North Port wins national award for Northport University civic-engagement program

North Portreceived a first-place Blue Pencil and Gold Screen award from the National Association of Government Communicators for Northport University, city communications staff announced at the July 3 commission meeting.

Jason (communications staff) said the award recognizes community engagement work and that Northport University (NPU), which launched in 2024, is an eight-session, free course designed to introduce residents to city departments and decision-making processes. He said the city recently celebrated the second NPU graduating class and will open registration for the third class and a new teen edition later in the month.

—Northport University gives residents a chance to step behind the scenes, to meet the people doing the work, to see how decisions are made, and to understand how we, as a community, can be part of it,— Jason said.

City staff played a key role in producing the entry: Cody Donarski, the city's multimedia specialist, produced a short video shown to the commission, and Jane Akins was singled out as the program coordinator who manages student engagement. Several NPU participants provided brief statements that the course increased their understanding of city operations and made them more confident in local government; those comments were recorded as statements from NPU participants rather than attributed to named residents in the meeting record.

City leaders said the award was a team achievement that reflects cross-departmental participation and the city's investment in civic education. No formal commission action was required for the award recognition.