Fall has arrived here in Milwaukee, and the quilts have come out of the closet. My mother took up quilting later in life, and I have several of her quilts. One that is made of scraps from many different other projects is especially dear to me. I can identify dresses she wore and shirts she …
Continue reading “A Quilt Meditation on Democracy, Social Connection, & Civity”
One of the primary projects at Civity over the past year has been developing Do-It-Yourself pages on our website. And we are thrilled to announce that DIYcivity is now up and available! We invite you to peruse, browse, take a gander at one of the resources linked to – and take Civity out for a spin. …
Wait, what? We live in a world with infinite differences – and every day we are exposed to content online that exploits our differences. But what would happen if we put that same magnifying glass on the differences that unite us? Like food and friendship, for starters. Two years ago, I returned to Chile from …
This article originally appeared on the listserv Beyond Intractability on June 12, 2023. Political polarization seems to be everywhere – in Washington DC, at statehouses around the nation, and in school board and other local government meetings. It has come to appear so entrenched as to be a permanent part of the national landscape, inevitable …
Our joint civity journey – close to 20 years now – started with a one-on-one conversation … with each other. We talked about our concerns about important “tough issues” such as the environment, health care, education, racism, and poverty. We talked about our combined experience in local communities where we saw the effects of these …
Over the last few months Civity has had the privilege of facilitating two civity workshops with climate-change-related practitioners. Working with the members of the Midwest Climate Collaborative in St. Louis, Missouri, and with Bluegrass Greensource in Lexington, Kentucky, the common thread was the awareness that building relationships across difference is the foundation for change. Much of …
Continue reading “Civity Collaborates with Climate Change Practitioners”
Join Civity on Sunday, April 23, for our special online workshop, as part of the National Week of Conversation! The workshop takes place from 12pm – 2pm PT / 3pm – 5pm ET on Zoom. Register Here! We look forward to seeing you and building relational muscle together!
I live in an old house – more than 100 years old. The other day I was down in my basement with a plumber looking at replacing some cast iron pipes that have reached the end of their time. It’s never fun to be faced with significant home repairs, but at the same time I …
Civity is more than connecting and belonging; it is a cultural change. Recently, I experienced civity even in the midst of tragedy. In December 2022, my city was on fire. At 5 p.m., I could hear fire trucks and planes dropping water from the sky. My heart clenched to see how the fire advanced mercilessly …
Continue reading “Acts of Civity Amidst Tragedy Lead to Enduring Connections”
This column originally appeared in the Sheridan Press. Did everyone survive Thanksgiving a few pounds heavier but with familial relationships mostly intact? ‘Tis the season for ugly political discussions over the big bird. There’s nothing quite like mixing alcohol, simmering resentments, buttery carbohydrates, and long-term misunderstandings to make for unfortunate dinner conversations featuring raised voices …
Continue reading “Column: Civity — the Gift that Keeps Giving”
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