October 12, 20005 :: No. 43

Community members will discuss the needs and concerns of West Fullerton residents Thursday, Oct. 20, during a town hall at Cal State Fullerton. The 7:30 p.m. meeting will take place in the Titan Student Union.

The dialogue on “West Fullerton — Stories of Hope and Civic Renewal” is a continuation of discussions that began earlier this year as part of a spring class project in cooperation with the Cal State Fullerton Center for Community Dialogue, West Fullerton Improvement Committee and the League of Women Voters.

In mid-July, more than 100 residents and students from the course “Communication in Community Building and Civic Engagement” gathered to attend the first Orange County Civic Congress focusing on West Fullerton. The program, featuring interviews with community leaders and residents, was designed to explore obstacles to civic engagement, struggles that immigrant families face and improvements that could be beneficial to families and neighborhoods.

More than 20 “next steps” were identified and grouped into the following categories: resident leadership development/community organizing; information, referral and community outreach; community building in a diverse community; and health education to promote good health behaviors.

The Oct. 20 town hall will feature roundtable discussions in the four categories. Each group will have a leader knowledgeable about that particular field to provide guidance during discussions, goal setting and development of an action plan for the community.

Among those who will be leading these groups are Joseph McKellar, community organizer for the Orange County Congregational Community Organization; Silas Abrego, associate vice president for student affairs at Cal State Fullerton; and Lenny Wiersma, assistant professor of kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton.

Additional information is available at 657-278-4730.

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