The Blacksburg Citizens Institute is a free, annual 10-week program in which 25 residents learn about local government and services by meeting town leaders, touring various facilities and engaging in hands-on activities. This year’s Citizens Institute will be held from March 30-June 8 on Mondays from 6-8 p.m.
Blacksburg Mayor Michael Sutphin attended the Citizens Institute in 2009 and told Cardinal News in an email, “The knowledge that I gained from the program has helped me immensely to get where I am today.”
Also attending the 2009 Citizens Institute was town council member Jerry Ford who wrote in an email, “Our Citizens Institute not only provides a valuable inside look into the mission and function of our town’s departments, it allows folks to meet the real public servants that are the foundation of our quality of life.”
Kenna Jewell, Blacksburg’s community relations manager, described the institute as an “opportunity to get involved in the community, put a face to services, or be a first-level stepping stone” to local leadership.
According to Jewell, who spoke to Cardinal News by phone, each week’s class covers a different topic and is a combination of lecture and “getting up and moving around.” Jewell tweaks the curriculum based on participants’ interests.
Topics span the town’s departments including planning and building, parks and recreation, police, sustainability and public works. Participants will also tour the fire and rescue facility for an inside look at how the town’s volunteer fire squad trains.
The location of class changes week by week, except that all lecture-based classes are held in the community room of the police station. There is no homework outside of the two-hour weekly meetings. However, Jewell encourages participants to attend town council meetings and other community events, such as the town’s tradition of planting trees in local parks on Arbor Day.
The institute culminates in a mock town council meeting in the town council chambers. Participants play different roles in handling a hypothetical development designed by the planning department. “The exercise humanizes the process and puts participants in [local decision makers’] shoes,” Jewell said.
Jewell expects the institute to fill up quickly. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis and is limited to Blacksburg residents who are least 18 years old. To register call the Blacksburg Community Relations Office at (540) 443-1090 or email cro@blacksburg.gov.
“I always say to folks, ‘You should attend Citizen Institute, you NEVER know where you might end up!’” Ford said.