I don’t think anything truly meaningful happens for Dayton unless people in the community are intimately involved.
Now, good things happen in Dayton, like the Broadway series at the Schuster Center. Good things also happen to Dayton, like being honored as a bike-friendly city by the League of American Bicyclists. But things that are good for Dayton only happen when communities get involved.
For example, FilmDayton, a young non-profit organization, geared toward fostering the film industry in the region, recently hosted their second film festival. Local short films, Academy Award nominated documentaries, workshops and meet-and-greets were hosted over three days at four locations downtown. The only reason this festival happened is because people who were passionate about making a difference got together and decided to act.
Consider the Five Rivers MetroParks. The parks are open and free to the public. Farms, water play areas, amphitheatres and arboretums are just a few of the features they offer to everyone. Even though they’re levy funded, it’s the 300-plus employees and numerous volunteers—including the Board of Park Commissioners—who really keep the parks going for everyone.
Even city-sponsored initiatives depend on the Dayton community. When Dayton was honored as being bike-friendly, the May 3 press release said the city did two things to promote bicycling: add bike lanes to downtown during street construction and promise to keep biking in mind for future projects. The rest of the credit is given to the MetroParks, the Miami Valley Conservancy District and various volunteer and community associations.
Community leaders can’t do all these things on their own. They need college students to get involved, too. In my experience, college students still have the energy to fight for their ideals. They are visionary, vocal and hopeful, unencumbered by years of experience and potential let-downs.
College students make things happen. Civil rights, feminism, free speech, gay rights, environmentalism, pro-life and pro-choice movements all have roots in movements on college campuses. Sinclair students have expressed their standpoints this year through student clubs and campus events, and I hope they continue to do so. When young idealists get together with experienced leaders, meaningful things happen for the community.