By JACQUIE RATH
Based on the survey, politicians and the media have inferred that Long Island is on the verge of losing large numbers of residents due to the high cost of living and other social issues in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The prevailing assumption is that people are looking for a lower cost of living and a safer, more countrified place to raise children.
In an attempt to tackle these concerns, Molloy College in Rockville Centre announced, at a press conference last Thursday, the creation of the Energeia Partnership Regional Academy for Stewardship. ³The formation and education of advocates for the Island is the mission of the Energeia Partnership,² said Dr. Drew Bogner, Molloy¹s president. ³Long Island faces daunting challenges. We need to grow and foster a group of trustees for the Island, working as advocates for the common good.²
The centerpiece of the new program will be a specially focused think tank comprising prominent Long Islanders. The press briefing included the formal announcement of a board of advisors and an inaugural ³class,² in which more than 60 people have committed themselves to the Energeia agenda.
Over the next two years, the group will tackle one issue at a time, trying to determine the causes and effects of various problems and making recommendations on how to solve them. Its members were drawn from a variety of fields, from private business to not-for-profit endeavors to public service to education, and bring with them an expansive collective knowledge.
Paul Ton, the former presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, is the Energeia Partnership¹s executive director. ³Our goal is to make Long Island one of the best places to work and live in the country,² said Ton. ³We see ourselves as change agents seizing the opportunity to develop solutions. We are social entrepreneurs motivated to improve our communities.²
Group members have signed on for a full-day commitment once every two months. Each session of issue-based education will include field trips and public debriefings. Participation by residents directly affected by the issue at hand will be encouraged.
According to Ton, benchmarks and milestones will be established to measure the success of the partnership, and evaluations of its progress will be ongoing. ³Energeia is a most important endeavor for all of us who care about Long Island,² said board member Ed Travalianti, president of Commerce Bank-Long Island. ³It is truly an effort of not cursing the darkness, but of lighting the candle. I am very concerned about what happens here. I want to applaud Dr. Bogner and Molloy for doing this.³
³Alone, we can¹t make change,² said Carrie Meek-Gallagher, project director for the Long Island Index and a member of Energeia¹s inaugural ³class.² ³You need people to work together in new ways. Energeia is a perfect example of people coming together for the future of Long Island.²
