You know how important it is to both attract young people into the local government management profession and to increase diversity and representativeness in the profession. Have you been looking for an opportunity to promote educational and career paths to the next generation? You are not alone in these efforts.

Public Service Weekends are a program of Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA), whose mission it is to increase the participation and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups at the highest level of public sector leadership, in collaboration with NASPAA, the membership association of graduate programs in public administration, public policy, and public affairs.  Public Service Weekends are designed to encourage a diverse array of students to enter graduate programs and pursue careers in public service. 

Consider recommending a college student you know who shows potential for public service leadership to participate in a Public Service Weekend.

Three Public Service Weekends are scheduled for 2016, each with their own particular emphasis:

1. On July 29 – July 31, 2016, a Public Service Weekend titled, Let Your Voice Be Heard: A Next Generation Conference for Undergraduates will be hosted by the Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College in Washington, DC. The 50 students selected will hear speakers and learn from experts on public policy issues that include technology & society, government gridlock, climate change, and education, participate in a team competition to develop policy recommendations for the 45th President, and may win cash prizes (ranging from $500 – $2,000).
2. On October 20 – October 23, 2016, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University – Bloomington, Indiana, will host a Public Service Weekend titled, Moving the World Forward: Exploring a Future in Public Service. Participants will hear from renowned thinkers and leaders in public service, participate in cultural and recreational activities on the beautiful Bloomington campus, and meet new friends from across the country. The program will involve seminars, debates and activities that will introduce participants to a range of careers in public service, such as nonprofits, arts administration, healthcare, environmental policy, all led by outstanding IU faculty, alumni and community leaders.
3. On October 28 – October 30, 2016, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, will host a Public Service Weekend called, Turning Passion into Action: A Conference for the Next Generation of Public Service Leaders. This program is designed to bring together 25 future change makers from the NY-CT-NJ-PA region to engage in speed networking with individuals actively engaged in creating positive change, attend seminars, and meet innovative thinkers in public policy, local government management, philanthropy, international NGOs and more.

Program costs are paid for by the host universities; there are no expenses for the participating students. Additional Public Service Weekends will be held in spring 2017 in Minnesota and southern California, however dates have not yet been established.

In effort to combine the energies, expertise, and professional networks of several professional associations with overlapping goals, the members of ICMA and IHN are being asked to support these Public Service Weekends. If you know of a college student in your community who is a member of a traditionally underrepresented group, please encourage them to apply and/or contact the program organizers at these schools to recommend someone.