Ithaca College

Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with Humanities New York, will host a weekly discussion series on community and civic engagement beginning April 6 at 6 p.m. in the Library’s Ezra Cornell Reading Room.

Facilitated by community activist and Ithaca Festival Assistant Director McKenzie Jones, these discussions will incorporate required readings, including essays, short stories and poetry, selected from the book “The Civically Engaged Reader.” Each week will feature a different step on the path to civic engagement, including identifying, serving, giving and leading.   Copies of the readings will  be available for registered participants beginning in March.   Jones has been engaged in community service for more than half of her life, using civic engagement to further youth leadership development, environmental sustainability and smart urban planning. She has lived in Ithaca for nine years and currently resides in a downtown housing cooperative with her two young children.   Humanities New York is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging critical thinking and cultural understanding in the public arena through grants, programs, networking and advocacy.   This series is free and open to the public, however, advance registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Teresa Vadakin at tvadakin@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 272.