We’re off and running in 2019! It’s a whole new year and our plans are bigger, bolder, and better.
First off, thanks so much to all those network members who braved the weather and came out to our 2019 Snowcial at The Gladstone Hotel. The event name was way more apt than we had expected and snow and cold meant we drew a small, but mighty crowd. Despite the frosty weather, we loved having the opportunity to reconnect with you all after a refreshing winter break!
So what’s in store for the rest of 2019 aside from some (hopefully) better weather? In our 2018 ELN members survey, you told us that you want events and opportunities focused on critical city-building issues, closer connection to the work of CivicAction, and for us to prioritize diverse representation in our programming and the network.
We’ve heard you and we aim to deliver! So here’s what you can look forward to this year:
- Dynamo Events: The ELN executive committee will be bringing you monthly events that are even more laser-focused on the needs of the network, designed to explore city-building issues and build member capabilities and connections. Watch our newsletter, Twitter feed, or ELN Facebook group to see what’s coming up.
- CivicAction Hits Reset: This April, CivicAction will hit the “reset button” on its priority areas at its 2019 Summit. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to see what city-building themes will be on the agenda and how you can plug into the conversation!
- Recognizing Civic Leaders: When you think of a leader in your network who inspires your #LeadershipGoals, who comes to mind? Write down that name and save it for our call for nominations for CivicAction’s annual Emerging Leader Award later this spring. Each year our celebration of these leaders at MetroNext gets bigger and better, and this year’s party is sure to be a hit!
- ELNstudio: The best one-day conference for emerging leaders in the GTHA is back! ELNstudio will return this fall with a fresh take on some of our region’s main challenges and an opportunity for members to come together to create a project that has real-world impact.
- Federal Election Programming: This is a big year not just for our region, but the entire country as we all prepare to head to the polls on October 21. Expect some informative and inspiring programming around the major issues that are important to our network (that means you!).
- 2020-2021 Exec Recruitment: Has it been two years already? Well no, not quite, but we’re already getting prepped to recruit a new squad of civic rock stars that will form our next ELN Executive Committee. Are you one of those rock stars? Keep your eyes peeled for more info through the summer and early fall if you’ve got the passion and the chops to be an ELN Co-Chair or Exec team member.
As we ring in a new year, our dream team (aka our current ELN Executive Committee) is also going through some changes. We’re waving a bittersweet goodbye to Dilya Niezova and Abhishek Sarathy, two wonderfully fantastic ELN Executive members who are leaving the committee to pursue new adventures. But we’re also giving a big, warm ELN welcome to Meryam Al-waadh, our new ELN Events and Programming Lead.
New year, new ELN Executive member, new goals—2019 is oozing with fresh potential! Let’s make a New Year’s resolution to continue working hard at making the GTHA the region that every other region wishes it could be.
—Your 2018-2019 ELN Exec Team