Forsyth County held a graduation ceremony on Aug. 24 for the inaugural class of the Citizens’ Academy program.

Over eight classes, academy participants toured various facilities and spoke with County leaders about County functions that help drive the community. Participants got to experience first-hand how a local government functions and how they, as residents, can get the most out of it.

“It is absolutely vital to the continued success of our County that our residents take a vested interest in how their government works,” said Forsyth County Manager Kevin Tanner. “I thank all the participants for leading the charge in creating a better Forsyth.”

Through seeing many of the innerworkings of local government, the County aims to make more community leaders that can help increase awareness and transparency for all.

“We are so proud of the inaugural year of the academy,” said Community Communications Coordinator Taylor Hall. “We had an incredible group that was truly interested in learning about how their local government operates. This is just the beginning, and we are excited to see what the future holds."

Forsyth County also offers the Student Government Academy, a similar program for high school juniors. For more information on all community outreach programs, contact Taylor Hall at tdhall@forsythco.com.

“I wanted to be a part of the progress Forsyth seeing,” said Citizens’ Academy participant Nidhi Sharma. “I wanted to know what’s happening and how far we are going.”