Community Involvement
Citizen Teams... Community Growth
A Citizen Advisory Group (CAG) voluntarily performs the planning, implementation and monitoring functions at each Communities In Schools of Richmond (CIS) partnership school. Each 9-11 member CAG is representative of the interests of the individual community/school. With the assistance of the CIS Site Coordinator, the CAG develops an organizational structure that is fluid and inclusive so that it can adapt, change and evolve as interest grows, relationships develop and desired project outcomes change. Typically, a CAG has parents, school staff, business owners, faith community representatives, local agency representatives and community leaders as members. The CAG meets once a month with CIS personnel to carry out its functions.
The CAG meets for a one year term to assess community and school resources and needs. From the assessment, the CAG writes a comprehensive site plan and yearly Action Plan. These documents are presented to the CIS Program Directors for approval. Once the Action Plan is authorized, the CAG obtains the necessary programs/services from an array of public and private partnerships and monitors the project.
Specific responsibilities of the CAG include:
- Developing a comprehensive site plan that includes an assessment of community/school needs and resources
- Revising the plan annually and developing a corresponding yearly Action Plan
- Monitoring the project for program effectiveness
- Communicating with Program Directors regarding the site needs
- Assisting the project’s Student Assistance Team (SAT) in developing the appropriate CIS strategies and activities
- Ensuring active involvement of parents, neighborhood residents, youth, educators and site staff in designing and implementing services
- Assisting CIS and site staff in developing resources