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Roseville Neighborhood & Community Engagement Task Force Final Recommendations "No man is an island" and "Together we are more" are sentiments that if understood and realized can raise the quality of a community's common life. The first reminds us we do not exist independent of one another. The other implies that a higher level of satisfaction in community occurs when we work cooperatively toward civic ideals. Unique among creatures, we have the capacity to increasingly advance our quality of life. When human societies first formed they devised compacts or covenants, sometimes unwritten, carrying the idea that privileges and protections, both personal and property, entail the reciprocal responsibility of individuals to contribute to the general welfare of others. What follows is motivated by the belief that our citizens are gifted with the knowledge, skills and heart-felt desire to make Roseville an even greater place to live. Our Charge The Neighborhood and Community Engagement Task Force was established by the Human Rights Commission in pursuance of its charge from the Roseville City Council to "increase the sense of community by reaching out to all members of the community and ensuring that our city government and its activities, programs, and services are accessible, understandable, and responsive to all." (City Code, Chapter 204.03) We recognize and acknowledge that our work builds upon solid foundations set in place by our predecessars, especially the City Council, Imagine Roseville 2025, and the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Council meetings and procedures, the availability of city-sponsored communication vehicles, such as the City's web site and City News, already provide opportunities for civic engagement. The purpose of this report is to build on those foundations and make recommendations to the Rosevi]]e City Council for enhancing and increasing civic engagement within all sectors of Roseville's diverse community. What Is Civic Engagement and Why Address It? Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms— individual volunteerism, volunteering on city commissions and committees, involvement with neighbo�hood groups or other non profit civic organizations, and/or organizational involvement for electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy. " (American Psychological Association, http://www. apa.or�/education/under�rad/civic-en�a�ement.aspx) The engagement of citizens creates more effective government and more sound decisions. Civically-engaged citizens have a stronger sense of community and knowledge of established community networlcs and resources; they can help the city get information out quickly, �