INSIGHT Citizen's Academy
Get
to know your local government! This 11-week INSIGHT Citizen’s
Academy provides area residents an opportunity to discover their City government
through interactive, hands-on experience and to gain exposure to the wide
range of government services, programs, functions and challenges. You
do not have to be a city resident to participate. All you need is an
interest in the way City government operates!
Thursday Evenings
August 12 – October 21, 2010
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Register now for the 2010 INSIGHT Citizen’s
Academy!
Objective back to top register
Familiarize local residents with the various functions of Winchester’s government; encourage participants to get involved; enhance their ability to navigate through the complex system of government services, and provide an avenue for open communication with City officials.
“This program was one of the highlights of my life in Winchester.”
Benefits back to top register
-
Gain a deeper understanding of how local government works from the people in the government who directly serve you - Meet government leaders and staff members and visit various government facilities
- Understand how you can become engaged in public affairs
- Participate in dialogues with City staff about successes and challenges
- Serve as a role model for other community residents interested in social change
- Help foster an environment that contributes to the quality of life for all residents
- Gain the knowledge needed to become a member of a City advisory board
- Help build a livable, sustainable community
“Having the opportunity to meet the people first hand was the best part - as it made the workings of the government come to life.”
Curriculum back to top register
Get
an inside look at each City department and discover how each work on
a day-to-day basis to keep Winchester running smoothly and safely. Take
a tour of government facilities such as the Timbrook Public Safety
Center, the Water and Water Treatment Plant, City Yards and more.
At every session, discuss the City’s past, present and future with department leaders and staff. Get to know the people that make the daily decisions and find out how and why decisions are made. Government operations can be complicated if you don’t have the opportunity to be a part of the action. Now you can get inside, get explanations, meet local officials and gain a new INSIGHT into your local government.
“Everyone we met with was very enthusiastic about sharing with us what they do, and explaining a lot of processes. I really liked the fact that they all wanted questions and were eager to answer them.”
Schedule back to top register
Each
session lasts for no more than 2 hours beginning at 6:30 p.m. and ending
at 8:30 p.m. A welcome reception is held at the beginning of the program
and graduation ceremony with a mock City Council meeting is held at the end
of the program. Light refreshments will be served at the welcome reception
and at graduation. During
the mock council meeting, you have the opportunity to be a council member and
discuss and vote on real-life scenarios. The mock meeting is led by the
Council President and Mayor.
This program is not like school. It is an informal, interactive weekly discussion of the City’s functions and services. It is also a forum that allows you to ask your questions and to discover the inside operations of a complex governmental system.
Week 1: Thursday, August 12
Welcome Reception, Tour of City Hall and Winchester’s History
Week 2: Thursday, August 19
City Manager and the Budget Process
Week 3: Thursday, August 26
Economic Development and Old Town Development
Week 4: Thursday, September 2
Planning, Zoning and Inspections
“It was just amazing!”
“INSIGHT has really taught me a lot.”
“All my questions were answered with respect.
Week 5: Thursday, September 9
Utilities and Tour of Water Treatment Plant
Week 6: Thursday, September 16
Police, Emergency 9-1-1 and Tour of Timbrook Public Safety Center
Week 7: Thursday, September 23
Fire & Rescue, Emergency Management and Tour of Fire Station
Week 8: Thursday, September 30
Public Works and Transit
“[The most effective part of the program was] being able to meet the team, see and explore things and find out information that it would be difficult if not impossible to learn on one’s own. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Week 9: Thursday, October 7
Social Services
Week 10: Thursday, October 14
Parks & Recreation and Winchester Public Schools
Week 11: Thursday, October 21
Graduation & Mock Council Meeting
Registration back
to top register
To ensure a spot in the program, please register by August 6, 2010 using one of the following options:
- Complete the online INSIGHT Registration Form.
- Call Amy Simmons (533-0603).
Prior to the start of the program, you will receive a welcome letter and the complete program schedule with meeting locations via mail or email.
The INSIGHT Academy is provided free of charge to local residents. All costs for support materials, local transportation for some sessions, occasional refreshments, etc. are entirely underwritten by the City of Winchester. However, because these activities do create obligations for City personnel, we ask that you make every reasonable effort to attend the scheduled events.
We also welcome past graduates to participate during any portion of the academy at any time.
“It was just amazing!”
“INSIGHT has really taught me a lot.”
“All my questions were answered with respect.”
History back to top register
The INSIGHT Citizen’s Academy was created in 2004 by former City Manager, Ed Daley and the City’s former Administration Director, Sharen Gromling, in an effort to open communication between the citizens and the City of Winchester.
The original Academy consisted of 12 weeks plus a graduation ceremony with each session being held on Thursday evenings for two hours. Several departments where scheduled to give presentations each week in order to cover all aspects of local government. Unfortunately, this format provided an overload of information and too many details. Although the participants learned a lot, it was at times very overwhelming and difficult to comprehend. The Class of 2004 consisted of 24 residents.
The Academy was not held in 2005 but in 2006, the Academy graduated 21 local residents.
After two years of presentation, after factual, yet boring presentation, the City of Winchester decided to energize the program with a new concept in 2007 and INSIGHT was completely overhauled. INSIGHT went from 13 to 8 weeks, the amount of information presented was drastically decreased and an optional INSIGHT College was added at the end of the program. To make the information easier to comprehend, INSIGHT was organized around themes borrowed from Daniel Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind”. This format was a tremendous success and left the participants wanting more. (Click here for an explanation of the book and the Academy’s new format.) The Class of 2007 consisted of 27 graduates.
The 2007 INSIGHT College was offered to provide residents all the details not presented during the Academy and in only one week (graduation from the Academy was not a pre-requisite). Residents could sign up for a topic (i.e. Development, Public Safety, Human Services, etc.) and get the information that interested them most. The College was not as successful as the 2007 Academy and registration was low; therefore, a decision was made to merge the informational presentations and interactive learning opportunities together in 2008.
It was this year that the Academy settled into a rhythm that has proven to be most successful. The 2008 Academy was lengthened to 10 weeks and an optional day of exploring was added to each week. The regular sessions were held on Thursdays, as had been the case since 2004, but now the Academy offered bonus sessions and facility tours every Tuesday. Most of these bonus sessions were topics not offered in the past, giving participants a more in-depth experience. Twenty-nine participants graduated in 2008 – the largest to date.
The International City and County Management Association (ICMA) featured Winchester’s INSIGHT Citizen’s Academy as a case study at its 2009 leading practices conference. City Managers from across the country attended the conference to learn about proven programs in other communities so that they may implement similar programs at home. Being featured at ICMA’s conference is a compliment to the program and an honor for the City of Winchester.
Several new sessions were added and a few adjustments were made to the 2009
schedule, but for the most part, it is the same successful program as offered
in 2008.
Since 2004, over 100 people have graduated from the program and many have gone on to serve on an advisory board and Council. Some even come back year-after-year to continue learning about new City programs, successes, challenges, and services. There is always something new to discover at the City of Winchester’s INSIGHT Citizen’s Academy!
“It is something everyone should participate in. I would definitely consider attending again next year. Thanks for everything!!!”
“Great job by the City.
It really makes one feel they can be a part of things.”
See the current schedule for more information.