Community Engagement
The NKY Chamber Leadership Programs promote community engagement and provide opportunities for meaningful involvement. As a talent retention strategy for our region, Leadership Northern Kentucky, Encounter NKY, and Regional Youth Leadership serve as a pipeline for developing leaders who will engage with their community to make our region a better place to live, work, play learn, and give back. Graduates are encouraged to seek opportunities to serve their community through appointment to boards, commissions, or elected office. Other leadership programs around the region provide additional opportunities to develop individual skills to lead. The Northern Kentucky Chamber, in partnership with the OneNKY Alliance, has compiled the following list of opportunities available in the Northern Kentucky Region.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FAQs
There are lots of options. They vary across interests – school, community, government, etc. They vary in intensity and requirements to participate. There are lots of things you can consider. We made a list of some options available.
Absolutely! Elected officials get all the attention, but most engagement is non-elected. You should think about what interests you and choose a related engagement opportunity. Engaging could be as simple as signing up and showing up. Sometimes it can be more involved – like being appointed to a city or county board.
Yes, there are many programs that teach you about systems and how to engage within them. Here is a handy list of some educational programs. Different programs focus on different types of engagement.
What most excites you when you think about getting involved? Supporting kids? Neighborhood beautification? Zoning regulation and economic development? Start simple – what engagement opportunity matches my interests? Within my interest area, what opportunity aligns with my availability? If you’re interested and it’s doable, reach out to whoever coordinates that engagement and get signed up!
Don’t overthink it! Successfully engaged individuals started small. If you want to help in the schools, volunteer to be a lunch monitor or a One-to-One Reading Coach. Pick a place and start volunteering. If your aspirations are higher – like getting appointed to a board/commission or running for election – work toward that bigger position while still doing the smaller engagements. It is important to learn as you chart your path.
Find a new engagement opportunity where you can leverage your past experience(s). If you were a leader in past engagement, find an opportunity with a leader that needs support. Experience with finance or fundraising? Oh my gosh, so many organizations need those supports. But most importantly, make sure you’re passionate about the actual work being done. Too often we are drawn into engagements because of our skills, not our interests, and it is hard to engage fully and persistently. Also, consider simple volunteering to ease back into engagement - those results are almost always positive and immediate.
We’re glad you asked! Using these resources to learn and engage is one way. Also attending NKY Chamber events to learn and network. And applying to programs like Encounter NKY or Leadership Northern Kentucky are ways to really step up your engagement game. The OneNKY Summit is a good opportunity to learn about important initiatives in NKY - the OneNKY Challenge is a great opportunity to get engaged. Fill out this form and we'll share more information.
PUBLIC SERVICE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
- Appointed by the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation – Single sessions held regularly to educate women interested in board/commission appointment (sample session video). Free.
- Chamber of Commerce Leadership Programs – Operated by most Chambers of Commerce, these leadership programs focus on accelerating career advancement for mid-career professionals by developing their understanding of the communities in which they live.
- Leadership Northern Kentucky - an 8-month program to learn about issues in NKY and Greater Cincinnati.
- Leadership KY – a 3-month program to learn about issues across the Commonwealth and network with leaders.
- Leadership Cincinnati - An immersive civic engagement and development program for established leaders in c-suite or senior executive positions.
- Citizens Academies – Offered by county and city governments to educate interested individuals about the operation of that local government. Multiple sessions across weeks/months.
- Campbell County Citizens Academy
- Kenton County Government Academy (now retired)
- Boone County ENGAGE Program
- Newport Citizens Academy
- Education Focused – leadership programs for school districts and potential school board candidates have proliferated over the last decade.
- School Board School – A Cincinnati-based program that seeks to develop education advocates and aspiring school board members, providing knowledge and networks to program participants.
- Boone County Superintendent District Ambassador Program
- Nonprofit leadership programs
- Board Orientation Leadership Development (BOLD) – Administered by the Leadership Council for Nonprofits. A 6-week program to develop potential board members.
- Youth Focused – programs geared toward school-age young adults.
- Regional Youth Leadership - Modeled after Leadership Northern Kentucky, RYL is a 7-month community leadership development program for high school juniors in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
- Youth Leadership Development program - Youth Leadership Development (YLD) is an after-school program through Brighton Center for middle school youth ages 11-15 to build leadership skills and conduct community service projects.
- Programs Outside NKY
- Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange - RUX works to bridge divides and build connections among Kentuckians by meeting people, exploring place, and cultivating partnerships through annual weekend intensives and other programs.
- BRIGHT Kentucky – YPs in Eastern Kentucky.
- Fellowship for Civic Leadership | Kentucky Chamber - A new program for Kentuckians interested in running for office.
ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- Run for City/County Elected Office – Registration deadlines are in January (or June for some cities). Pre-filing financial paperwork with the state is required in order to register to run.
