Community Engagement

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Government

• Run for City Council – Registration deadlines are in January and June (depending on the city). 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 to learn more about the issues relevant to your city and the process of running for Council.
• Seek appointments to commissions & boards – There are dozens of boards and commissions across NKY. Appointment processes vary per location and board type. Here is a list of prominent boards and commissions.
  • 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.

Education

• 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!

Community

• 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.

Issue-based

• 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).

Politics

• 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.

Youth-focused

• 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.