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”
Some years ago, a common bumper sticker offered this advice: “Think Globally. Act Locally.” Never has this advice been more salient. Climate change is global, yet its effects are experienced locally. Some communities are hit by harder and more frequent storms, or drought, or wildfire. Some communities are seeing their fossil-fuel-based economies falter as energy …
(This post was updated on 02/08/25) A major new study out of Stanford University proves that Civity’s relational approach to connecting people across differences can strengthen democracy and reduce polarization by building social trust and fostering connection across difference. The Strengthening Democracy Challenge (SDC) – the largest social science experiment of its kind, and published …
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We live in a world of urgent and potentially existential challenges. There is a crisis-level lack of housing. Democracy is under siege. The effects of climate change are upon us. At Civity, we often describe the work we do as helping people have “the conversation before the conversation.” The conversation before the conversation about how …
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We at Civity have been heartened to see more and more people and organizations engage in bridging work in recent years. Many have come to this work in the wake of increasing political polarization, while others have found their way to bridging in hopes of combating inequities based on race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, immigration status, …
Continue reading “Participate this Month in America Talks & National Week of Conversation”
Civity is everywhere! All over the country, people are acknowledging that political and social divides are making it more difficult to address a range of challenging community issues. And all over the country, people are recognizing how civity and the relational infrastructure that civity creates are essential for community resilience. We are thrilled to announce …
Civity is all about relationships – creating and strengthening bridging relationships that connect people who are different. These relationships form the relational infrastructure that underlies the civic infrastructure. Together, relational and civic infrastructure make it possible for communities to function. Civity relationships are relationships of respect and empathy. People “see” each other and share stories …
Civity, to me, is all about connection. A few months into my internship with Civity, I realized how easy it is to practice civity and connecting. I had just moved to a new city, and was scared of feeling alone. In fact, I moved to one of the largest U.S. cities in existence – Los …
Continue reading “Civity: All About Connection on the Path of Life”
Who knew that President Lyndon Johnson was a champion of civity!?!? During much of the pandemic I’ve been living in Arlington, Virginia. Early of a summer morning, before the heat of the day begins to rise, I often bike along the Potomac River. I pass by geese and goslings along with a few ducks, and …
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