The civity work of building relationships in communities doesn’t fit into standard categories . . . People sometimes ask us: Is civity about inclusion, diversity, and equity? (Yes.) Is it connected to democracy? (Yes.) Is it like community organizing? (Yes.) And what about civic engagement? How does civity relate to that? Both Malka and I …
Category Archives: Blog
From Civity Leaders to Civity Leadership
When we seed civity in a community, we start with a workshop for leaders in which participants practice being authentic and putting difference on the table. We follow up with support and coaching that assists these leaders as they incorporate civity into their groups and organizations. The root of seeding civity is awareness of the …
Seeding Civity in Welcoming America Communities …Moving Forward!
Earlier this fall, in partnership with Welcoming America, we offered our services to four of their Welcoming Network members following an RFP process. We have now started seeding civity in San Jose, CA; Champaign-Urbana, IL; Salt Lake County, UT; and Pittsburgh, PA. One of the most exciting things about these new communities is getting to …
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Civity as the Antidote to Privilege
This line from an essay by writer Rebecca Solnit has been stuck in my mind recently: “I always pair privilege with obliviousness…” Talk of privilege often centers on tangible advantages. White people generally are cushioned by greater wealth than people of color. That’s White privilege at work. Men generally don’t need to fear sexual assault …
How Does Civity Grow?
In Civity’s work with communities, work that we call “seeding civity,” we start with the soil. We find communities, organizations, and institutions where a handful of local leaders already see the value of relationships and the importance of bridges over differences. Government and community leaders recognize that connectivity across social dividing lines reinforces their collective …
One-on-One: Superhighway to Relationship
The core of what we do at Civity is one-on-one. In Civity workshops, participants share their personal stories and put difference on the table – one-on-one. In civity moments, leaders who have attended Civity workshops integrate time into meetings and group events for attendees to take a few minutes to exchange stories about who they …
Putting Difference on the Table: A Civity Tribute to Toni Morrison
“File:Vitoria – Graffiti & Murals 0392.JPG” by Zarateman is licensed under CC0 1.0 The word most frequently used to describe a group of people who are linked in some way is “community.” Community asserts similarity: These people have something in common, and they become a group. Civity recognizes that similarity is only half the story. …
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Seeding Civity with Welcoming America
We officially kicked off our Welcoming America Seeding Civity partnership with a Civity workshop in San José, CA, on September 4. Through this partnership, made possible by a grant from the Hewlett Foundation, we will be supporting selected Welcoming Network members to deepen their work by creating and growing opportunities for people to build relationships …
Civity: Dancing to Change
At Civity, we are about cultural change. We use the word “civity” to describe the particular change that we want to see: a culture based in positive relationships across difference. We see a lot of civity out in the communities we encounter – relational respect and empathy across social differences, including differences in how we …
From a Hummingbird to a Wave: Civity and System Change
Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her vision and creation of the Green Belt Movement, which empowers people to plant trees in parts of Africa where deforestation is affecting people’s daily lives and environments. Starting in 1977 with a few rural women in Maathai’s native Kenya, the Green Belt Movement …
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