Civic Academy Boosts Local Transit Knowledge

In the fall of 2024, TRU joined other transportation advocacy groups around the Midwest in hosting a Transportation Civic Academy: a ten-week course designed to give participants more in-depth knowledge of transit and transportation policy, and equip them with the tools they need to be effective advocates.

Here in Detroit, TRU had a great group of 18 participants join us for the Academy, with some commuting from as far away as Ann Arbor. (The Academy alternated between Zoom and in-person sessions.)

Guest speakers at the Academy sessions included local advocates and transportation planners and even some national authorities, like Transportation for America Director Beth Osborne. The program also featured hands-on components, like a bus and streetcar ride down Woodward Avenue. (DDOT’s Route 4 bus won the race, twice.)

Asked if they felt future iterations of the Academy would be useful, one participant said “absolutely…I already have friends waiting for the next one to be announced.”

They’re in luck. We’re already beginning to make plans for another Civic Academy this fall, so stay tuned for updates! TRU is grateful for funding from RE-AMP, a network of Midwest environmental organizations which made this program possible.