Civic University, the three-week series of civic engagement workshops catered specifically to Neighborhood Councils, wrapped up in a final session this Wednesday evening at LAPD’s Deaton Hall. Dr. Raphael Sonenshein continued his illuminating lecture on city government, power structures, and the role of Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles politics. Dr. Sonenshein reminded attendees that Neighborhood Councils have come a long way from their humble beginnings. “The very first victory of Neighborhood Councils,” he said, “is that they have survived.” Through the tireless work of countless committed volunteers, Neighborhood Councils have gained increasing influence and continually advocated for their communities.
The Neighborhood Council system can also serve as a training ground and a springboard for women who want to pursue civic engagement and political work. While only one of our eighteen City Councilmembers is a woman, 38% of Neighborhood Council board members are women who are gaining valuable experience in civic leadership.
Dr. Sonenshein also discussed voter turnout and engagement, remarking that voting is “the culmination of a series of steps you take in civic engagement” and emphasizing the need for people to get involved and engaged with their community and local government as a precursor to going to the voting booth. Neighborhood Councils, as hyper-local organizations, can engage their stakeholders at the block level and build an informed and involved community of neighbors passionate about their local politics.
Participants of all three Civic U sessions came away with certificates of completion of the program, a newfound understanding of LA’s municipal government and the complex web of elected officials and agencies that create and influence policy, and a sense of empowerment to go out and make meaningful change in their communities.
If you missed Civic University this time around, don’t worry! Resources including video from the three sessions will soon be made available on the EmpowerLA website. And of course, board members who attended the event are encouraged to spread the information they learned to their fellow board members, volunteers, and stakeholders. An informed Neighborhood Council is an empowered Neighborhood Council!
You can join the conversation and see some of the questions that came up during Civic U session (and your neighbors’ answers) on MySidewalk.
EmpowerLA is grateful to the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA, Dr. Raphael Sonenshein, Mayor Garcetti, and AT&T for co-sponsoring this important educational opportunity for Neighborhood Council board members.
