From May 14-20, local governments are invited to engage residents in learning about the nuts and bolts of local governments. The week is put on in partnership between UBCM, CivicInfo BC, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
It’s not uncommon for residents to get confused about what local governments do, and what other levels of government do. Local Government Awareness week is an opportunity to answer questions, engage your residents, and promote civic awareness.
Some local governments already have the ball rolling for this year’s awareness week. Whistler has a list of ways residents can get involved. Logan Lake has a series of events, demonstrations, and activities people can join. And Okanagan-Similkameen has produced a great video.
UBCM has a suite of idea and resources for local governments. Some of our favourites are:
- Create short videos to share on social media that give people a “behind the scenes” look at the services your community provides.
- Write profiles of municipal staff to share what they do, what they like about working for the local government, what’s something a lot of people might not know about their job, etc.
- Host open houses or tours of municipal halls, regional board offices, fire stations, police stations, water treatment plants, school board offices, etc. Encourage people to visit different places by issuing ‘passports’ that are stamped at each place, with prizes awarded for completed passports.
- Develop a quiz for adults and for school students to fill out about their local government and board of education. Share it on social media, at schools, and common meeting places.
- Organize an event where the Council or Board challenges a local organization or team to a game of softball, etc. Take lots of pictures and share the fun on social media.
If you have other ideas or questions about how to put on your own event, feel free to reach out to UBCM for support. Also, be sure to share your ideas and activities on social media with the hashtag #LGAW2023.