The Citizens Campaign today announced that it will hold a "Celebration of Citizen Service" at 7:00 PM eastern time this evening, November 10th. This Livestream event honors citizen leaders who are working to leave their communities and nation better than they found them, bridging our divides and coming together on the common ground of practical solutions. It also highlights the people who are recruiting, training, and inspiring these new leaders. Taken together, these citizen leaders and their supporters are creating the foundation of a National Citizen Leadership Service.

The Citizen Leadership Service is being assembled primarily by establishing leadership training bases located at colleges around the nation where interested members of the community and students are offered training in “Leadership and No-Blame Problem Solving." After completing the training, people are provided with opportunities to put their new skills to work by becoming participants in The Citizen Leadership Service. Options for service include becoming a Civic Trustee, working with other civic-minded citizens who come together in monthly no-blame problem solving sessions, searching the nation to identify successful solutions for their cities. Trustees commit to at least one year of service and pledge to work to “leave their city and country better than they found them.” Other options include local leadership positions such, as serving on a Board or Commission, becoming a solutions advocate advancing evidence-based solutions to current local issues or serving as a local neighborhood political party representative, most commonly known as a committeeperson.

“Our American community is dangerously divided and polarized with name calling and partisan talking points dominating our public discourse, “ said Harry Pozycki, Founder of The Citizens Campaign. “The citizen leaders we celebrate tonight and the establishment of The Citizen Leadership Service give our country the example of mutual respect and unselfish service needed to heal the public divide and empowers us to work with people with whom we may disagree on the powerful common ground of pragmatic problem solving.”

"Leaders whom I know on both sides of the political aisle will all tell you that a national public service is critically needed,” said Tom Kean, chair of the 9/11 Commission and a former governor of New Jersey. “And now we have one in which everyone can play a role in building a country strong enough to stand up to today’s challenges. Let’s heal our American community with the power of service and civility.”

“You no longer need to sit on the sidelines. The Citizen Leadership Service gives you the playbook and the know-how to take the field," added Bart Oates, President of the NFL Alumni and 3 time Super Bowl champion. "We all have so much to be grateful for as Americans and now is the chance to give something back to this country. Some people think America is in the fourth quarter with time running out. But I disagree, it’s our time to stand up and win.”

Pointing to the need for more leadership training bases to empower city residents, Darren “Freedom” Green, a Trenton Civic Trustee, said “Who better then to solve the problems than the people that are closest to them.”

“We at San Jose City College are officially designated as a Minority Serving Institution, which means that it’s our mission to educate and lift up diverse students to reach their full potential,” said Rowena Tomaneng, President of San Jose City College. "Our new Citizen Leadership Center, which will serve as a leadership training base, gives our diverse community members the means to realize their full power as citizens and close the civic empowerment gap in our country.”

Other featured participants in tonight’s Livestream include: Andre Sayegh, Mayor of Paterson, NJ; Paul Gaffney, retired Vice-Admiral and former president of the National Defense University and Monmouth University; Sandra LaFluer, director of Changemaking Education and Social Innovation at Miami Dade College; and Reverend DeForest “Buster” Soaries Jr, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) in Somerset, New Jersey and former chair of the United States Election Assistance Commission.

Leadership training bases have been launched at the following community colleges: Bakersfield College (Bakersfield, California); Cascadia College (borders Seattle, Washington); Highline College (borders Seattle, Washington); Hagerstown Community College (Hagerstown, Maryland); Harold Washington College (Chicago, Illinois); Houston Community College (Houston, Texas); Mercer County Community College (Trenton, N.J.); Miami Dade College (Miami, Florida); Middlesex College (Perth Amboy, N.J.); Pikes Peak Community College (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and Trident Technical College (Charleston, South Carolina). One has also been established at Rutgers University- Newark.

The Citizens Campaign is a community of problem-solvers dedicated to restoring service, mutual respect, and pragmatism to America’s political culture by establishing a new, national Citizen Leadership Service based at colleges across the nation. It designed all aspects of the “Leadership and No-Blame Problem Solving” training, including toolkits for professors, online videos, and drop-down course notes. The course text. Citizen Power, is authored by Harry Pozycki and published by Rutgers Press.

Here is the link to Watch Tonight's Livestream: CITIZENS CAMPAIGN EVENT (It will become active at 6:45 PM eastern time this evening).