I’m quite excited to be announcing Camden Churches Organized for People’s event, Creating an Economy of Inclusion. I’ve been helping out behind the scenes on this one, securing funding and speakers, because I just love the vision CCOP came up with. The goal is to bring in speakers who are familiar with development strategies, then to connect those speakers to residents focused on action. From Community Benefit Agreements, to minority-owned coops, to linking Eds and Meds development to neighborhoods, this event is all about connecting the development strategies in the city to residents. Here are the details:
Event: Economy of Inclusion: Camden Policy Forum
Date: Thursday, May 28 at
Time: 6:00PM-8:30pm (includes dinner)
Location: St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 2818 River Rd., Camden, NJ 08105
The Inquirer’s Kevin Riordan picked up the event yesterday, and he included some great quotes from Camden residents that really get to the heart of this event:
“Promises of training programs that will elevate residents to reach the new jobs are always made. Yet when the dust settles and the incentives have been awarded…the typical life of a Camden resident is little changed,” says Ray Lamboy, president and CEO of the Latin American Economic Development Association. LAEDA is sponsoring the event along with Camden Churches Organized for People.
Krtsten Zielinski-Nalen, a community organizer at St. Anthony of Padua, hopes the forum will empower residents to lobby for job training and community benefit agreements from “the companies that are benefiting from these tax incentives.” The goal, she adds, is “real jobs…that will benefit the people of Camden.”
One of the reasons I’m most excited about this event is the format. Rather than a traditional panel with a Q&A session, this event will have brief introductions by candidates, then will break down into small groups to workshop actions that residents can take to help ensure development reaches their neighborhood. From the beginning, CCOP has been action-oriented, and I can’t help but think the event will be a refreshing change to many similar events I’ve been to in the past.
Here’s the flier, and please take the time to register.
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