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 …
Continue reading “The ‘Conversation Before the Conversation’”
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 …
Beverly Daniel Tatum, psychologist and author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, provides a metaphor for racism that captures the feeling of being part of a larger system: the moving walkways that are found in many airports. Once you step onto the moving walkway, its motion carries you along. Even standing …
Continue reading “The Push of Antiracism & the Pull of Civity”
We are pleased to offer our first virtual open-to-the-public workshop! If you haven’t experienced a Civity workshop yet, you can take advantage of this from wherever you are. Get a first-hand experience of how Civity works with leaders to build “social muscle,” cultivating relationships of respect, empathy and trust across difference. You’ll have a chance …
Continue reading “Join Us for a Virtual Civity Workshop on June 24!”
Civity has, from the beginning, taken a systems approach to social change. In complex adaptive social systems – such as our communities, our nation, and our world – it is the interactions of the people within them – our relationships – that create the system’s energy and character. The challenges and injustices that we see and experience are created by us – all of us.
Dear Friends- As we look ahead – coming off of the challenges of 2020 and the turbulent beginning to 2021 – Civity’s vision and Civity’s work are more vital than ever. We are seeing once again how race and class – the deep cracks in the foundation of our democracy – can lead to physical …
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