The city’s mission is to improve the lives of the people they serve, and its vision is to be the community of choice for residents, businesses, and employees. Additionally, the city’s Strategic Plan and Balanced Scorecard are designed to drive performance throughout the organization towards one common objective – improving the community experience. The results of these projects suggest numerous opportunities for advancing these priorities through engagement. Whether through technology or in person, engaging with residents of diverse backgrounds and ages is a critical success factor. In a time when people are busier than ever and technology has become integral to our everyday lives, adaptation is essential. Cities are no exception as they search for new ways to communicate with their residents and engage with their diverse populations. Communication streams must be accessible and relevant to this technological age; to this end, the City of Glendale aims to increase its community engagement across multiple generations and populations.
Students in CPP 201 and PAF 509 investigated many creative strategies for Glendale’s consideration, all aimed at advancing the desire to harness multigenerational engagement. Students from the Next Generation Service Corps program observed a decided lack of civic engagement among Glendale’s younger residents, ages 18–25. They discovered that the best way to involve younger generations in local decision-making was to create a civic engagement committee that brought young adults and families into the city’s decision-making. Their research also suggested that a revitalized online presence could engage younger generations in community events, opportunities, and meetings. The students then devised a roadmap for achieving these goals.