organize the discussion into major themes. Then they’ll reconvene with the audience to focus on the most important issues, break them down further into actionable projects, and form teams to work on them.
Audience members are encouraged to engage with the group in the discussion and the action-focused process. But even if you go to just listen, your presence is participation enough, the organizers stress.
The group includes: Kevin Cahill, NY State Assembly; Michael D’Arcy, Kingston Neighborhood Watch; Elizabeth Hare, ReadyCollective; Tom Hoffay, Kingston Alderman; Ivan Lajara, The Daily Freeman; Brian Mahoney, Chronogram; Rebecca Martin, Kingston Land Trust; and Scott Tillitt of BEAHIVE.
To bring more folks into the process, organizers will stream the event live online and monitor chat and Twitter during the discussion. Audience members and those who can’t make it can submit comments and questions before the event and follow the action live on Twitter using the hashtag #civickingstonny.
Refreshments will be provided.
The event is produced by BEAHIVE, sponsored by Chronogram and The Daily Freeman, and hosted by Stella May Gallery Theater.
Space is limited. Click on the link for event details and to RSVP and join the Civic Kingston NY Facebook group to engage.
BEAHIVE is a new kind of collaborative space for work and community. Its ultimate aim is to support a Local Living Economy, one that is locally rooted and human-scale. BEAHIVE opened in Beacon, NY, in May 2009 as the first such space in the Hudson Valley and partnered with Chronogram to open a second location in Uptown Kingston in December 2009.
The description of this active process meeting was so enticing that I had to attend in person in case any technicalities might have ruined the transmission (which I have experienced in similar online sessions).
The intention of the meeting and the panel implied that the discussion would not only be applicable to discussions of Kingston proper, but should relate to the struggles being felt in all townships in the area.
The meeting started out with a very approprate video describing some of the environmental and procedural policies that currently not only prevent but actually deter citizens from effectively being involved in local, state, and national issues.
Unfortunately, right after the video, the politicians on the panel were asked what they thought about the video.
At that point, the meeting became more about defending the status quo than defining the issues and creating actionable responses.
I don’t want to bash the meeting because I believe the intention was critical.
Even as msidirected that I feel the meeting moved, it still provided valuable education and perspective of citizens, activists, and public officials.
I had to leave the meeting at the break but was able to catch some of the live video conference from home.
I have not seen the final results, but I hope more of these sessions occur across the towns and county and state, and I hope that moderation of the meetings can be enhanced to maximize effectiveness
Thanks for being able to participate.