DIY Resources – Partners
We all have the power to initiate change.
Here are some ways you can continue to explore the three civity touchstones:
Relationships Are Foundational
The basis of civity is building relationships and strengthening the relational infrastructure of our communities. Creating relationships that send the message that we all belong sets the foundation for a strong community. Explore the resources below to discover simple strategies for how to look internally and build your capacity for respect and empathy, then turn externally and strengthen your listening and conversation skills.
➤ Complicate the typical definition of listening:
— Watch this short video: The Art of Listening (5 minutes) (Simon Sinek)
➤ Explore listening further:
— Listen to this podcast: What Does It Take to Really Listen to Someone? (19 minutes + transcript) (Greater Good Magazine)
— Take 10 minutes for Active Listening Practice (Greater Good in Action)
➤ Consider the meaning of the word “respect”:
— Read about “a new view of respect” (Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot)
➤ Think about what empathy is – as compared to sympathy:
— Check out this short animated video: Empathy vs Sympathy (3 minutes) (Brené Brown)
➤ Dive deeper into empathy and how we can grow it:
— Listen to this TED talk: We’re experiencing an empathy shortage, but we can fix it together (13 minutes) (Jamil Zaki)
➤ Watch two 10-year-olds from across the world build civity through a simple conversation:
— Watch this short video: These Questions Can Help You Connect (Even When You’re Apart) (3 minutes) (Greater Good Magazine)
➤ Discover steps you can take to increase your empathy levels:
— Take this thought-provoking quiz: Empathy Quiz (Greater Good Magazine)
➤ Learn from a professional about great conversation:
— Read this article: How a great conversation is like a game of catch (TED) (Celeste Headlee)
— Watch this video: 10 ways to have a better conversation (TED talk) (11 minutes) (Celeste Headlee)
Connections Across Difference Are Powerful
Remaining in our bubbles so as to avoid conversations that may feel unfamiliar is often our natural instinct because the familiar feels safe. Simple actions can begin to break down the invisible barriers that keep us apart – like sharing a bit of your own story, choosing to ask a question of genuine interest, or starting a conversation with someone across a difference.
➤ Listen to one author’s wisdom on the danger of having only a single story about someone:
— Watch this TED Talk: The danger of a single story (18.5 minutes) (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
➤ See the world. There are many resources for gaining perspective on particular ways that people are kept apart based on differences such as race, politics, religion, gender identity, immigration status, whether they live in rural or urban areas, and economics. Here are just a few:
— America Indivisible
— The Reunited States (film)
— The Othering and Belonging Institute
— Braver Angels
— Living Room Conversations
— Interfaith Alliance
— The Pluralism Project
— Interfaith America (literacy toolkit)
— Welcoming America
— The United Nations
— Gender Spectrum
— To See Each Other
— Urban Rural Action
➤ Gain a deeper understanding of yourself by uncovering your unconscious biases (we all have them!):
— Take one or more Implicit Association Tests (Project Implicit)
➤ Reflect on how practiced are you in bridging across social differences (remember, it’s all about practice!):
— Take this quiz: Bridging Differences (Greater Good Magazine)
➤ It’s possible! Watch people connect and learn to see each other’s humanity across deep divides:
— Watch one or more of these short videos: One Small Step (various videos of about 3 min. each) (StoryCorps)
— Connecting people with different political beliefs for StoryCorps style conversations
➤ Be inspired by ordinary people bridging divides:
— Take a look at these brief personal stories of people bridging the political divide (photos + brief summaries) (Braver Angels)
➤ Practice approaching a potentially divisive conversation from a civity angle:
— Walk through some steps on navigating difficult conversations (Constructive Dialogue Institute)
➤ Dive into some of the research on bridging to move past “Us vs. Them”:
— Check out this Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities (The Foundation for Social Connection)
Individuals Can Transform Communities
Small choices made by individuals can create welcoming and inclusive communities where everyone is seen as belonging. Even one person practicing civity has the power to instigate change on a community level. We don’t just live in communities; we ARE communities!
➤ Learn about systems and change:
— Read this article: What a Social Systems Perspective Teaches Us About Change (Christiaan Verwijs)
➤ Stretch your imagination of systemic global change:
— Watch this video: Blessed Unrest (6 minutes) (Paul Hawken)
➤ Discover how relationships lead to systemic change:
— Read this article: The Relational Work of Systems Change (Katherine Milligan, Juanita Zerda, & John Kania in Stanford Social Innovation Review)
➤ Visualize how even small individual decisions lead to community-level change:
— Work through this activity: Avoiding segregation (Really great visualization of the huge effects grouping with those similar to us can have on a whole society) (Understanding Prejudice)
➤ Get the beat of practicing civity – it’s like regular exercise:
— Read this article: Hope is a Muscle (Krista Tippett)
➤ Be inspired to take action – what each of us does matters:
— Watch and be inspired by this short video: Be a Hummingbird (2 minutes) (Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai)