CIVIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

As one of my top priorities for the City of Pittsburgh, I have worked to reform government through transparency and civic involvement. I believe that residents of the City of Pittsburgh deserve to know and understand how the City functions, how it serves their community and how they can work with local government to make their neighborhood a better place to live and work.

Too many times information on how City Departments function is relayed by word of mouth from one City resident to another. As a result, in many instances, it is often inaccurate or misinterpreted. In an effort to provide our residents the opportunity to accurately understand the workings of our City government I am pleased to announce the formation of the first-ever Civic Leadership Academy in the City of Pittsburgh.

The Civic Leadership Academy is a free, 10-week course about local government in the City of Pittsburgh. It includes tours, hands-on demonstrations and fun activities that give an up-close and personal view of how the City is operated and governed. In each two-hour class, participants will learn about a different City department and the services that it provides to make for a safer, more livable city.

As announced in my press release on July 12th, the deadline for application to the Academy was July 30, 2010. Twenty residents and business owners from neighborhoods throughout the City will be chosen to participate in the academy. The first full 10-week session will begin on September 14th and continue through November 16, 2010.

We hope that at the end of the course participants will be able to share with you information that they learned at your community meetings. If you missed this announcement, please be alerted that future 10-week sessions will continue as community interest grows.

If you have any questions, please contact the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Initiatives at 412-255-4773 or send an e-mail to civicleaders@city.pittsburgh.pa.us.