A Beginner's Guide to VISTA and
BNAP
What is AmeriCorp*VISTA?
What are the VISTAs doing in my
neighborhood?
Who are they?
Are Neighborhood Assemblies
unique to Binghamton?
What other municipalities are
directly engaging citizens in the
democratic process?
Though the Binghamton
Neighborhood Assemblies Project has
resulted in a number of resident-led
accomplishments, many residents
(particularly the youth) still
aren't fully aware of Mayor Ryan's
civic engagement initiative. We are
building a special resource page to
answer the above questions and more,
and we invite your contributions to
a growing community dialogue about
the value of citizenship, an open
government, and grassroots
democracy.
Neighborhood Assemblies:
Monthly Schedule
Join your friends and
neighbors at the regularly scheduled
assemblies to learn of activity,
development and events in your
neighborhood.
CENTER CITY: every third
Thursday of the month, 6:00 -
7:30PM, Broome County Library, 185
Court Street
EAST SIDE: every second
Tuesday of the month, 7:00 - 8:30
PM, Grace Baptist Church, 33 Howard
Ave.
FIRST WARD: every second
Tuesday of the month, 6:00 - 7:30
PM, First Ward Senior Center, 226
Clinton Street (back entrance)
NORTH SIDE: every first
Thursday of the month, 6:00 - 7:30
PM, Centenary-Chenango Street United
Methodist Church, 438 Chenango
Street
WEST SIDE: every third
Thursday of the month, 6:30 – 8:00
PM,
Tabernacle United Methodist Church,
83 Main St.
SOUTHSIDE EAST: every
second Wednesday of the month, 6:30
- 8:00 PM, Conklin Avenue First
Baptist Church, 91 Baldwin Street
SOUTHSIDE WEST: every
first Wednesday of the month, 6:30 -
8:30 PM, MacArthur Elementary School, 1123
Vestal Avenue
YOUTH: For information
on the Youth Assembly,
contact VISTA Community Organizer Joe Calvello at 724-2489 or City
Youth Bureau Director Ana Shaello-Johnson
at 772-7028.
BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS:
Neighborhood Business Associations
are developing around the city.
Already up and running are the
Northside, Westside, Southside West,
and Eastside Neighborhood Business
Associations. There is also room for
additional Neighborhood Business
Associations in neighborhoods still
without. For information on the
Neighborhood Business Associations,
including meeting times and events,
call 724-2489. Also, check out the
new
page dedicated exclusively to
our new business associations!
Year One: A
Promising Beginning
More than 1000 residents
participated in neighborhood
assemblies and workgroup meetings
last year, and the potential of this
civic engagement initiative is
tremendous. In just the first year,
BNAP scored some great successes, as
residents took the lead and worked
with city hall, community, and
university partners to organize
around some creative neighborhood
projects:
- W.E.S.T F.E.S.T
- RIVER CRAWLS
- NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS
ASSOCIATIONS
- CITYWIDE SPRING CLEANUP
- SOUTHSIDE COMMONS PROJECT
- MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY (video
clip)
As we move through our second
year, there is another set of
excellent examples of residents
taking a more active role in the
planning and decision-making process
of neighborhood development--from
neighborhood inventories and vacant
property redevelopment ideas to
community gardens and farmers
market. We remain inspired by the
leadership and commitment of so many
residents in restoring the pride.
UPDATED: July 30,
2007
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