Is civic participation dead?

One issue that constantly comes up in public administration is how to get better civic participation. It's an issue that all levels of government face but not all of them make it a priority-not that it's an easy task by any means.

I'm in my final intensive course this weekend and we had the Deputy Director of Phoenix speak to our class and he confessed that he makes it part of his routine to engage in community involvement every chance he gets. Although he has a lot on his plate he still finds time to talk to residents. If someone as busy as the Deputy Director of Phoenix finds the time to engage citizens why can't someone in a local department or agency? Sure there is public participation when things are at there worst or there is an important decision that needs to be made but why does it end there? One of my classmates asked "why doesn't civic engagement happen all the time; in good times and bad?" I think he brings up a good point. One complaint by public entities is that residents aren't informed on the issues and don't take interest in what's going on in their communities. Could it be because we expect residents to come to government and not the other way around? Given the pervasiveness of advertisements and marketing schemes, why do we not inform people of issues that really matter to the same extent? There seems to be a need for a complete re-ordering of cultural values in this country. I hope that it happens before it's too late.

Post 10.

As I got more outreach events under my belt I realized that more environmental education needs to be done in communities, homes, and schools. Although the public is constantly being bombarded by "green" marketing it's clear that many people aren't retaining the information being given to them. At our booth, we would ask passer-bys to answer one environmental question in order to pick a prize from our treasure chest. Although we had a dozen or so questions that spanned across all grade-levels many people couldn't answer even the most basic of questions. For example, we asked "what are three ways you can be environmentally-friendly at home?" Most people were able to provide 2 ways but many struggled to think of anything beyond "turning off the lights when you leave the room" and "using cfl lightbulbs". While it's great that consumers are aware of products like cfl light bulbs they know little else about the full circle process that recycling often entails. For instance, many people said they used cfl's but hardly anyone knew that you shouldn't dispose of them in the trash.

Disseminating that type of information at a state level proves difficult for departments like ADEQ and although they make information available on their website many citizens don't know about those resources.

Can any of you think of a better way to get important information out to the public, in a meaningful way, that will ultimately lead to changes in end-user behavior?

Career Service Webinar-Resume Writing

First off, I would like to thank career services for conducting webinars...it is extremely helpful for those of us who don't have a lot of extra time in their schedule to run to campus. Today, I gained additional insight into the best practices of resume writing. Mary Fachman really outlined the nuts and bolts of what a successful resume should include and not include. It's always nice to hear the different perspectives people have and evaluate what will work best for my particular circumstances.

One piece of advice that stuck out in my mind was to include a thank you note-while i have heard that before it is a dying tradition that could really set you apart from other applicants. I guess it's a sign of the times, but it seems like a nice gesture that requires very little effort and shows the employer that you appreciate their time.

Have any of you experienced that?

Post 9.

One of the best lessons I learned while at ADEQ was to be organized! It sounds like such a trivial skill but when you've got a lot on your plate and you're in charge of managing several teams it is crucial that you can keep track of all of your responsibilities. I won't name any names but many of my colleagues were not the most organized members of the organization. You just walk into their cube and there's stacks and stacks of papers and boxes and filing drawers with labels that have been scratched out or replaced. It's not necessarily an issue of losing important papers it's just being able to find things when you need them. Many times I found myself having to stop by coworkers desks a few times in order to retrieve a document or a computer file.

I suppose a lot of the backlog is due to the slow transition from paper filing to digital filing. While I was working with the Administrative Assistant we worked to re-organize their filing system-each document that goes out must be recorded physically and digitally and returned to the appropriate folder. It's a time consuming process that's tacked onto the long list of things the Admin. Assis. is in charge of. Even though it's mindless work it's all part of the public sector's commitment to the people they serve. Having those documents available to the public for viewing is a critical aspect of transparency.

Coachella

Although the semester is winding down and I have quite a bit to finish before the end of this month I keep getting distracted by all the fun things I could be doing instead. This weekend I found myself at Coachella-my first time and certainly not last. It was hot as a mother but we all braved through the heat and survived the four days of utter chaos. Luckily, I'm acclimated to 95+ weather, my Canadian friends however, were not as fortunate and looked as if they'd melt at any moment.

