On May 18, Cities of Service held our annual convening in Brooklyn, bringing city leaders together to share best practices and build relationships. We were happy to see familiar faces and newcomers forming connections with colleagues from around the world and gathering new ideas to implement in their own cities.

“I’d like to give a shout out to all the people who choose a career in public service. We are the frontline defenders of democracy.”
– Andi Crawford, Director, Dept. of Neighborhoods and Citizen Engagement, Lansing, Michigan

The day included presentations from our Engaged Cities Award finalists and participants got to play a round of Helsinki’s Participation Game – a few lucky cities got to take home their own copy. There was also plenty of time for discussion and problem solving around common challenges. Attendees answered each other’s questions and shared their best citizen engagement strategies informally over lunch and in group conversation. We were thrilled to have the diverse voices of city leaders from across North and South America and Europe contributing their insights.

We know that city leaders face a number of daunting challenges, often with limited staff and tight budgets. Our network of cities connects public servants to their colleagues to share best practices and creative strategies for addressing these challenges with the help of citizens. The relationships formed at the convening are a resource city leaders can rely on for inspiration and support all year long.