Author: admin
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VilCap Program Creates a Community of Entrepreneurs
Last Winter and Spring, through the VilCap: Start business accelerator program, I had the privilege of meeting a very diverse group of innovative, energetic, creative, and talented entrepreneurs –
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Community Trust Inspired by NYC
In 2012, members of the New York City Council embarked on what they called “a new form of democracy”—a process called Participatory Budgeting. For the first time in the history of New York City, residents themselves had the opportunity to decide how the city would spend a portion of its public funds.
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People don’t want to engage in discussion: FALSE!
Why don’t more people participate in politics? Some theorists believe that most people simply do not want to be bothered. If professional politicians can handle the decisions, the thinking goes, why would ordinary people want to be involved?
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Why Participatory Processes Matter
Several weeks ago, I wrote a piece concerning what I consider to be the importance of individual and collective ownership of local “resources” (or, to use another word, “capital”) to long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency.
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Bhutanese Seniors Proud to Seek U.S. Citizenship
Refugees learn principles of democracy in citizenship class at the Hindu-Bhuddist Temple Birendra Dhakal stood at the head of a table packed with more than 30 students, all of them many years his elder. He wrote the words “democracy” and “citizenship” on the white board.
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Hope and Collaboration Grow a Business
Flower business owner and longtime Clarkston landowner meet at VilCap Start and form partnership to grow a test plot Bikash Chhetri had the idea to start a flower business. He knew there was demand for his product, and he wanted to provide it. But he didn’t have a place to grow. Then he met Ben…
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27 local groups celebrate local engagement at Community Connections
The center of the gym at Atlanta Area School for the Deaf (AASD) held a line of tables crowded with groups and organizations. Many at the tables were community members working with local groups. Others were from schools, religious institutions, and government organizations. Circulating from table to table were families with children, who had come to…
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World Refugee Day in Georgia celebrates refugees’ strengths and stories
To honor World Refugee Day in Georgia, a group of leaders from inside and outside the community of refugee-serving organizations have come together to host a series of events on the week of June 17th-22nd. “Every event is tailored to offer something to everyone,” said Mathew George
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CDF announces new initiative called the Community Trust
“We spend a lot of time in community conversation asking ‘What if?’” said Chris Thompson, a team member at CDF.
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Community advocate succeeds in changing birth certificate policy
Late last year, Hussien Mohamed, the director of Sagal Radio, was approached by a community member. The man was deeply upset. The man was a refugee from Somalia who had recently had a baby at the DeKalb Medical Center. When filling out the child’s birth certificate, DeKalb Medical Center staff would not let him name…