In today’s world, collaboration is more critical than ever. At Civity, we recognize the value of partnering with organizations that are actively engaging people in important conversations. A relational civity foundation provides a huge boost to their work.
This past year, one of our focus areas was conversations about climate change. Many organizations in various parts of the country are bringing people together to talk through their experiences, emotions, and actions; and we were able to contribute by bringing a civity mindset and skills to those conversations. We participated in convenings of the Midwest Climate Collaborative in St. Louis, Missouri; Bluegrass Greensource in Lexington, Kentucky; and the national staff of The Union of Concerned Scientists.
Near the end of the year, Civity collaborated with Citizens’ Climate Lobby Montana and Braver Angels to develop and facilitate a virtual “Bridging the Divide on Climate Solutions” workshop. People from across the nation practiced navigating polarizing political conversations, learned the “why” behind each other’s work, and sat with discomfort during some difficult conversations.
Our partner facilitators expressed their enthusiasm for integrating civity into these challenging exchanges:
“Braver Angels and Citizens’ Climate Lobby loved collaborating with Civity on this impactful workshop to bridge partisan divides around climate. Civity’s emphasis on relationship building was a key element of the workshop’s success.” – Beth Malow, Braver Angels Moderator
“Civity brought unique insights and creative activities that added to the flow and success of the workshop. I especially appreciated the ‘conversation before the conversation’ activity, which helps provide a connection between people before they dive into a difficult conversation.” -Mary Mulcaire-Jones, Missoula, Montana Climate Change Lobby (CCL) Group Leader
“The collaboration of our three organizations brought together the energy, experiences, techniques, and deep wisdom which made the workshop richer and more powerful.”
-Martha Brown, Ph.D., Retired University Administrator, Braver Angels Moderator
Our team is grateful to all of these organizations for moving these key issues forward and for co-facilitating these important discussions. Collaborating enhances our collective voice and amplifies the reach and effect of all our work.