Akronites joined together on May 18 for another Civic Saturday Akron event, which took place in Highland Square at a former church on the corner of West Market Street and North Rose Boulevard, which is now a residential home and private event space. Civic Saturdays are a type of civic event organized in different cities by alumni of Citizen University, using the framework learned at this nonprofit organization that trains students to become “civic culture catalysts.” Akron native and resident Kate Tucker hosted this Civic Saturday Akron event to foster community engagement in her hometown.

This Civic Saturday’s focus was on art and the environment and included a civic matchmaking fair with representatives from local organizations such as Akron Black Artists Guild, Preserve the Valley, The Big Love Network, Akron Urban Agriculture, Akron Cooperative Farms, Shanti Community Farms, Rubber City Reuse, and more.

The event kicked off with spoken word poetry by Xposyur, followed by music by Ben and Sarah White, civic text readings by local residents, and reflections by keynote speaker Alicia Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of Limitless Ambition and Director of Partnerships and Community Engagement at Summit Education Initiative.

The audience then split off into groups of 5 or 6 to participate in civic circles, where they discussed issues they see in their communities and how they are working to overcome or support those issues.

The event closed out with networking and civic matchmaking, with refreshments provided by local food and beverage businesses.

Follow Civic Saturday Akron’s social media pages and stay tuned for their next event.