July 2023

Civity for Everyone

Dear Friends-

I can’t believe this year is already half over! But as I look back, I am moved to look further back than just the last year and consider what we have been busy with in the last 12 months.

Twelve months ago, we started work on the DIYcivity webpage and resources now up on our website. As you will see from Palma’s article, we have finally completed what we set out to do: scale the civity work up another notch. Civity has always been grounded in the conviction that creating a society based on connectedness and understanding is something we can ALL contribute to. And while we at Civity put a lot of our resources toward supporting the community leaders we train to “do civity,” DIYcivity represents a powerful expansion of the circle by making “doing civity yourself” a reality. I want to take a moment to thank all the folks at Civity who brought this project to fruition - especially Gina and Palma, as well as 2022 summer intern Megan Foreman. I also want to recognize the important work of all the partner organizations whose resources we draw on. We appreciate all that you do to support the culture change we all want to see.

Speaking of partners, check out Lucy’s article detailing the new online training module we have created with the help of the Bridging Movement Alignment Council and Living Room Conversations. This training is another way to support skill-building at a larger scale – to give more and more people energy and strategies for creating a civity culture. We are also putting the finishing touches on “Bringing Climate to the Table,” a joint workshop developed in collaboration with our friends from Braver Angels and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. This workshop will train people to build relationships and have the hard conversations necessary to problem-solve about climate change, and we will premiere it in Montana this fall. Working with partners is the best!

The year also brings a couple of changes to our organization. Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Vanesa Acevedo Díaz, who has been supporting our communications work. Vanesa, thank you for everything – we will miss you! But I’m pleased to announce that we have a new team member – Humphrey Obuobi – who will be assisting us on our California housing project. Welcome, Humphrey!

Wishing you a good rest of your summer. We’ll see you in the fall!

Warmly,

Malka

Try Civity Yourself!

Introducing

DIYcivity!

We are excited to announce the launch of DIYcivity! Now, you can find tools, resources, and guides to practice civity yourself - at home, at work, and in your community.

In truth, you already have everything you need to start creating a civity culture. We already know how to be in relationship with other people. But because we aren’t always intentional about this – and because we sometimes stick close to home in sharing that sense of “we belong here” – we at Civity created DIYcivity to help us be intentional and expand our sense of who belongs.

One-on-one connections are the lifeblood of civity. We create a civity culture by reaching out to people – especially people we might initially perceive as “other” – with respect and empathy. Reaching across differences builds the relationships that make our communities stronger.

At DIYcivity, you will find:

➤ Tips for practicing civity

➤ Specific suggestions for practicing civity in various contexts.

➤ Resources to learn more about civity.

➤ A way to share your civity experience with the larger civity community.

That’s #DIYcivity! Try it Yourself!

A DIYcivity Wave

By Palma Joy Strand

One of the primary projects at Civity over the past year has been developing Do-It-Yourself pages on our website. And we are thrilled to announce that DIYcivity is now up and available! We invite you to peruse, browse, take a gander at one of the linked resources – and take Civity out for a spin. Try it on your own. Do Civity Yourself.

We have three touchstones for our work at Civity – for creating a culture of civity in communities. The first two form the core of our workshops:

1. Relationships are foundational; and

2. Connections across difference are powerful.

The third Civity touchstone links the micro to the macro:

3. Individuals can transform communities.

This is where DIYcivity comes in.

By Lucy Hancock

We are excited to share that Civity is partnering with the Bridging Movement Alignment Council's micro-credential training pilot program! To support individuals in developing bridge-building skills, various organizations have created training opportunities that will enhance participants' skillsets – the first skill being “listening to understand.” Civity has partnered with Living Room Conversations for an interactive and reflective experience. The training showcases the Civity Storytelling intervention, which is a part of Stanford's Strengthening Democracy Study.

You are invited to share these professional training opportunities with your organizations and in your newsletters. Spread the word!

Upon completion of any training, we invite you to submit an endorsement – your organization’s stamp of approval will help us gain traction in our efforts.

Thank you for your partnership in building a stronger democracy!

Civity Makes the News!

Palma Discusses Civity's Storytelling Intervention

in 'Beyond Intractability'

Civity co-founder Palma Strand recently appeared in the Beyond Intractability blog on SubStack to discuss the importance of the Civity Storytelling intervention and why it did so well in Stanford's mega-study, The Strengthening Democracy Challenge.

Palma writes: "Political polarization seems to be everywhere – in Washington DC, at statehouses around the nation, and in school board and other local government meetings. It has come to appear so entrenched as to be a permanent part of the national landscape, inevitable and immutable. Polarization is the watchword of the moment. The intractability of political polarization, however, may be vastly overstated. A recent study based at Stanford University offers a message of hope that people are not as 'stuck' as we might think."

We do have a way forward – and Civity Storytelling is key in reducing polarization and animosity across difference by increasing social trust.

Read Palma's Article!

Civity Is All About Food

By Vanesa Acevedo Diaz

We live in a world with infinite differences – and every day we are exposed to content online that exploits our differences.

But what would happen if we put that same magnifying glass on the differences that unite us? Like food and friendship, for starters.

Two years ago, I returned to Chile from the US. After being away from my country for so long, I realized that certain things are not forgotten – in particular food and friends.

I learned that civity interactions are an antidote to the rise of technology that has led to the diminished quality of interpersonal relationships.

How You Can Support Civity's Work

Thank you for supporting and practicing civity! To support Civity’s work with a tax-exempt donation, CLICK HERE to donate online or get instructions for sending a check.

Your donation helps fund our communications and enables us to give free workshops to small nonprofits.

Our work is more important than ever, and we can’t do it without you. Help us reach more people and provide more support to leaders across the country seeking to build civity.

Let’s grow our civity community by reaching out to “others” and bridging across divides. Together, we can create a culture where we ALL belong.

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Civity Is All About Food" photos by Vanesa Acevedo Diaz