THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, September 26, 1996          TAG: 9609260295
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   52 lines

BEACH INSTITUTE AIMS TO BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN CITY, CITIZENRY

Want to be a better leader for your neighborhood group? Want to get more of your neighbors involved in community activities?

Then the Virginia Beach Neighborhood Institute might be the program for you.

The city-sponsored institute will begin its eight-week fall session Oct. 8.

Classes will be held 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. each Tuesday at the Old Dominion University-Norfolk State University Higher Education Center at the corner of Little Neck Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard.

``The philosophy is to bridge the gap between our citizenry and the city,'' said Carol Williams, who coordinates the institute for the Virginia Beach Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. ``We want to encourage more knowledge of the city, more communication, . . . solving problems through partnerships and jointly identifying the issues.''

Topics will include leadership development, neighborhood safety, conflict resolution, understanding city government and building partnerships between neighborhoods, businesses and City Hall. Classes are led by Norfolk State University faculty. There also will be guest instructors, possibly including Beach City Manager James Spore.

Besides classroom work, students will go on field trips to neighborhoods north of the Green Line, rural areas south of the Green Line and a City Council meeting.

This is the second session for the institute. The first was held last spring and drew more than 20 students, including several city employees.

This fall, the city expects to have about 30 students, including five workers from VISTA, a federal program that provides volunteers to impoverished areas of the U.S. City employees also attend the classes as a way of learning neighborhood issues firsthand, Williams said.

Virginia Beach is the first city in South Hampton Roads to have a neighborhood leadership course that extends over several weeks instead of one day. Hampton has operated its Neighborhood College since the spring of 1995. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

VIRGINIA BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD INSTITUTE

What: Classes to teach Virginia Beach neighborhood and

grass-roots activists to be more effective leaders.

When: Fall session; 6:30-9 p.m. for eight Tuesdays, beginning

Oct.8.

Where: ODU/NSU Higher Education Center, Little Creek Road and

Virginia Beach Boulevard.

Registration: Students are encouraged to register by 5 p.m. Sept.

30. Fee: $10.

Information: Call the Virginia Beach Department of Housing and

Neighborhood Preservation, 426-5760. by CNB