Flint residents encouraged to learn about city government with free Civic Leadership Academy program

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FLINT, Michigan — The North Flint Neighborhood Action Council (NFNAC), Mayor Sheldon Neely, and the Michigan League for Public Policy (The League) have collaborated to open registration for Flint’s first City of Flint Civic Leadership Academy (CLA).

Funded by the Ruth Mott Foundation, the CLA is an in-depth 8-week course that will help registered participants learn how to engage more in the community and pivot towards collective action to help raise the quality of life for Flint residents. The joint partnership will also give participants the opportunity to understand city government and how local offices and services are employed.

Registration for the CLA opens up on Thursday, Jan. 6, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm via Zoom.

The CLA virtual sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm from Jan. 11 to March 4. Topics that will be covered include government structure, budgeting, public works operations, and economic development among others.

Part of the 8-week curriculum will focus on hands-on demonstrations and exhibits to give every individual a behind-the-scenes look at how the City of Flint functions.

The CLA maintains three specific goals:

– Build the capacity of leaders to become effective neighborhood advocates by educating them on how their city government functions and operates.

– Construct a source of leadership from communities to develop representation on city advisory committees, boards of commission, neighborhood associations, and a variety of other city and public participation opportunities.

– Encourage the development of collaboration and partnership between a wide range of community organizations, including neighborhood and business associations, where there may be opportunities to work on neighborhood-level issues.

There are 25 available openings for City of Flint citizens.

You can sign up here or call (810) 219-9515 for more information.