Civic Engagement

How much does your access to the internet effect your civic participation? In an ever more connected world of social media and instant internet searches how much would you miss out on if you did not have access to these tools and technologies?

"Equitable and broad internet access is equally critical, not only to provide information but to connect community members to one another and to civic opportunities. America's 2010 Civic Health Assessment reports: 'People who have access to the internet in theier homes and people who use the internet wherever they have opportunity are more likely to get involved in almost every type of (civic) activity. Adults who use the internet regularly were 20% more likely to vote in the 2008 election than adults who did not use the internet." (CHI 2010).

As recommended in the 2010 Greater Seattle Civic Health Index Report, to strengthen political voice for all people in the Greater Seattle Area animportant action we must take is to: "Expand the availability of broadband and high-speed internet throughout the region." (CHI 2010)

Bruce Harrell and the Great Student Initiative are making great strides in this direction for low-income students in the Seattle area at little or no cost to the schools. Read more about their work in this article.

Bruce Harrell says, "I am pleased to introduce the Great Student Initiative, a new partnership program with information, communication and technology companies, and financial institutions to provide low-cost, high-speed Internet access, hardware and software for low-income students in the Seattle Public Schools, and creating a steering committee to advance the goals of the initiative. In the last 18 months, I have worked closely with Comcast and Microsoft’s Shape the Future Education program to build this public/private partnership to deliver technology access to our students."

How often do you travel to Canada?  As Washingtonians, what amount of goods and services that you rely on in your daily life come from Canada?

In 2009, Washington State exports to Canada totaled $5.3 billion accounting for approximately 174,000 jobs. Imports totaled over $11.8 billion.  In what ways do we work together on trade, tourism, security, immigration and other important border issues? Where do we compete and where do we collaborate with our northern neighbor?

Join us on May 4th to hear how our region navigates the terrain of competition and collaboration between nations. We are pleased to introduce our expert panelists on this subject, Phillip Chicola, Consul General of the United States of America in Vancouver, Denis Stevens, Consul General of Canada in Seattle. And a special thank you to our moderator  Steve Scher; Senior Host, Weekday; KUOW 94.9 FM.

 

                                                            

 Phillip Chicola                                       Denis Stevens                                     Steve Scher

Consul General of                                 Consul General of                               Senior Host, Weekday

the United States                                   Canada                                                KUOW 94.9 FM

 

Join us with your questions and be a part of this important conversation affecting regional business, culture and government. We look forward to seeing you there!

In the spirit of connecting you with ways to be involved in our community, we wanted to share this opportunity to serve on a Seattle Public Utilities Sounding Board, helping SPU do work related to the Clean Water Act and develop a long term plan to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows. If this sounds like something you're interested in sinking your teeth into, read on!
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