Louisiana city-parish’s communication department recognized for its efforts by Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative

Translating ideas and 10-year plans created by administrators in a town office into concepts that are readily digestible by the general public isn’t always easy; Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge’s Department of Information Services is doing it right.

The City-Parish’s Department of Information Services has operated for years as a more traditional IT department for Baton Rouge’s consolidated local government, but it has transformed significantly in recent years to expand its reach and engage the community beyond the walls of the City-Parish government, according to a statement from Results for America, the lead partner of What Works Cities. What Works Cities is a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that helps cities use evidence and data to tackle pressing challenges. Port St. Lucie is the this year’s recipient of the Sharman Stein Award for Storytelling Changemakers from What Works Cities. The award is named after Stein, the organization’s founding communications director who died in 2018 and is given annually a city official or team that draws on the power of public communication to cultivate trust and collaboration between local government and residents.

“My administration is committed to investing time and resources into our open data policies and creating opportunities for us to leverage this data to better serve our community, which includes empowering our residents with the knowledge they need to navigate our comprehensive data assets,” said Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “Our Citizen Data Academy is a pivotal part of this work that furthers our vision of setting the example for the use of data, technology, and innovation in local government.”

The academy helps to reinforce the department’s ongoing community outreach and engagement surrounding City-Parish technology, tools, and resources, which includes regular in-person meetings with residents, community organizations and external agencies; cybersecurity webinars; and engaging social media content. The on-demand series has garnered thousands of unique views and builds on the department’s inaugural Citizen Data Academy—held during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—featuring monthly virtual live training sessions and topics for participants ranging from beginner to advanced levels.

The Department of Information Services has produced and published new modules and videos regularly since launching the series in September 2021, with more than 20 videos available today, and will continue to add new resources as the City-Parish’s open data platform grows. The efforts have led to increased use of the City-Parish’s open data resources, including its award-winning Open Data BR and EBRGIS platforms. Metrics show that after a new Citizen Data Academy resource is posted to the City-Parish’s social media accounts, platform traffic and use spikes significantly.

“Many cities across the country have made impressive progress in building open data platforms with valuable community information, but Baton Rouge’s innovative video series is unique in that it provides a critical link between open data and community engagement,” said Michele Jolin, CEO and co-founder of Results for America. “The project epitomizes what Sharman advocated for: using data and communication to make cities a better place to call home.”

Last year’s winner was Port St. Lucie, Fla.’s communication department.

“Our department’s vision is to reinvent government communication. By utilizing data and listening to our residents’ feedback, we are achieving that vision,” said Sarah Prohaska, Port St. Lucie’s communications director in a statement. “We have an incredible team and are extremely honored that Results for America and What Works Cities have chosen us to be among the cutting-edge cities recognized as Storytelling Changemakers.”

Among other things, through the Florida communication department’s efforts, the city’s annual Citizen Summit has become a well attended fixture, even when held virtually last year. The summit is put on as a way to give residents in-depth information about the city’s strategic plan and provide input on goals.

“When my team partnered with the communications department to educate residents about the city’s strategic planning process, it opened up a new level of data-driven engagement and communication with residents that I believe few other cities in the nation have achieved,” said Kate Parmelee, director of strategic initiatives and innovation at City of Port St. Lucie. “Their innovation and ideas allow us to reach thousands each year to gather the needed data, but also to educate and report the data back to citizens. The communications department helps engage our citizens in making significant changes in their city.”

Winners of the What Works Cities award are selected based on their proactivity in leveraging modes of communication that reach residents with information about their city’s progress; and on their ability to contribute to improving community trust and engagement through their efforts. Last year the award was presented to Gilbert, Ariz.