Delayed county civics academy vows spring opening
Miami Today News
By Alexander Luzula
This article originally appeared in Miami Today News.
After three months of delays, the Miami-Dade County Civic Engagement Academy for Civics Education is on track to be up and running this spring, according to Cassandra Arnold, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and project lead for the new academy.
Partnering with the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the academy will offer classes across five locations, with four sessions at each campus, in addition to online Zoom courses offered concurrently for those unable to attend in person.
The program will be offering courses on many topics related to civics and government, including “foundations of civic participation, going into what local government looks like, the three branches, federal, state, of course looking at solving local problems through governance and advocacy,” said Dr. Arnold.
“Another topic we’re looking at is community development and engagement, and the last one is civic engagement in action. For us, we want to look at checks and balances in government, voting, the jury system, we want to look at the school board.”
According to Dr. Arnold, the program has been a long-time goal for the mayor, intended not only to educate county residents but to get them engaged with their community and in hands-on discussions and participation.
The program was initiated last June as legislation sponsored by Commissioner Marleine Bastien called for the county to establish a public civics education program that would be available both in-person and online, and to provide education to non-English speakers and new residents, as Florida is one of the few states in the US to require civics education to graduate from high school.
The legislation set a deadline of Dec. 1 to have the program up and running and allotted a budget of $150,000, according to county budget proposals for the next fiscal year. Dr. Arnold and library system Director Ray Baker were appointed to lead the project. The delays have extended to now, although Dr. Arnold did say the academy will be open this spring, with a hard date soon to follow.
She said the delays in launching were necessary – developing the curriculum in partnership with the University of Miami and Florida International University, establishing partnerships with community organizations, and coordinating the necessary logistics of locations and scheduling.
“We want to educate Miami-Dade residents on the policymaking process, how they can become more engaged and informed, especially now with our constitutional offices,” she said.
“That’s another area we want to share with them. I think overall, for us, the goal is to be engaging, to allow discussion, case studies, and give them the opportunity for hands-on workshops and group activities,” she said. “And that’s the beauty of this workshop – they’re not just being told what they can do, but they’re also engaging in dialogue and also sharing with us their personal stories and how they can be an active participant in our local government.”
The program will be offered at five Miami-Dade public libraries: the Main Library at 101 W Flagler St., the Arcola Lakes Branch Library, the North Dade Regional Library, the Westchester Regional Library, and the Naranja Branch Library, in addition to the option of Zoom.
The county is looking at partnering with five community organizations, whose members would be involved in teaching the courses: the Family Action Network Movement, the Sant La Neighborhood Center, Catalyst Miami, CABA Pro Bono, and Engage Miami.
In addition to her duties as the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, Dr. Arnold will still be involved in the academy as an administrator and coordinator. The academy will offer courses in English, Spanish, and Creole, and will offer primarily evening classes to accommodate working hours and evening commutes, as well as midday sessions for students, stay-at-home parents, and other commuters.
Classes will be free and available to sign up for on the county’s website once the launch date has been announced, Dr. Arnold said. Classes are open to all residents of all ages.
“We want this to be an opportunity to empower residents in knowledge. We want this to be conversations that they can have at home, make it practical, make it real and local. I think a lot of times we forget that it starts at the local level. We’re always thinking about the federal and state … but we also need to let them know these are ways you can participate at the municipality level,” said Dr. Arnold.
“We don’t want this to be intimidating. These are topics that can be very new and very intimidating for new residents or new citizens, which is why we wanted to make it in a culturally friendly way where they feel as if they are vested stakeholders in Miami-Dade.”
By Alexander Luzula
This article originally appeared in Miami Today News.
After three months of delays, the Miami-Dade County Civic Engagement Academy for Civics Education is on track to be up and running this spring, according to Cassandra Arnold, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and project lead for the new academy.
Partnering with the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the academy will offer classes across five locations, with four sessions at each campus, in addition to online Zoom courses offered concurrently for those unable to attend in person.
The program will be offering courses on many topics related to civics and government, including “foundations of civic participation, going into what local government looks like, the three branches, federal, state, of course looking at solving local problems through governance and advocacy,” said Dr. Arnold.
“Another topic we’re looking at is community development and engagement, and the last one is civic engagement in action. For us, we want to look at checks and balances in government, voting, the jury system, we want to look at the school board.”
According to Dr. Arnold, the program has been a long-time goal for the mayor, intended not only to educate county residents but to get them engaged with their community and in hands-on discussions and participation.
The program was initiated last June as legislation sponsored by Commissioner Marleine Bastien called for the county to establish a public civics education program that would be available both in-person and online, and to provide education to non-English speakers and new residents, as Florida is one of the few states in the US to require civics education to graduate from high school.
The legislation set a deadline of Dec. 1 to have the program up and running and allotted a budget of $150,000, according to county budget proposals for the next fiscal year. Dr. Arnold and library system Director Ray Baker were appointed to lead the project. The delays have extended to now, although Dr. Arnold did say the academy will be open this spring, with a hard date soon to follow.
She said the delays in launching were necessary – developing the curriculum in partnership with the University of Miami and Florida International University, establishing partnerships with community organizations, and coordinating the necessary logistics of locations and scheduling.
“We want to educate Miami-Dade residents on the policymaking process, how they can become more engaged and informed, especially now with our constitutional offices,” she said.
“That’s another area we want to share with them. I think overall, for us, the goal is to be engaging, to allow discussion, case studies, and give them the opportunity for hands-on workshops and group activities,” she said. “And that’s the beauty of this workshop – they’re not just being told what they can do, but they’re also engaging in dialogue and also sharing with us their personal stories and how they can be an active participant in our local government.”
The program will be offered at five Miami-Dade public libraries: the Main Library at 101 W Flagler St., the Arcola Lakes Branch Library, the North Dade Regional Library, the Westchester Regional Library, and the Naranja Branch Library, in addition to the option of Zoom.
The county is looking at partnering with five community organizations, whose members would be involved in teaching the courses: the Family Action Network Movement, the Sant La Neighborhood Center, Catalyst Miami, CABA Pro Bono, and Engage Miami.
In addition to her duties as the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, Dr. Arnold will still be involved in the academy as an administrator and coordinator. The academy will offer courses in English, Spanish, and Creole, and will offer primarily evening classes to accommodate working hours and evening commutes, as well as midday sessions for students, stay-at-home parents, and other commuters.
Classes will be free and available to sign up for on the county’s website once the launch date has been announced, Dr. Arnold said. Classes are open to all residents of all ages.
“We want this to be an opportunity to empower residents in knowledge. We want this to be conversations that they can have at home, make it practical, make it real and local. I think a lot of times we forget that it starts at the local level. We’re always thinking about the federal and state … but we also need to let them know these are ways you can participate at the municipality level,” said Dr. Arnold.
“We don’t want this to be intimidating. These are topics that can be very new and very intimidating for new residents or new citizens, which is why we wanted to make it in a culturally friendly way where they feel as if they are vested stakeholders in Miami-Dade.”
