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ALPENA - As Michigan commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Alpena Community College will host a free local gathering on Wednesday,, at the Granum Theatre in conjunction with the inaugural Bridge Michigan Issues Summit.
The statewide summit, produced by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit nonpartisan newsroom, will bring residents, civic leaders, policymakers and experts together in Detroit to examine issues shaping the state's future. Panels draw from Bridge Listens, the organization's yearlong reporting and listening initiative that has surveyed thousands of Michiganders and hosted community conversations -- including one in Alpena -- to identify priorities and ground election coverage in public input.
"As part of Bridge Listens, we have been having community conversations around the state including one in Alpena," said Justin Hinkley, Bridge Michigan's regional editor, who is charged with expanding coverage of northern and western Michigan.
The Detroit summit, held at the Marygrove Conservancy's Madame Cadillac Building, will be livestreamed into the Granum Theatre for an interactive experience using Slido. Slido is a web-based audience interaction platform that lets participants join via a link or code on their phones or devices (typically without downloads) to submit questions, upvote others, vote in live polls and provide real-time feedback during panels.
"The Detroit Summit is livestreamed, and we are going to beam the stream into Granum Theatre and it's an interactive experience using a tool called Slido. People will be able to ask questions and vote on different things throughout the afternoon," Hinkley said.
Attending in person in Alpena offers practical advantages. Staff will be available to answer questions and provide guidance if participants have difficulties with the tool. Attendees may also converse with neighbors throughout the afternoon, and breaks are scheduled between panels.
At the conclusion of the statewide program, a panel of experts will address how the issues specifically affect northern Michigan. Bridge Listens has focused on five core areas - democracy and transparency, affordability and the economy, the environment, education, and health - all of which impact the region in some way, Hinkley said. He encouraged attendance by anyone concerned about wages and inflation, the environment, or the balance between development and protecting natural resources.
"We want to make listening part of our D.N.A. at Bridge. We want our readers to tell us what issues matter, what they want to know about, and we go investigate," Hinkley said.
The local gathering runs from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., followed by local conversation from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. It is free and open to the community. Registration is not required to attend at the Granum Theatre, though it is recommended so organizers can plan for attendance; people who do not register may still come. Registration is required for those who want to participate online and receive the viewing link.
"It's open to anyone that cares about the issues impacting Michigan and learning more information on those issues," Hinkley said.
Bridge hopes to hold the Issues Summit annually and is optimistic about returning to Alpena, adding satellite events and continuing community conversations.
The Center for Michigan, which publishes Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit, is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the state through high-quality, nonpartisan journalism and engagement. Bridge Michigan reaches more than 3.9 million readers annually and connects with more than 100,000 newsletter subscribers statewide.
The summit panels, moderated by Bridge reporters, will cover topics including education and the talent pipeline, health care affordability, housing, wages and the economy, and environmental and energy issues, with additional discussion of the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. Veteran Detroit journalist Devin Scillian will serve as emcee.
For more details, visit the Bridge Michigan Issues Summit webpage.