CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Cape Cod Young Professionals Executive Director Anne Van Vleck
DENNISPORT – Cape Cod Young Professionals is starting a speaker series aimed at educating members on how to get involved with the civic process in their communities.
The first event of the Shape the Cape Speaker Series will be held Friday at the Cape Cod Community Media Center in Dennisport from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
The series was created in response to a 2013 survey and report conducted by the organization to identify the concerns of its members.
“We heard from our members and the young professionals on Cape Cod that they really wanted to get more involved,” said Cape Cod Young Professionals Executive Director Anne Van Vleck. “We learned from them that there were some stumbling blocks. They were intimidated by the process. They felt they weren’t sure they really knew how the towns are governed.”
Van Vleck said CCYP wanted to help empower its members and give them the tools needed to become part of the community and have their voices heard.
“We also understand that this demographic hopefully is the future of Cape Cod and we want them to take some ownership and responsibility around some of the decisions that are being made around some of these longer-term issues,” she said.
The keynote speaker of the first event of the series will be State Senator Dan Wolf (D-Harwich).
“As the great filmmaker Woody Allen once said, ‘80 percent of success in life is showing up,’” said Wolf. “When it comes to civic engagement, we probably can up that number to about 95 percent. But where, when, how, and most of all, why? That’s what I’m hoping we’ll explore together.”
The event’s goal is to clarify local government for younger citizens and to make community engagement more accessible.
The event will also feature a panel of young professionals who will discuss their roles in local government, what motivated them to get involved and the challenges and rewards of serving the public.
The panelists include Barnstable Town Council member Sarah Cushing, Mashpee Selectmen John Cotton, Sandwich School Committee member Beth Cummings and 2nd Barnstable District State Representative Brian Mannal.
The event is free and open to public but registration is required.
Cape Cod Community Media Channel 99 will also air the event live.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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