Sept 2, 2010
by Heather Taylor, Citizens' Campaign Spokesperson

The New Brunswick City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday night launching a city-wide Call to Service to increase citizen leadership in municipal government.  This effort is in partnership with the Citizens Campaign’s Jersey Call to Service, a statewide campaign to inspire citizens to participate in the leadership of their community. The resolution creates an annual New Brunswick Call to Service Summit for residents to learn about service opportunities in the city, particularly on New Brunswick’s volunteer boards and commissions.
 
"The New Brunswick Call to Service is a call to residents to the service of the City,” said Citizens’ Campaign State Campaign Director Lauren Skowronski. “Our goal is to cultivate a larger network of community of leaders – people who want to make the New Brunswick, Middlesex County, and our State a better place and provide them with the tools to take the first step."

The first annual New Brunswick Call to Service Summit is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19^th at the Middlesex County Administration building in New Brunswick at 6pm. In addition to free training on how to serve on boards and commissions, the Summit will also educate residents on how to make constructive proposals to the City Council, how to serve on the political party committees, and opportunities to report on community news.  

The Call to Service Summit will provide free training in four powerful volunteer leadership opportunitites in government and political parties- 1) Developing public policy by serving on an appointed board or commission; 2) Becoming a citizen legislator and devising a constructive common-interest proposal and presenting it to a relevant government body; 3) Serving as a neighborhood-level political party committeeperson; and 4) Becoming a “citizen journalist” to help spread the word and engage the community in news related to politics and government.