As far as the performances, there were not any acts that blew me away but there were a few that stood out from the rest. Some of the best shows were the lesser known artists that played at the Do-Lab.

It was quite an experience and I recommend going at least once if you've never been. I'm sure I'll be kicking myself at the end of this week when my final project is due, but you've got to take advantage of being young before it's too late!

For those of you about to graduate-the day is near...best of luck with finals!!

Post 8.

One of the tasks that I both hated and loved was transcribing public meeting recordings. For every contaminated site that is listed either under WQARF or Superfund, the Outreach Unit has to create a community advisory board (CAB) that functions as a go between for the impacted neighborhoods and the parties involved in the clean-up, whether it be those responsible for the contamination or an outside company contracted to clean up the site. Throughout the process, the details of the site are presented to the CAB as are the plans for how it will be treated and what that might mean for the residents living around the site. While I definitely advocate the creation of a community board, it oftentimes doesn't function as it should. Listening to the meetings that sometimes lasted 2 hrs was painful, even for someone like me who had background knowledge of some of the presentation material. The presentations were often highly technical in nature especially when they had the geologists outside of ADEQ present their findings to the public. In some cases, the public meetings were meant to deliberate on what would be the best course of action for the site and who the responsible party should be. You can imagine how heated some of these "discussions" got as companies tried to wiggle their way out of paying for the clean-up while local residents were greatly concerned about how this would affect their neighborhood.

I recently watched a PBS special regarding a small town in Kentucky who is fighting against coal mining companies. Here, we have a similar situation where a community advisory board is chosen to discuss what the best course of action should be for their town. Should they accept the monetary compensation offered by the coal companies that will ultimately end in mountaintop removal? Or should they fight the coal company and band together to help support their local economy using other means? Surprisingly, the little town won the battle utilizing simple strategies like public meetings and writing letters, but the difference was that the whole town participated and got behind a cause.

One of the main complaints from the supervisor I worked with was that they didn't get a lot of participation from the residents and it was like pulling teeth to form some of the community boards because people didn't "have the time" or thought it wasn't worth the effort and so on and so on. Unfortunately, this is the state of affairs in most US cities. Citizen engagement is a declining trend but is one that has the potential to be the most powerful-if only people realized it.

Soundwave Music Event

I don't know if any of you are into the electronic music scene or raving til dawn but if you are, and you didn't attend Saturday's Soundwave event, you will be happy to know that it was a huge success and scored big points for Phoenix's music scene. The event was held (legally, of course) at Big Surf right here in Tempe. It was backed by a major production company called Insomniac who organizes massive parties (100,000+ people) all across the West Coast. Even though the weather didn't hold out for those of us who wanted to utilize what the water park had to offer it was truly a unifying experience for everyone huddled together trying to keep warm while listening to our favorite djs. Major artists in attendance were Diplo, the guy from the Blackberry commercial ;), Boyz Noize, Anasia, Kraddy, and Planet of the Drums, a drum n bass super group consisting of the most talented dnb dj's (and mc's) in the world-they put on an awesome show!

Now, I know some of you may be thinking, "Raving?! I don't do drugs and don't want to be around people who do drugs and I don't want those flashy little lights in my face", which is a fair judgement-but if that's all you think raving is then you're missing out on the reason why people continue to go to raves weekend after weekend well into their adult years (and some beyond). I urge you to look past the stereotypes and media exploitation of raves and go to one with a few of your good friends and see what the fuss is all about. Leave all judgements at the door and just dance your ass off and meet new people, you may even run into someone you know!

If you're interested in looking into what parties are being hosted in your town/state/country check out: www.dontstayin.com

Post 7.

Another great follow-along I got do was with a project manager who was conducting preliminary tests at a site that was still in the planning stage. Contamination had been determined and now the team was evaluating the extent of the contamination and the best approach to cleaning it up. Although the results from these tests form the basis of most of the major decisions regarding clean-up, I discovered that a whole lot more goes into these projects that simply producing a few numbers. During this follow along I witnessed how teams measure the parameters of a contamination site using something called an auger flight. It's a crazy piece of machinery! These giant drills (for lack of a better word) punch holes hundreds of feet into the ground. Depending on the type of material they are drilling through this can take hours or sometimes days. They then go through a series of procedures for placing the measuring tools into the holes and sealing them back up so that they can take readings over the next few days or weeks. This job takes an incredible amount of technical skill and ingenuity...they often run into hang-ups along the way and have to come up with creative ways of completing their tasks.

