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Neighborhood Leadership Academy . . , . . CITY OF MIAMI BEACH Office of the City Manager Interoffice Memorandum m To: Executive Staff and Department Directors Date: Octobe~23,~901 From: Jorge M. Gonzalez \.~ City Manager d r 0 NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP ACADEMY o .....~2,~ --) \l ') C. t, Subject: V~ ~ ~. "- '..Ol ...,~, -, :-n '-' '.,./ The Neighborhood Services Department has developed a new program, Neighborhood Leadership Academy. The Academy is designed to provide information to the residents of Miami Beach about local government and foster positive relationships between residents and city staff. The Academy will provide residents with the information, resources and tools to become effective neighborhood leaders. Successful programs of this type are currently in place in Miami-Dade County and Hollywood, Florida. The Academy is scheduled to be implemented in mid-January 2002. Neighborhood Services Department staff, working with various departments, will design the class objectives and curriculum, which will be constituent driven. The goal is to make these classes interesting, informative and fun. Initially, the academy will be an eight-week program, meeting one evening a week from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p:m. Attached is a brief overview of the program for your review. The Police, Fire, Public Works, Planning, Capital Improvements Project, Parks and Recreation, Management and Budget and Parking Departments have been identified as key components of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy. Please assign a staff member to represent your department as an instructor. Forward your staff designee information by cc:Mail to Vivian P. Guzman no later than October 31, 2001. The first meeting for your designee is scheduled for Monday, November 5, 2001, 10:00 a.m. to 11 :00 a.m., City Manager's Large Conference Room. I am fully committed to ensuring a successful Neighborhood Leadership Academy and strongly encourage your participation. Your department is an integral part of this program and cannot succeed without your full cooperation. I will be participating in this program and my office is scheduled for one of the evening sessions. This is an excellent opportunity for respective departments to develop and foster positive relationships with our residents. I look forward to the successful implementation of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy as we strive to enhance our relationship with the public we serve. ~ Attachments t ~ > - A City of Miami Beach Neighborhood Leadership Academy Neighborhood Services Department Prol!ram Abstract The Neighborhood Services Department and over 20 other City of Miami Beach departments and divisions provide direct services to approximately 95,000 residents. The development and implementation of a Neighborhood Leadership Academy will offer Miami Beach residents an opportunity to learn more about the services and resources available to them. Residents enrolled in the Academy will have an opportunity to meet the people responsible for providing city services, gain insight into how the city works, and understand the role of each department. The curriculum will be presented by individual City of Miami Beach departments or divisions and will include an overview of each department or division's responsibility and the residential services provided. In addition to providing information and resources to help residents become more knowledgeable on city services, the Academy provides an opportunity for city staff to learn about our residents' needs as our customers and consumers of city services. Furthermore, residents will be able to learn more about the program on the City web site as well as register on-line. Description of Prol!ram The City of Miami Beach Neighborhood Leadership Academy is a civic and public information program designed for residents of Miami Beach. The Academy provides residents with the information and resources to become more knowledgeable members of our diverse community. Several departments will participate in sessions conducted by city staff with expertise in the subject matter. The instructors will distribute information and materials that enable residents to understand how the various city departments and divisions serve their community and the processes involved. The Academy is a program of the Neighborhood Services Department and the proposed location for the classes will be the first floor conference room at City Hall or commission chambers. The Neighborhood Leadership Academy is fashioned after a traditional learning environment, operating two or three semesters per year with each semester lasting a total of eight weeks, with two hour evening sessions once a week. At the end of each semester, the Manager or his designee will attend the graduation ceremony and present each student with a graduation certificate. Additionally, instructors are encouraged to attend the graduation ceremonies at the end of each semester. Classes will include an overview of city government and pertinent information from city departments and divisions that provide direct services. After each session, every participant will have an opportunity to complete a survey that includes an area for comments. At the end of the first Neighborhood Leadership Academy and based on the results of the survey, an evaluation will be completed by the Neighborhood Services ." " City of Miami Beach Neighborhood Leadership Academy, Page 2 Department and the following semester may be modified to incorporate many of the residents' requests or suggestions. In essence, this program will be customer driven. One of the primary goals of the program is to foster a partnership between residents and city staff. In order to meet this goal, the classes will be informal and small, allowing for communication between instructor and participants. Additionally, there will be a question and answer period at the end of each session and participation will be encouraged during the sessions. City staff will remain until the end of the class to address any specific questions that a student may have relevant to the division or department. At the conclusion of the semester, participants will have a better understanding of the organization and operations of the various city division and departments. Neighborhood Services Department staff will facilitate each session to ensure that the discussion stays focused on the subject matter and that there is sufficient time to have an open discussion on the information presented. The tentative schedule for the inaugural semester is Tuesday, January 15, 2002 with the graduation scheduled for March 5, 2002. Curriculum The following list represents the departments that will prepare a curriculum for the first session or semester. The actual course and material will be developed by each department or division, providing a brief overview of the role and function of the respective division/department and focus on issues relevant to residential neighborhoods. Prior to the start of the Academy, Neighborhood Services Department staff will meet with each department and/or division to review the module and materials prepared for the semester. Except for the Police and Fire Department, every department will have one evening or a two-hour session to make a presentation. Since the Police Department already has an existing Citizens' Police Academy, residents interested in additional training or information can enroll in that academy. However, both the Fire and Police Departments may want to consider an optional field trip to a police or fire station that will give each department additional time with students. The field trip will afford each department an opportunity to showcase their facilities. .:. City Manager's Office .:. Neighborhood Services Department .:. Management and Budget .:. Building Department .:. Planning Department .:. Capital Improvement Projects Office .:. Public Works Department .:. Parks and Recreation Department .:. Parking Department .:. Police Department .:. Fire Department '. .' \ \. . . City of Miami Beach Neighborhood Leadership Academy, Page 3 Recol!nition of Students At the end of each semester, there will be a graduation ceremony for the participants or students. The Manager or his designee, Assistant City Manager(s) and City staff will attend to present the students with their diplomas. Each participant will be recognized for his or her commitment to this community and be presented with a City of Miami Beach Neighborhood Leadership Academy diploma or certificate. The graduation ceremony will be held in the commission chambers on the last day of the Academy. The Cost of the Prol!ram Since the instructors will be unclassified and salaried employees that do not receive overtime compensation, the cost of the program will be minimal. Basic print materials, agendas, schedules, surveys, will be prepared by Neighborhood Services Department. Promotional materials such as brochures, folders and notepads for participants should be out-sourced to a printing company. Once a brochure design is created and the promotional materials approved, Neighborhood Services Department will request an estimate for the printing of these items and prepare a budget for the program. An additional expense for the program will be providing participants with light refreshments during the eight-week semester.