Building upon the success of last year’s inaugural event, the second Engage Norfolk event will take place on February 11th from 1-5pm at Norview High School as a means to connect citizens with civic groups and engage with the community.
OutWire757 is a media sponsor of this year’s event.
Engage Norfolk is an opportunity for Norfolk’s residents (and beyond) to connect their passions and values with organizations making a difference in our city, our region, our state, our country and our world. Included in the event are the following:
- CivicFAIR: A showcase of the many organizations in our community.
- Civic Workshops: Learn how city government works, how to lobby your elected officials, turn your passion into action, and more.
- Meet & Greet: City Council members, School Board members, state Delegates and Senators and U.S. Representatives & Senators (or their regional directors)
- Civic Motivation: Meet others like you who are ready to get to work!
Norfolk City Councilman Andria McClellan created Engage Norfolk in 2017. Attendees from all walks of life and political affiliations from around the Hampton Roads area flooded the event with enormous enthusiasm, talking with community leaders, signing up for volunteer opportunities and their civic leagues, and learning how they could turn their abilities and concerns into actions and become leaders in their communities.
Core to the event was the CivicFAIR, which provided attendees an opportunity to learn about volunteer and advocacy opportunities from more than 100 organizations ranging from the environment, social justice, the arts, education, political organizations/candidates and more. In 2017, the LGBT Life Center (then ACCESS AIDS Care/LGBT Center of Hampton Roads) and PFLAG participated in the civic fair.
McClellan states, “Last year, as a brand new Norfolk City Councilwoman, I was introduced to numerous organizations, new and old, created with noble passions and ideas for solving the community’s problems. At the same time, a fast-growing sentiment I heard from many around me was, ‘I want to help, to make a difference, but I’m not sure how, or where to start.’ In response, Engage Norfolk was created to connect these dots.”
The venue for the 2018 Engage Norfolk event has changed to Norview High School which will offer exhibitors and attendees more room and ample parking. Stay tuned for a follow up article to include a list of exhibitors and full schedule of events and workshops.
Attendees are encouraged to register beforehand and Engage Norfolk is recruiting volunteers to work at the event. To register, sign up to volunteer or gather more information, visit Engage Norfolk or our event page HERE.