Although this sounds like simply construction work, it has much larger implications. The measurements that they take will be used to construct a plan that will ultimately prevent the contamination from spreading and possibly contaminating surrounding areas which in some cases can be neighborhoods, water supplies, or other public places. So much behind the scenes work is done on these projects that often goes completely unnoticed by the public. But I guess that's the job of the public servant.

Career Service Workshop-Resume Writing

Today I attended a career service workshop that focused on resume writing. Scott was our instructor today and he emphasized the importance of content. We went over how to professionally discuss our accomplishments in our resumes and received great handouts that provided examples of action verbs we could use to describe the various responsibilities we've had in our careers and academics. For me, this is the area I've struggled with the most-how do I professionally explain the jobs I've had and the skills I've utilized in those positions? The handout gives me a starting off point for constructing my resume and I look forward to talking about my strengths and skills in a professional manner. Although these workshops are provided all year round I feel that they should be integrated into the university curriculum in every department. Resume's are something that we all have to write at some point in our lives and getting a head start or at least start thinking about how to view our life and work experiences in a manner that will be helpful once we need a resume would be more beneficial earlier on.

Costa Rrrrrrrrica!

Since we have 5 posts that can be about anything we want I figured I'd tell you all about my recent trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica. I'm not really one to boast about the things I do or places I've been but I must say that Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places I've encountered in my life of traveling. Being the daughter of an airline employee I've enjoyed the benefits of cheap airfare and in all of my travels, Costa Rica is one of my top destinations (so far). What makes it great is not the sandy beaches, perfect waves, gorgeous volcanoes, or lush forests, it's the people. PURA VIDA!! The people of Costa Rica are so proud of their country that they go out of their way to make sure that you enjoy it as much as they do. The "pure life" as their motto goes is not only something they say after just about every sentence but it is truly a way of life for them. I would happily trade my middle-class life in the US to be able to live the "pure life" in a modest shack by the ocean. Being in a country like Costa Rica reminds you how little you need to really be happy and that happiness is attainable through very small means. I know I sound like a typical tourist disillusioned by the promises of a tropical paradise that has been created by man to get people to spend their money and come back for more, but I think Costa Rica is the real deal. How could a place that has no army, an impeccable human rights record, and is a top contender for "greenest" country in the world be an illusion?

Post 6.

In addition to working on Community Outreach projects I also participated in ADEQ outreach events. ADEQ participates in several enviro events across the state all year round. Interacting with the public is a major priority of each division at ADEQ and all employees are encouraged to attend any and all events they can fit into their schedule. This aspect of the job is embraced by many of the employees who often put extra time and effort into planning these events to ensure that the public is receiving the best information possible in an engaging and interesting way. The Earth Day Event at the Cesar Chavez Plaza downtown was an especially fun event I attended because it was as much a learning experience for me as it was for the public. It's always a challenge to figure out how you will attract people to your booth long enough to get them the information they need. Some organizations gave away recycled bags or they had other fancy giveaways. While this is a great strategy it is also a very expensive one and for a department like ADEQ who is not necessarily trying to expand their "brand" it is not a tactic they often use.

With budgets becoming even more restrictive there is a need for cheap and creative solutions. Talking with some of my superiors, I recalled a class from my undergrad that dealt with persuasion. There are several harmless tactics that one can use in order to motivate people to behave in a certain way. Social proof is one of those strategies that works very well in an environment where there will be a lot of traffic and you are trying to gain participation and create interest in your product or message. Since we had to work with what we brought with us, we utilized the Earth Day Pledge Sheet to draw attention to our organization and let the social proof theory work its magic. Just the fact that passerby's saw people signing our giant pledge sheet was enough to get them to come over and check out our booth. In the end, we got people to commit to recycling in some capacity, they felt good about being a part of something important, and we were able to put a face to ADEQ so that people didn't feel so intimidated about asking important environmental questions.