Leadership Northwest Indiana

Lakeshore Focus is Northwest Indiana's public affairs forum through Lakeshore Public Television. Each week, join host Keith Kirkpatrick for a continuing conversation with local leaders and politicians about the issues and events that affect Northwest Indiana.

Lakeshore Focus may be seen on channel 56 WYIN, or can be seen on Comcast channel 17 and on Dish/Direct/U-verse on channel 56 

Friday @ 8:30 p.m.

Sunday @ 10 a.m. (Rebroadcast)

Call for Audience Participation

 Too often in society we find that situations and topics which draw differing opinions, in turn, also draw conflict. It has become the “norm” to replace intelligent, engaged discourse with screaming matches, with those who can yell the loudest coming out on top. How do we get back to a form of debate that is still lively and filled with varying opinions while at the same time being civil and respectful to one another?

This is exactly the goal of a new series of Lakeshore Focus programs where host Keith Kirkpatrick takes it “On the Road” four times a year to different locations in our region. The focus of these episodes will be to create a civil conversation with engaging dialogues that still keep an eye on the important, challenging  issues in our community. It is our hope that these conversations will help us to move towards decisions in our region regarding these issues through a process of compromise, integration of ideas and collaboration.

The first of four episodes in this series, titled “What Would You Do: Urban Revitalization and Community Transformation”, will be a dialogue between community members and a diverse group of mayors from four cities throughout Northwest Indiana, but with a twist! We will be asking these community leaders to transform and change their perspective from the position they currently hold to that of one of their colleagues with which they share the stage. They will then be asked to use this new vantage point to consider key issues that are vital to the region. Through placing one official in the shoes of another, we hope to bridge the gaps that have grown between these issues and their solutions.

We would like to invite you to participate as an audience member for this program and take part in this transforming dialogue on March 19^th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts when we will tape the hour long program to air on Friday, March 23^rd at 8 p.m. We are looking for individuals who are active and engaged within our community to help create an effective dialogue and make changes. This is a rare opportunity, so be sure to call the Leadership Northwest Indiana offices at 219-531-0156 or email office@leadershipnwi.org to reserve your spot in the audience. Seating is limited! Be sure to contact us by March 9^th and secure your opportunity to make an impact!