Developing Community Leaders

Something struck me recently. I found myself asking myself, what would Minnesota be like without the Citizens League? What would I be like without them? Participation on the Water Policy Study Committee was very transformative for me. The conversation that unfolded in that committee opened my eyes to many things, including how incredibly vital it is to have an organization that brings together citizens with very different perspectives to talk with one another about their values, their experiences, and why a particular public policy has meaning to them as people.

Our committee conversations led me to rethink my own role in public life. So last summer I and six neighbors founded the Como Lake Neighbor Network, which has now tripled in size and has received great praise from our local government officials. I would not be the community leader I am today were it not for the Citizens League and my participation on the Water Policy Study Committee.

This is what the Citizens League does - provides that social space for us to sit together as citizens, to take the time to hear one another, to work through difficult issues, grapple with trade-offs and tensions, to form a common community vision. And it gives ordinary citizens a new perspective on their ability to make a difference in their community and to govern for the common good. This is rare – not something any other organization that I know is capable of doing. It is the conversation itself that the League values, and is the launch point for collective action and real change.

This made me realize, the Citizens League is an organization that I kind of take for granted as always being there. But maybe I shouldn't anymore. I really did give this some serious thought, and I cannot think of any other organization in this state that has the ability to touch the lives of ordinary citizens so profoundly by bringing them into the public sphere.

Therefore, I decided to make an extra donation to the Citizens League this year, on top of my annual membership fee. Next year I hope to be in a position to give a lot more. It may not be much, but I know several small donations can go a very long way. If you are like me and you feel grateful to have an organization like the Citizens League in this state, if you feel a sense of ownership towards the continued existence of the Citizens League, I urge you to make an additional donation this holiday season.

Thanks for reading! - Janna Caywood