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On January 19, then President-Elect Barack Obama helped renovate a homeless shelter for teen runaways. As part of what his administration-to-be was calling a “National Day of Service,” Obama made it clear he wants to make good on his campaign promises to give national voluntary service a cornerstone role in his administration. The cynics among us dismiss this move as a mere photo op, cockle-warming as it may have been. But President Obama is no stranger to community service, having spent three years pounding the pavement as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago before he ever set foot in the halls of Harvard or the offices of the Illinois Senate. Obama plans to expand the opportunities for Americans to participate in voluntary public service, as well as make it more attractive to do so.

Obama’s call to service, like his heroic by-the-bootstraps narrative, may very well be calculated and even overstated, but it is an inspiration to millions. Groups like the Citizens’ Campaign hope to seize that feeling of inspiration and turn it to practical purposes. As part of their “New Jersey Call to Service,” the Metuchen-based nonprofit group invited Jersey City’s civic-minded to a Leadership Forum on Wednesday evening. The event was sponsored by local good-governance group Civic JC and held in the auditorium of the Frank Conwell M.S. #4. The Citizens’ Campaign focuses on reforming New Jersey’s state and local governments by two primary methods: advocating the passage of reform-oriented ordinances, such as the “pay-to-play” initiatives for which they are best known; and by educating everyday citizens on how they can participate in such reform.

Led by the organization’s State Campaign Director Lauren Skowronski and volunteer coordinator Shelly Bell, the focus of the evening’s forum was on the “path to citizen legislator service,” a kind of primer on how an average citizen can lobby for the passage of ordinances in Jersey City. The lecture covered the ins and outs of making a “responsible proposal” that “defines the problem at hand and offers specific constructive solutions,” and a “respectful presentation” of such a proposal, delivered in the appropriate forum.

Wednesday’s event marked Shelly Bell’s first time teaching a forum. A Newark resident, she became involved with the group through a mentor, and says she is gratified by the “chance to let people know what their rights are.”

Skowronski and Bell’s presentation was followed by a discussion among the attendees, during which some shared their experiences in advocating for reform. One of those who told a story like this was Norrice Raymaker, who is likely to declare her candidacy on the One Jersey City ticket for the Ward C council seat — she described her involvement in the decade-long process of getting Jersey City to build a new animal shelter. Raymaker was one of the founders of the Liberty Humane Society, which in 2004 took over management of the Jersey City Animal Shelter and is currently conducting a capital campaign for a new facility on their site near Liberty State Park.

Jersey City resident Charlene Burke is also a veteran of the City Council meeting battlefield. A member of the Jersey City Parks Coalition, she stated that events like these are “sorely needed in a city of this size,” especially since there are “so many newcomers” here.

For his part, Civic JC President Valerio Luccio said he hopes the program helped teach people “how to better participate in civic life in Jersey City.” The Citizens’ Campaign intends to hold additional forums in the coming months, in order to reach more residents.

Dan Levin, who is One Jersey City’s mayoral candidate and the founder of Civic JC, was also present at the event. Although his run for municipal office is an acknowledgement that it takes the support of elected officials to move reform, he also said that getting elected is “not the end-all” purpose of his campaign. He pointed to the need for everyday citizens to be involved in “building consensus.” Indeed, if Obama’s national call to service is to have any meaning, it’s everyday citizens like those at Wednesday’s event who will need to respond to it.