2020 Georgia Cities Week: “Building the 2020 Vision”
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Georgia Cities Week has been moved from April to October 4-10, 2020. This year’s theme is “Georgia’s Cities: Building the 2020 Vision” and will give cities the opportunity to:
- Share information about the valuable services they provide to residents, including an inside look into city operations and how cities positively impact their quality of life
- Highlight successful community projects and infrastructure enhancements
- Connect residents with each other
- Build or improve working relationships with state leaders and legislators
Now in its 21st year, Georgia Cities Week is also an opportunity to celebrate community achievements and recognize volunteers and city employees.
Sign-up sheets and were mailed to cities this month and Resource Kits are soon to follow. The Resource Kit includes ideas for celebrating Georgia Cities Week and supporting materials for media and community awareness.
2020 Georgia Cities Week: Theme-Related Event Suggestions
Coordinate a recognition program: Use this program (breakfast, luncheon, ceremony, etc.) to highlight city employees, residents and business owners who have invested their time and talents to building a better community for residents and visitors to live, work and play.
Host a Civic Conversation: Invite residents from different backgrounds and perspectives to spend time together in real and rich conversation that uncovers ways to build a stronger community. This conversation could be moderated, based around a meal, in a city park or feature entertainment from local schools and artists.
Host a Hometown Connection: This meeting will create a localized, identifiable and understandable frame of reference for your Georgia Representatives and House members on opportunities available to your city. Hometown Connections can include:
- A tour of your city and achievements showcase, how state grants/loans have been used and where challenges remain
- Invites to other cities in your county or region to participate
Remember to have appropriate city employees on hand to answer any questions and to notify a member of GMA’s governmental relations team to attend the Hometown Connection.
Highlight infrastructure projects: Provide your residents an inside look into city’s infrastructure – roads, bridges, rail, water and sewer systems, the energy grid, telecoms and more.
Other Georgia Cities Week Events Suggestions
- Hold a city-wide clean up in conjunction with Keep Georgia Beautiful, recycling events
- Display city equipment
- Move council meetings to different locations (public parks or local high schools)
- Invite students to participate in coloring contests or essay contests
- Hold open houses at city facilities
A more in-depth document will be sent to GCW participants upon registration. Cities are also encouraged to use social media to celebrate and promote their events, such as using Twitter to send out reminders of events or to post interesting facts about the city to its followers using the hashtags #GaCities and #GaCitiesWeek.
Additional Resources
For more information about Georgia Cities Week, contact Dana Goodall.