IN PERSON AT AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ZOOM 

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM

"Making the Invisible Visible: A Photovoice Project by Black Elders in Maine" is a storytelling project undertaken by Black Elders to challenge the  invisibility of 'aging while Black' in Maine. Leslie Hill, Project Facilitator will describe the PV process from choosing focus questions, coaching in basic photography, sharing stories about the meaning of pictures taken, to celebrating the richness of Black older adults' experiences of and contributions to life in Maine. Learn in this session about the meaning and impact of storytelling with images.    

Leslie Hill, Bates College Professor Emerita and convener of the Black Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) Elders Group, led the work on this MCOA project.

IN PERSON AT AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM

Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance and Penobscot Nation tribal citizen Maulian Bryant (she/her) will lead a lecture and discussion on the Wabanaki tribal nations and the quest to restore important rights around sovereignty and self determination. She will analyze history and policy, make recommendations for how to heal the relationship between the tribes and the state, and share about upcoming work and how to stay informed. She invites questions and conversation.

IN PERSON AT AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM.

How to get from where your community is to where you want it to be. The City of Auburn is in the process of completing a Comprehensive Plan to guide the City’s development for the next ten years. This class will discuss what comprehensive municipal planning is and why it is important to the future of a community and its citizens, how the public can participate in the planning process, and the legal importance of a comprehensive plan. Good planning is an essential tool for creating a vision for the future its citizens want for their community and identifying the actions needed to achieve it. Learn how to help your community realize the future it wants. 

John J Cleveland is the chairman of Auburn’s 2026 Comprehensive Planning Committee. He brings nearly 20 years of public service as a City Councilor and Mayor of Auburn, and State Senator and 38 years of professional experience as a planning and development consultant helping communities achieve their goals of improving their communities. John is a native of Lewiston-Auburn, and he and his wife Debora raised two adult sons here and have two grandchildren.