‘CIVIC KINGSTON NY: A Forum for Engagement’
A few months ago we convened a small group of respected civic leaders, politicians and journalists to help consciously create a vibrant community in Kingston.
Our first public event was held July 14, 2011: “CIVIC KINGSTON NY: A Forum for Engagement” focused on turning vision into action. More than 50 people showed up on a sultry July evening.
Engaging with the audience, we used an organized creative thinking process to explore the issues that matter most and, more importantly, act on them. Following a discussion moderated by Brian Mahoney, editor of Chronogram, we broke to organize the discussion into major themes. We then reconvened with the audience to focus on the most important issues, break them down further into actionable projects, and form teams to work on them.
The panel included: Kevin Cahill, NY State Assembly; Michael D’Arcy, Kingston Neighborhood Watch; Elizabeth Hare, ReadyCollective; Tom Hoffay, Kingston Alderman; Ivan Lajara, The Daily Freeman; Brian Mahoney, Chronogram; Rebecca Martin, Kingston Land Trust; and me, Scott Tillitt of BEAHIVE.
To bring more folks into the process, we streamed the event live online (video below) and monitored chat and Twitter during the discussion. Audience members and those who couldn’t make it submitted comments and questions before and during the event and followed the action live on Twitter using the hashtag #civickingstonny.
The event was produced by BEAHIVE, sponsored by Chronogram and The Daily Freeman, and hosted by Stella May Gallery Theater.
Join the Civic Kingston NY Facebook Group to see where this all goes.
