The Philadelphia Civic Trust on June 17 announced its “Share the Power” Campaign designed to give all interested Philadelphians the know-how to become problem-solvers, participating effectively in public issues beyond the ballot by advancing solutions to the challenges facing the city and our nation. In doing so, Philadelphia Trustees are helping to heal the divisions that plague us and rejuvenating our democracy.
The “Share the Power” Campaign is designed to inform all Philadelphians about how to leverage the power of the new laws that enable citizens who know how to use them to have as much information at their finger- tips as elected officials and the new technologies, such as search engines, that provide speedy access to evidence-based solutions that have worked in other similar cities. All Philadelphians will have the opportunity to learn a proven, no-blame problem-solving method that incorporates these laws and new technologies—one that has enabled citizens in NJ to pass over 300 local laws.
Philadelphians are now able to achieve their full measure of political power on their own time and at their own speed through a free videos-based online course with accompanying chapters of Citizen Power, a user-friendly handbook. Those that complete the course and answer the multiple-choice quizzes that go with each 5- minute video, will be awarded a “Certificate of Training” in Leadership and No-Blame Problem Solving.
The Share the Power Campaign kicked off on June 19th with a presentation at the Black Man’s Conference 2021. The monthly meeting of the Philadelphia Civic Trust on July 28 will focus on Share the Power and is open to anyone interested.
Share the Power presentations will be conducted all summer long at meetings and events with community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, civic groups and at churches, synagogues, and mosques, among other venues.
“Voting is just the beginning, not the end of our social responsibility as citizens,” said Russell Hicks, Philadelphia Civic Trust Organizer/Facilitator. Through Share the Power, we can become problem-solvers, working to better our city and our nation for culture change and systemic changes. That is what Philadelphia needs. That is what democracy requires of our nation.”
Lola Oladapo, a Philadelphia Civic Trustee, said, “We can always sit back and complain about something, but it takes courage, and it takes dedication and time to really hone in on an issue, and work to galvanize your peers around that issue to resolve it. That is what I learned how to do through Share the Power. I believe that we all have a responsibility to care for our communities and make it a place that we all want to live in.”
The Philadelphia Civic Trust, facilitated by The Citizens Campaign, is comprised of 24 Philadelphia residents who meet in monthly No-Blame Solution Sessions to find, adapt and advance cost-effective, evidence-based policy solutions. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/philadelphiacivictrust