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DeKalb Community Academy 101 program showcases Columbia pilot and plans countywide rollout
Summary
DeKalb County’s Planning and Sustainability Department presented the DeKalb Community Academy 101 pilot program for resident training and civic engagement, highlighting the Columbia cluster and plans to expand countywide through 2025.
DeKalb County’s Planning and Sustainability Department presented the DeKalb Community Academy 101 (DCA 101), a multi‑month neighborhood training program that aims to educate residents about county services, planning processes and avenues for civic engagement.
Lasonya Marshall, special project coordinator for the planning department, described DCA 101 as a four‑month training that uses steering committees, public meetings, workbooks and an ArcGIS story map to collect resident input and translate it into visual products and priority recommendations. The program’s first pilot was held in McNair; the department is currently running a Columbia cluster program based on the Columbia High School attendance area and plans to run DCA 101 in other unincorporated districts through the fourth quarter of 2025.
Eva Chabot, a planner on the long‑range team, demonstrated the project’s story map and said the department collected priorities and converted them into a list of recommended strategies and a timeline for implementation. Staff described an ambassador model: at the end of the training the community selects local ambassadors to help sustain priorities, coordinate with county partners, and pursue small‑scale projects such as cleanups, beautification and tree plantings.
Commissioners commended the program’s emphasis on resident education and empowerment. Commissioner Ted Terry and other members said the model helps bridge gaps between residents and county decision‑makers and recommended incorporating targeted data—for example, school district data on student homelessness—into future cohorts to better align planning recommendations with social needs.
Staff said Columbia 101’s timeline began with steering committee work in early 2025 and will include a second public meeting and final steering‑committee meeting in June; the program intends to present each community with a set of priorities, recommended partners and potential projects for follow‑up work.
