Sara Varela
Editor-in-chief
New year, new Village Square series. Broward College has announced their schedule for the 2017-2018 Village Square series which will address issues ranging from affordable housing to homelessness. The Village Square open forum discussions, a non-partisan public educational forum, are set to begin in October, 2017 and run through May, 2018.
Community leaders and experts, conforming a panel, will engage in non-partisan discussions expressing their views on prominent issues facing South Florida that include education, euthanasia and the job skills gap.
The Village Square will host three “Dinner at the Square” and three “Take-Out Tuesday” events, one per month. Dinner at the Square is the formal gathering where guests enjoy dinner while listening to the panel. Ticket prices range from $35 to $45 and include dinner for pre-registered guests. All Dinner at the Square events will take place at Funky Buddha Brewery located at 1201 NE 38th St. in Oakland Park.
The dinners will begin with a members-only cocktail reception at 6 p.m. and official discussion will follow at 6:45 p.m. Dinner at the Square will premiere on Oct. 18, addressing the issue of affordable housing. Following on Feb. 28, 2018 Dinner at the Square will discuss education in Florida, and will close the Village Square series on May 2, 2018 with a discussion on open Florida primaries.
Take Out Tuesday differs from the formal dinners. It’s free and open to the public but guests are encouraged to pre-register due to limited seat availability. All Take Out Tuesday gatherings will be held in room 1208 at the Broward College Willis Holcombe Center located at 111 East Las Olas Blvd. and will start promptly at 6p.m. Guests are also encouraged to bring their own dinner to the event.
Take Out Tuesday will begin on Nov. 14 with a discussion on the homelessness situation in Broward County with special focus on Fort Lauderdale downtown. A conversation on the job skills gap will follow on March 20, 2018 and the series will conclude with a debate on the legalization of euthanasia on April 17, 2018.
Additionally, you can become a member of the Village Square and take advantage of its many benefits, including an invitation for you and a guest to all pre-dinner receptions with the panel. Membership costs $68 and does not include the ticket price for Dinner at the Square.
To learn more about the Village Square events, sponsors and more, visit www.broward.edu/villagesquare.