Big Shoulders — Beth Bond, GoCivic

| Adam J. Hecktman

Microsoft's Adam Hecktman talks with GoCivic Chicago's Beth Bond

I get agitated when people joke about millennials. They are often portrayed in media as something more akin to the “me” generation than what they actually are. I work with, go to school with, and interact with a very large number of millennials and find that they are far more aware of the world around them than I was at that age. Further, the millennials I know want to get involved. They want to take command of the future and drive it in the right direction. In other words, they want to become civically engaged.

For those not already working with non-profit and civic-based organizations, I often get asked the best way to get involved in the issues that folks care about. While there is great work being done by numerous organizations, it is often fragmented, duplicative, silo’d, and worse: hard to find. When you have people willing to get involved, and no centralized way to learn how, you have a gap that leads to lower levels of awareness and involvement.

That is the gap that GoCivic seeks to fill. Between people who want to be involved and under-resourced organizations doing great work, GoCivic provides a simple way for people and organizations to give time, treasure, and talent to great causes. Built by the Chicago Leadership Alliance and uBack, this is a platform that facilitates better civic engagement and social innovation. Learn how by watching my Big Shoulders interview on Advisor.TV with the always entertaining and knowledgeable Beth Bond, Executive Director at GoCivic:

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Adam J. Hecktman

You may recognize Adam. He’s a regular on TV, you can hear him on the radio, he’s penned numerous articles and is the co-founder of the Chicago City Data Users Group. But some of Adam’s most important work is done behind the scenes in his role as Microsoft’s Director of Technology and Civic Engagement for Chicago. Tech giants, universities and government leaders turn to Adam for guidance on all matters technology, and he happily obliges, helping Chicago overcome challenges and capitalizing on new, exciting opportunities.