MMA webinar covers citizens academies

An MMA webinar on April 9 offered insights and strategies to help municipal leaders launch and run a citizens academy program.

A citizens academy is “designed to educate and engage residents about how local government works,” said Danvers Assistant Town Manager and Communications Director Jen Breaker. Participants, called “cadets,” leave with a deeper understanding of municipal operations and an increased likelihood of participating in their community afterwards.

Breaker and the other panelists — Pittsfield Administrative Services Director Catherine VanBramer and Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells — shared how they run their own academy and what they have learned over the years.

Their recommendations include: getting support from the top leaders in the community, making it easy for departments to participate, enlisting one person to lead the program, and taking notes throughout the program to reference for future planning.

Panelists shared specific examples of marketing materials, session planning worksheets, schedules, and applications that they have used for their own academies.

Donna Whitehead, communications specialist in Sharon, noted that many municipalities are deciding to call their programs a “civic academy” rather than a “citizens academy,” to be more inclusive of all community members.

Whitehead moderated 25 minutes of questions and answers, addressing inquiries regarding how much to budget for the academy, class size and program length, and recruitment strategies.

• The Best Academy in Town: Citizens Academies: How to Engage Your Communities (11M PDF)