The fundamental question facing any community or society is how its members are going to be with each other. This question is more pressing now than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking lives, and the shelter-in-place directives aimed at saving lives are devastating many people’s livelihoods. A natural disaster is creating a social and economic …
Category Archives: Blog
We Are All Connected: Civity in the Time of COVID-19
Dear Friends of Civity- We hope you all are holding up (and for many of us, holing up) and staying safe and healthy. We realize the current environment is unsettling, disconcerting, and scary. For us, it is a time to be grateful for the people we are in relationship with – our loved ones, our …
Continue reading “We Are All Connected: Civity in the Time of COVID-19”
Civity and Civic Engagement
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Seeding Civity in Welcoming America Communities …Moving Forward!”
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. …
Continue reading “Putting Difference on the Table: A Civity Tribute to Toni Morrison”
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 …