Sustainability and Civic Engagement

Through outreach and engagement opportunities, we will create communities with more actively involved residents, improved employment opportunities, higher participation in government and increased volunteerism.

Involvement Opportunities

A large group of 20 or more people standing in the woods for a photo

Progress on our goals & strategies

Goal 33: Job Training Is Community-Based

Civic Engagement Progress Table, Goal 33
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2017	Progress
1.	Promote existing programs and services provided by nonprofits, vocational schools, and government agencies	Medium	Orange County partners with non-profit agencies to provide services in the community. Staff promotes these services to the community through social media, websites, workshops, conferences, and canvassing. On-going effort.	100% complete
2.	Develop and promote internship and apprenticeship opportunities	Long	EPD, Parks and other internal Orange County departments have regular interns. OCPS has a process for interviewing, accepting, and training interns.	50% complete
3.	Incentivize funding for training of target groups (hard to employ, such as ex-offenders, seniors, homeless, youth)	Long	Some programs have been established. Pursuing grants to fund additional efforts.	50% complete

Goal 34: Residents Actively Participate In Government

Civic Engagement Progress Table, Goal 34
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2017	Progress
1.	Develop a citizen participation guide for residents and County divisions	Medium	Citizen Participation Guide has been completed and is available on the OCFL website. Task complete.	100% complete
2.	Use online tools and social media to encourage sustainability dialogue	Medium	Videos and interactive online tools used for internal education. Behavioral challenges like Daylight Hour and GoDTO Commute. Facebook, Twitter and online newsletters used to highlight sustainable actions.	75% complete
3.	Launch a Sustainability Challenge Campaign	Short	Central Florida Workplace Challenge for green, healthy, involved businesses (2016). 3rd Annual Neighborhood Challenge with recognition at the Community Conference, July 2017. On-going effort.	100% complete

Goal 35: Residents Are Aware Of Support Available From NCFS And Community Centers

Civic Engagement Progress Table, Goal 35
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2017	Progress
1.	Develop an outreach strategy for each Orange County community center	Medium	This task has been completed. Orange County continues to implement the outreach strategy to make citizens aware of services at the centers.	100% complete
2.	Educate employees on the services provided by NCFs and community centers	Medium	Strategy for employee awareness created.	50% complete
3.	Use NCFs and community centers to promote sustainable living	Medium	NCF's and Community Centers continue to support families by encouraging sustainable living through financial management, parenting classes, family and youth counseling. On-going effort.	100% complete

Goal 36: The Number Of Registered Neighborhood Organizations Is Increasing

Civic Engagement Progress Table, Goal 36
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2017	Progress
1.	Identify all registered Home Owners Associations (HOAs) in Orange County	Short	Database created to capture information for Homeowner/Condo Associations. New organizations entered as formed. On-going effort.	100% complete
2.	Develop certification programs for HOA and Condominium Owners Association (COA) directors	Short	Program has been developed and is in use. Task complete.	100% complete
3.	Increase participation at the Community Connections workshops	Medium	Workshops are offered regularly. On-going efforts to increase participation.	100% complete

Goal 37: Our Residents Volunteer In Their Community

Civic Engagement Progress Table, Goal 33
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2017	Progress
1.	Develop a reporting tool for County departments to log volunteer hours	Medium	OCSERVES is a tool to advertise volunteer opportunities and log hours. OC/EPD uses Volunteer Reporter to track volunteers hours specific to natural resources conservation and protection. Task complete.	100% complete
2.	Develop a recognition program for advisory board members	Medium	OC advisory board volunteers are recognized at the Mayor's annual Jazz in the Park event - generally held in March at Cypress Grove Park. Task complete.	100% complete
3.	Develop a web-based volunteer orientation for all County volunteers	Medium	Video tool purchased; content and video creation in the works; Final video expected 2017.	50% complete

Our Target Measurements

This table describes how Orange County measures progress on our Sustainability goals.
Civic Engagement Indicators	Baseline	1^st Report	2^nd Report	Current	Target 2020
Unemployment Rate	2010 10.8%	2015 4.9%	2016 4.3%	2017 3.6%	decrease
Voter Participation in general election	2010 non-presidential: 44% 2012 presidential: 68%	2014 non-presidential: 44%	2016 presidential: 73%	2017 N/A (no county general election)	increase
Percentage of families living at or below poverty level	2010 10% of all families 14.5% of families w/related children < 18 years 17.2% of children	2014 12.8% of all families 19.6% of families w/related children < 18 years 23.9% of children	2015 13.4% of all families 20.7% of families w/related children < 18 years 25.2% of children	2016 12.8% of all families 18.3% of families w/related children < 18 years 22.7% of children	decrease
Number of registered neighborhood organizations	2011 1,600	2015 1,776	2016 1,804	2017 1,822	increase 5 per year
Active Partnerships (nonprofits, businesses, state agencies, neighborhood groups)	2011 600	2015 600	2016 630	2017 630	maintain or increase
Number of Volunteer Hours (annually)	2010 1,066,716	2014 989,726	2015 759,668	2016 824,817	increase

Want to get involved?

We want to inspire our citizens to collaborate with local governments and businesses and work together for the long-term prosperity and livability of their communities.

Join the Neighborhood Sustainability Challenge

Illustration of awards given to winners of the Mayor's neighborhood challenge

Enter your neighborhood/HOA in the challenge and tell us about the green, healthy and involved practices in your community. It begins each year in March and continues through June. Awards are presented at the Orange County Community Conference in July.

Learn How Orange County Works For You

Mayor Teresa Jacobs awarding a man a certificate

Each year, Orange County encourages citizens to enroll in a program called “Orange County Experience”. In a 12-week series of classes you will meet staff, take tours, visit advisory boards and see your County in action. It’s a great stepping stone to finding your place in County government and using your skills to help the County shine! Visit Orange County Experience to see when the next class series begins.

Volunteering

Volunteer coordinator Carrie Mohana standing in a wooded area

Visit OCFL Serves to view the many volunteer opportunities around the County. Watch the video to see one way you can make a difference in the Environmental Volunteer and Internship Program (eVIP).

Adopt A Fire Station

Children hugging a firefighter in front of a fire truck

Each year around the holidays, residents are encouraged to show their appreciation to the firefighters in their community by providing meals and volunteering their time at local fire stations. Consider helping your fire station any time of the year.

Read more about the initiative and get inspired.