I’ve written a little bit in the past about my thoughts on the need for civic engagement in order for a city to move forward. I would like to see what groups exist out there, or rather, what groups are known to exist out there for people to join. It’s more an exercise in seeing what already exisis in a city before attempts are made at reinventing the wheel. I had already been working on developing this list and seeing what else could come from such a resource for the Birmingham community. I was encouraged to move forward on expanding my search after hearing Mayor Kincaid speak at yesterday’s Rotaract meeting at the Harbert Center. He identified the Creative Class, the group that is considered the main demographic of most of these young professional groups, as a key to the success of the city. I could not think of a better way to continue and promote that success than by trying to figure out just how many groups there are in this town.
Here’s the plan: I’m going to start by listing some organizations below. Some of these groups have active sites though I am aware that some sites are preparing to reorganize or restructure soon. I would appreciate it if people would list other organizations that they know of in their comments. If you know of anyone that may know of some additions, please forward the link to this post to them so that they can respond and add on. I will also add on to the list as I learn of more. Thanks in advance:
Alys Stephens Center Young Patrons
Birmingham Museum of Art Junior Patrons
Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals
Birmingham’s Young Real Estate Professionals
Young Professionals of Birmingham
Youth Leadership Board – Ronald McDonald House of Birmingham
