Civics Boot Camp

Synapcity is an organization of people builders. They ensure that all the voices of our city are heard. They push a group to a place that they didn’t think that they could go, and are masters of finding the way through. They were essential in helping us figure out what we wanted to do with the Wevolution and changed the outcome of our strategic vision profoundly!

It is with Citizens Academy that I was inspired to start an initiative, Y2Y! where the youth help one another find jobs.

Before Synapcity, I’d never imagined reaching out to a politician. Throughout Boot Camp, we realized ‘wow, we can speak to these people’ – and more than that, Synapcity gave us the tools to use when we do speak to them.

Synapcity came into our city and transformed it. They have changed how we can inform our communities, how we can be a positive change and how we can exchange the knowledge and involve our community members in urban and rural areas.

Citizens Academy provided me with additional motivation to run for City Council. Seeing and meeting so many engaged citizens gave me further inspiration to take a bold step myself. I also appreciated the direct advice we received from sitting and former councillors who came in as guest contributors.

Synapcity’s mission to enable citizens to improve their city is a lofty goal, but an achievable one. If I were to try and describe it in venture capital terms, it acts as both an incubator and an accelerator. It lets new growth and ideas develop, while it amplifies existing initiatives across the city. I’d go so far as to argue, Synapcity is a damn good investment opportunity.

The most important thing I learned from the Boot Camp is there are a lot of really smart, energetic, dedicated people across the city that are looking to make their communities a better place to live for everyone.

I learned about the issues that Ottawa faces as a city, and how I can better engage as a citizen to solve them. This boot camp is a chance for anyone who wants to learn about the City of Ottawa, how municipal government works and how citizens can effectively make a difference in the city.

Whether you are authoring a handwritten letter to your local councillor or starting a new social media campaign with like-minded advocates, the Citizens Academy's diverse and whole-of-community approach to collaborative engagement has brought city and citizen closer than ever before.