Schaub Memorial Lecture on Local Politics

March 3, 2015

Three local community activists will discuss the role of citizen groups in addressing problems in local communities in the 11th annual Victor Schaub Memorial Lecture on Local Government to be held March 12 at 5 p.m.

Heidi Benzonelli of the Westside Community Improvement Association, Larry Goldberg of Humboldt Transition and Renee Saucedo of the True North Organizing Committee will share their organizations’ experiences, successes and future plans at the annual event.

The Schaub Memorial Lecture, which is open to the public, is held in memory of Victor Schaub, a long-serving member of the Arcata City Council, and is sponsored by the Politics Department to commemorate his commitment to effective and responsive local government.

The speakers all represent grass-roots organizations that, having recognized problems in their communities, mobilized community members and coordinated with local government to implement solutions.

Heidi Benzonelli is president of the Westside Community Improvement Organization, which has transformed the closed Jefferson School into a multipurpose community center. The WCIA sees its mission as supporting programs to combat urban blight and to increasing recreational, educational and vocational opportunities.

Transition Humboldt will be represented by its founding organizer, Larry Goldberg. The Transition movement got its start in Great Britain under the direction of permaculture educator Rob Hopkins and has subsequently spread to more than 40 countries and well over a thousand communities worldwide. The goal of the organization is “to help communities develop resilience and transition to a low carbon future and is based on the belief that the best method of preparing to survive challenging times is by building community ties and by developing local resources.”

Renee Saucedo will represent the True North Organizing Network. This group is made up of a group of people with common values united across Tribal Lands, Del Norte, and Humboldt Counties that “supports everyday people working together, using the power of relationships and a disciplined community organizing model to courageously address the most pressing problems affecting our communities.”

The Schaub Memorial Lecture will be held in the Great Hall in the College Creek Complex. For more information, please contact the Politics Department at 707-826-4494.

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