Working with Local Government Workshop

Have you ever wanted to take part in your neighborhood’s community plan? Do you want to know what the city has planned for your neighborhood? The Neighborhood Resource Center hosts this event to allow the motivated and active Neighborhood resident to listen to and network with representatives from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. These representatives will discuss their programs, events, initiatives, and resources that are available to San Antonio and Bexar county community. This is wonderful opportunity for residents who have wanted to get involved in their community, and just never knew how to.

Legal Workshop

Attendee’s of this workshop will have access to individuals who can answer the many legal questions that most Neighborhood Association members have. Do you have questions about your Neighborhood Association bylaws? Do you want to know what your rights are within your association? Do you need help deciphering the legal lingo of the recent changes that the Internal Revenue Service has made for small Non-profits? Do you need help resolving disputes and conflicts? Or, do you just have general legal issues that concern your community? Join us to learn more about resolving all of these issues and much more. Representatives from Texas C-Bar and NRC Board Member Tom L. Newton, Attorney at law, will be on hand to present all the necessary information to address your legal needs.

Neighborhood Safety and Code Compliance Workshop

As the backbone of the Neighborhood Resource Center’s core curriculum, the Safety and Code Compliance Workshop is an event hosted annually. The NRC recognizes and stresses the importance of public exposure to this workshop topic. It is for this reason that locations for this workshop are rotated annually, in order to evenly expose the general public to this needed information. The workshop attendee can look forward to receiving needed information concerning the City of San Antonio’s Code Compliance Department. Information presented includes a detailed overview of the codes that are enforced, and any new or recent changes to codes. A City of San Antonio Code Compliance Department Officer will always be on hand to discuss the department’s responsibilities, initiatives, programs and new information. Information will also be provided on those “pesky” problems that plague San Antonio neighborhoods, such as animal control, lot maintenance, trash accumulation and collection, and good ways to alleviate the frequency of such occurrences. 

Following the Code Compliance presentation, workshop participants will be treated to a presentation by a San Antonio Police Department official. Typically this presentation will be given by the Captain of the Police division in the area that the workshop will take place. Workshop attendees will also receive a presentation and information from the area SAFFE officers on how to keep residential properties and neighborhoods safe. SAFFE officers will also offer ways that crime can be prevented and handled through increased citizen participation.

All presentations will be immediately followed by a thorough question and answer session!

Graffiti and Beautification Workshop

Have the green belts and spaces in your neighborhood laid fallow for one to many months? Have your neighborhood buildings become an outlet for teenage angst visible through rampant graffiti. T his workshop is offered as a tool to explore the topic of “Neighborhood Beautification” as not only the aesthetic revitalization of buildings and areas, but the introspective look at the symptoms of how issues of decline occur and where they originate. Beautification issues not only involve making a neighborhood look safe, but actually making it safe. Make plans to learn how to understand and address these issues. The workshop attendee will be able to learn how to create Community Gardens, from proved successful organizations and individuals, who know the importance of green areas in neighborhoods. One will also be able to listen to accounts and learn about the reasons behind graffiti problems and how to prevent them, from innovative, community rooted individuals. The workshop attendee will then learn how to combat existing graffiti problems from the City of San Antonio’s Neighborhood and Housing Services Graffiti Wipeout Department. Speakers from CPS Energy, Keep San Antonio Beautiful and the City of San Antonio Public Works Bexar Land Trust Department, as well as city Arborist, will be on hand to discuss topics, including: how to organize a neighborhood clean-up, how to wipe out graffiti, tree-trimming, and landscaping.

Increased Participation Workshop

This close knit and highly interactive workshop is ideal for the energetic and motivated individual who thrives in a realm of creative “do it yourself” ideas, but is looking for further support to increase productivity. Learn how to increase participation in your neighborhood in order to minimize the duties that you and your current support systems handle. The Neighborhood Resource Center hosts a panel of community volunteers, who have experienced success with projects pioneered in their neighborhoods, and have made progress in their neighborhoods with their future plans for change. We invite you to attend and share what has worked for you in your neighborhood and at the same time brainstorm and network with other neighborhood leaders.

Regional Citizens Workshop

Air and water pollution, affordable housing, transportation choices, jobs, and quality education—these are regional issues that affect your neighborhood and your quality of life. What can you do?Get involved at the next level! Your voice needs to be heard! Attendees of the Neighborhood Resource Center’s Regional Citizen Workshop will learn how to make more of a difference in the regional community and how to increase citizen participation and become a more active Regional Citizen. The purpose of the Regional Citizen Workshop is to identify and consider the important issues in the local regional community and to provide an overview of those issues. Citizens with a regional perspective are crucial to successful regional planning efforts. This workshop will be of interest to citizens and neighborhood leaders interested in participating in the regional planning process in an advisory capacity, citizens who are currently on a regional advisory committee, those who are interested in issues at the regional level and those interested in the regional planning process. A panel of regional planners and officials discuss current regional issues, processes by which these issues are addressed, and offer ways on how the Neighborhood minded individual can become involved in these regional-scale issues.

Board Training Workshop

Have you experienced recent decline in Board member participation? Have your monthly Board meetings seen better attendance days? Do you feel like the workload for your Board outweighs the workforce? Well this workshop is for you! Get excited again about your Board. Come and learn new and exciting ways to reenergize and revitalize your Board of Directors. Learn keys duties, roles and responsibilities of your Board positions, learn new and exciting ways to facilitate your meetings, and gather information and ways to recruit new and energetic Board members. Success is just one workshop away!