PERRY, Ga. — City government can be a hard thing to understand but Perry city officials have put their best food forward to make it a fun subject.
If you're over 18, a resident of Perry, and you have an interest in how the city works-- Perry University is something city officials say may be just for you.
"They mentioned the two things that I enjoy the most, free food and behind the scenes so it was just natural that I clicked the button and seen what happened next," Michael Tyo said.
Tyo is one of 19 participants in Perry University.
Aside from the food and behind the scenes look, in his first week of courses, he's been able to have conversations.
"We got to meet the Mayor, Mayor Walker and he was super social able, loved to talk to us, wanted to answer all our questions and felt very honest with the answers. I mean, there were some tough questions that were asked," he said.
He also got a better understanding of city government.
"Up 'till this point, we can kind of see now and a short future, this class is really explaining or at least giving us an overview of what the next 3-5 years and potentially more can look like in Perry,” he said.
Something Tabitha Clark, the city's communication manager, says was their goal from the start.
"Our goal is to make sure that these participants are well informed and educated and kind of be like ambassadors for the City of Perry. So, when they're going out to their friends, family, community members, they can let other people know and educate them about the community that they live in," she said.
For five weeks, Perry residents get an inside look through interactive classes of economic and community development, city services and public safety which just so happens to be a crowd favorite.
"So what they do is they'll get to ask questions, see the equipment that they use, what they do because a lot of times it’s kind of surprising that what you think police and fire mainly do they don't really do, they do a whole lot more," Clark said.
These classes combine some fun with a new learning opportunity for Perry residents.
Classes for the University began on Feb. 23.
While it’s too late to join now, Clark says if you're interested in participating next year you can keep check on their social media pages.