At FOCUS, we believe that informed and engaged civic leaders are essential for our region to thrive. Voting is one opportunity to support your community and have a say in its future. If you haven’t already cast your vote, here are some tools and resources to explore before you head to the polls on Nov. 3. Be Prepared and Vote Safely … Read More
Congrats to our Fall 2019 Class of Emerging Leaders
Congratulations to our newest Emerging Leaders graduates – and welcome to the FOCUS alumni network! Our Fall 2019 cohort recently wrapped up the three-month program, aimed at providing early-career professionals with the tools to be active leaders in their careers and the community. Over the course of the program, the class participated in large and small-group discussions, interviews with regional … Read More
City/County Reform: What Next? A Community Conversation on Racial Equity in Criminal Justice & Political Representation
Political, historical, socioeconomic and geographical lines dividing our St. Louis region mean our shared fate as a community is not reflected in shared governance. While the Better Together proposal got the region talking, its collapse left a huge vacuum in the conversation. So what next? On July 11, FOCUS St. Louis, in partnership with Forward Through Ferguson, the Missouri History … Read More
Congrats to our Spring Class of Emerging Leaders
Congratulations to our newest Emerging Leaders graduates! Our Spring 2019 cohort recently wrapped up the three-month program, aimed at providing early-career professionals with the tools to be active leaders in their careers and the community. “Emerging Leaders has blown my mind,” says WyKeshia Atkins, Director of Learning Assistance Programs for Southeast Missouri State University. “I have been exposed to people, … Read More
Missed Our Public Values Symposium on March 29?
On March 29, FOCUS hosted the 7th Annual Public Values Symposium in partnership with UMSL’s Community Innovation and Action Center. This year’s theme explored what it means to be a change agent in a divided nation, leading across political and ideological lines. Special thanks to media partners HEC Media and St. Louis Public Radio for their support of this event. … Read More
Fall Class of Emerging Leaders Wraps Up Civic Action Projects
Congratulations to our newest Emerging Leaders graduates! Our Fall 2018 cohort recently wrapped up the three-month program, aimed at providing early-career professionals with the tools to be active leaders in their careers and the community. “The Emerging Leaders program not only taught me about the region, it taught me a lot about myself,” says Emily Bardon, Member at Lewis Rice … Read More
FOCUS Hosts 6th Annual Public Ethics Conference
On May 31, 2018, a cohort of elected officials, academics, lawyers, candidates, students, and community members gathered at the University of Missouri St. Louis for a day-long discussion on the subject of “Leadership, Ethics & Political Parties.” The 6th Annual Public Ethics Conference was sponsored this year for the first time as a partnership between UMSL and FOCUS St. Louis, with … Read More
Future of Policing in St. Louis
On Jan. 31, 2018, St. Louis – in partnership with the Missouri History Museum and Civic Progress – brought together some of the most important voices in the region on the question of the “Future of Policing in St. Louis.” The conversation was nothing less than remarkable. As an audience member said after the conversation with an eye on the … Read More
Civics & Civility Forum: Digital Change-Makers
On Wednesday, Nov. 1 a gathering of citizens and tech-savvy social entrepreneurs from the St. Louis region attended a discussion centered on the exploding arena of digital entrepreneurship aimed at the social good. This was the second of a series of four forums on “Civics & Civility” to be held by FOCUS St. Louis and sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council during the … Read More
Civics & Civility: Religion and the Immigrant Experience
On Aug. 3, 2017, a gathering of engaged St. Louis community members and FOCUS alumni attended a discussion on “Religion and the Immigrant Experience” at CIC in the Cortex complex. This was the first in a series of four Civics & Civility Forums that will be hosted by FOCUS St. Louis and sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council over the … Read More