Putting on a Civic Life Institute is a big job. In 2016, we were fortunate to have the assistance of Kaycie Stushek, who at the time was interning with our friends at the WV Community Development Hub. Kaycie is finishing a Master’s in Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing on community development and environmental planning.… Read More Civic Life Institute: Kaycie’s experience
A hush has fallen over the hallways here at the W. Va. Center for Civic Life, and it’s not just that we are stunned by the heat wave (although we are also stunned by the heat wave): just days ago, we presented the 20th Civic Life Institute, and after all of the frenzied preparations in the… Read More Another Civic Life Institute is in the record books!
What do you remember about your first Institute? “What struck me during the first Institute I attended was that people who advocated for an approach that was very far from my perspective, were often raising the same concerns that I had and wanting the same societal outcome. We just had reached different conclusions about how… Read More Mary Pat Peck: “If we don’t find ways to respectfully talk, we cannot begin to work together on solutions.”
What was your first impression of the Civic Life Institute? “When I went to my first one, it was immediately clear that this kind of work needs to be in every community, and needs to be part of all community development work.” But aren’t community conversations “just talk”? With all the problems we face, do… Read More Kent Spellman on the Civic Life Institute: “This kind of work needs to be in every community”
What struck you about the Civic Life Institutes you have attended? “What I saw that was powerful was the realization that took hold, that we all may speak or look different but we want the same things: we want our children to be healthy, we want our grandchildren to have a good school. And the key… Read More Becky Ceperley on the Civic Life Institute: “The key was communication, breaking through divisions before anyone could do anything.”
+ Sutton Stokes, Associate Director We have a messaging problem, when it comes to convincing you to attend the Civic Life Institute, our annual workshop on community engagement practices.[1] See, the very nature of community engagement work prevents us from making you any grand promises. Community engagement, and the process of building what we call “civic… Read More What the heck is the Civic Life Institute, and what can it do for me?