What inspires residents to get involved and how the City can support meaningful civic participation?
Project Description: Civic engagement encourages residents to participate in municipal government activities to help shape their community and decisions that affect them. The City of Hamilton Community Engagement Section is also involved with volunteer recognition each year, which is another pathway that individuals may take to get involved with the City in a tangible way. City Staff is looking to understand what motivates residents to be involved with civic action, such as delegations at City Council meetings, participating on municipal boards, and engaging on city projects. There is interest in ensuring there are clear pathways for residents to get involved in civic engagement activities. City Staff has done some cursory work to understand City volunteer motivations, barriers, and recognition opportunities, and would like to gather additional information on this aspect through this project. The focus of this project is to understand how the City of Hamilton can create clearer pathways for residents to become involved in civic participation and local decision-making.
City Staff: Lauren Vraets and Krista Rao, City Manager’s Office
Deliverables: Primary research, secondary research, event or workshop
Project Start Date/ Availability: Fall 2026
Location: City Wide
City Strategy Priority: Community Engagement and Participation