- Advice: Reach out to someone currently serving on city council, county commission, or an office relevant to your interest area to learn more about the issues relevant to your target office and the process of running.
- Seek appointments to commissions & boards – There are dozens of boards and commissions across NKY. Appointment processes vary per location and board type.
- Advice: Identify a board/commission you’re interested in and do your research. Online searches are a good start. Meeting with a board member or city/county representative who can walk you through the process and criteria for appointment is an important next step.
- Resources:
- For parents: Join your Parent-Teacher Organization. PTOs are a good way to get things done that benefit your kid(s) directly. They can also be a great gateway to running for Site Based Decision Making Council or School Board.
- Advice: Do it! Your kid’s school needs you.
- For parents: Site Based Decision Making Councils set policies at each school. Running for SBDM is an excellent way to engage with your kid’s school. Most schools have information about SBDMC on their web pages.
- Advice: Research the background of SBDMs in Kentucky. Don’t overthink it if you’d like to do it. The process is simple and low barrier. This resource can help.
- School Board – Boards of Education are elected positions that focus on district-level issues. You must be a resident of the school district. Filing deadlines are usually in June.
- Advice: Meet with a current member of your BoE to learn more about the position and process for running. You can also reach out to local education experts.
- Volunteer with an Education Nonprofit – Organizations like the Northern Kentucky Education Council and EducateNKY provide various opportunities for engagement and volunteerism. They also host regular information events where you can learn more about the educational environment in the region.
- Advice: Create a short, generic “request for information” message that you can cut-and-paste into multiple contact forms through different organizations' websites. Use this resource to get connected and take the OneNKY Challenge!
- Join a Neighborhood Association – Beautification. Crime prevention. Socializing. These are some examples of the focus of your neighborhood association. Any way you look at it, this is the easiest way to get involved with the most potential for community and social benefit (at a low cost to you).
- Advice: Join and recruit others to join. Neighborhood Associations are the lifeblood of community organizing.
- Educational Programs – Programs like Leadership Northern Kentucky do an amazing job of educating and directing interested individuals toward engagement opportunities.
- Advice: Find an educational program that is right for you. Make sure you set an intention when you sign up for an educational program. Education without action is not engagement.
- Volunteer at a Nonprofit – One of the best ways to engage on issues that matter to you is to volunteer with organizations doing the work. Most organizations have staff dedicated to volunteer coordination, so getting engaged can be simple.
- Advice: Meeting with someone who works for a relevant nonprofit can help you identify the best place to engage. Many nonprofits work in a single-issue area, but their approach and use of volunteers can vary widely. Good volunteerism begets more volunteering, so choose well.
- Join a Nonprofit Board – Nonprofits have operating boards comprised of community members to oversee the operation of the organization. Serving on the board of a nonprofit is an excellent way to make a difference for an issue you find important. Note that requirements for board members vary widely and can involve a monetary obligation to the organization annually.
- Advice: Many organizations have committees that support the work of the board. Volunteering for a committee can be an easy way to help the organization while auditioning for the board (and also learning if you want to up your engagement to the board level).
- Volunteer with a political party – The Democratic and Republican Parties are active throughout NKY. If politics is your thing, you should get involved!
- Advice: Find your local political party (by county) and send them a message saying you want to be involved. They will take it from there.
- Volunteer with a political group (other than a party) – Some political organizations advocate for issues aligned with their organizational ideology. They work at the grassroots level to advance their priorities, often (but not always) aligning with more traditional political parties.
- Advice: If you want to be engaged in politics but not with a political party, find yourself a political organization and reach out. It can help to meet with someone you know that is politically active and aligned with your ideology to learn about the organizations you should consider.
- Boone County Youth Cabinet - The Boone County Youth Cabinet is a leadership program for high school juniors established in 1999 by the Boone County Fiscal Court in partnership with the RC Durr YMCA, Boone County Schools, Walton-Verona Schools and other partners. The BCYC program fosters students' development in areas of leadership and civic responsibility by offering an opportunity to learn about local government, interactions with local officials, and participation in service learning activities. All BCYC participants must be Boone County residents.
- Teen Court - A division of District Court, Teen Court enables local high school students from Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties to experience the wheels of justice first-hand. After a period of training, members of Teen Court hear cases involving actual juvenile offenders who are referred to the court for sentencing by a true jury of their peers and represented and prosecuted by members of Teen Court.
- Owen Electric Washington Youth Tour - Every year, Owen Electric offers high school juniors the opportunity to visit Washington D.C., to interact with cooperative and government officials, and visit historic landmarks. Applicants must be in the Owen Electric service territory.
LEARN MORE
Have questions about any of the community engagement opportunities above? Complete this form and someone from the NKY Chamber or OneNKY Alliance will be in touch.