Consulting Services
In addition to creating and administering free public service programs, Only in San Jose also offers a variety of professional consulting services to government agencies, nonprofits, and private businesses seeking to better understand how governments are managed and how their communities can navigate, and participate in, the legislative process. Services can be tailored to apply context based on the specific structures of your city, county, or other requested agencies. OSJ specializes in consulting and educating on the following subject matter:
Service Format
Our facilitators are fully equipped to administer these educational programs through a variety of mediums including seminars, interactive workshops, or other learning-based practicums. Courses can be administered virtually or in person, and we are comfortable working with cohorts from small intimate groups to large convention crowds. Let us know what medium works best for you and your organization.
1
Government 101 - Basic Principles in Public Administration
A crash course on understanding the differences in the structures and responsibilities of federal, state, and local government in the United States. This workshop explains the relationship between legislative bodies, boards and commissions, and public administrators, as well as the nuance between charters, ordinances, policies and procedures, and other laws. Think of this as a more robust refresher of your high school civics class.
2
Parliamentary Procedures
An interactive workshop that teaches the main principles of parliamentary procedure used by deliberative bodies when discussing and voting on policy. Deliberative bodies may include city councils, county boards of supervisors, commissions, or governing boards of nonprofits or other private entities. Includes a practicum so participants learn how to use basic motions as a member of a deliberative body. Understanding these rules equips participants with the tools to facilitate their own democratic decisions, in addition to understanding how to navigate and participate in public meetings of government agencies. Content can cover either Robert’s Rules of Order or Rosenberg’s Rules of Order.
3
Public Records
An immersive walk through of the structures and differences between state and local public records laws. Includes a demonstration on how to navigate public records, research legislative files, and interpret various city documents.
4
Policy Research
A multitude of think tanks, academic institutions, professional associations, and federal, state, and local government agencies are tasked with studying the efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of public programs, economic matters, and social issues. We will teach you how to conduct open-source research to find evidence-based research on different topics of interest based on feedback from your organization.
5
Civics Masterclass
While each of the above topics can be administered as individual workshops, we also offer a comprehensive Civics Masterclass which integrates all the aforementioned courses and contextualizes content based on your geographic location and applicable government agencies. The Masterclass can also be a combination of select courses.