Exclusive Content: Communications & Engagement

Thank You For Being a Pocket Friend

Posted on September 23, 2022

Welcome, dear pocket friends. Today's Morning Buzz is by Jessica VanderKolk, Communications Manager for the City of Battle Creek in Southwest Michigan. Hit me up on Twitter and LinkedIn. What I'm watching: Trying to squeeze in as much Offspring as possible. I got there late, and it's about to get the boot off Netflix. What...

Black and white dog lying on its back on green grass, with its paw around a smartphone displaying a photo of the same dog in the same position. He is wearing blue-framed sunglasses.

Life in Your Community, 1 Second at a Time

Posted on July 29, 2022

You are buzzing today with Jessica VanderKolk, Communications Manager for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan. Connect with me on Twitter and LinkedIn! What I'm watching: Won't You Be My Neighbor (I love Mister Rogers.) What I'm reading: Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life (Why yes, I DID just finish S4...

Cohort Coming in January 2023: Lottery-Selected Panels Cohort

Posted on July 18, 2022

Lottery-Selected Panels are gaining traction worldwide as a way for governments to engage their residents in collaborative and inclusive policy decisions deeply. ELGL and Healthy Democracy are excited to announce a new cohort coming in January 2023, Lottery-Selected Panels: How to Instigate Inclusive and Deliberative Participation in Your Community. Often called Citizens' Assemblies or Citizens'...

Webinar details overlaid on a photo of a woman on a virtual meeting.

Speakers Announced! Reflections on Two Years of Virtual, Hybrid, and In-Person Local Gov Meetings

Posted on April 7, 2022

Join us for a free webinar, Reflections on Two Years of Virtual, Hybrid, and In-Person Local Gov Meetings. March 2022 marked two years since local governments pivoted to virtual meetings. Since then, with the rise and fall of new strains of COVID, local governments have continued that pivot to include in-person, hybrid, and all virtual...

The Future of Community Engagement: A Conversation, Not a Project

Posted on February 16, 2022

Imagine if you got the results of your annual community survey in January 2020. The findings would be near-irrelevant by February! More than ever, governments are realizing the need to shift from static and siloed engagement efforts towards an ongoing conversation about the experiences in their communities. Tune into this webinar to learn why the...

Public Engagement Can Help Local Governments Effectively Invest in Public Transit

Posted on February 16, 2022

This article was published by Alex DeSantis and Pooja Di Giovanna from the Davenport Institute. Connect with them on LinkedIn or Twitter. The United States federal government recently approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act providing $89.9 billion toward public transit, making it the largest federal investment of this kind in American history. As cities around...

Podcast: Community & COVID-19 Response with Grinnell College & Grinnell, IA

Posted on December 10, 2021

Russell Behrens City Manager City of Grinnell, Iowa LinkedIn Monica Chavez-Silva Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning Grinnell College LinkedIn | Bio Derechos and #GrinnTogether. Russell Behrens, City Manager of the City of Grinnell, IA, and Monica Chavez-Silva, Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning at Grinnell College, joined the podcast...