Hi there!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break.
At NCoC, we’ve had a busy end to the year. In October, we held the 2019 Annual Conference on Citizenship with 300+ local leaders from across the country. It was so great to see many of you in person at the event and at the CHI pre-conference workshops. With your partnership, I’m looking forward to the future of the Civic Health Initiative.
Check out the latest news from our partners below and please reach out if you have any updates for me to share in the next newsletter.Sincerely,Lisa Matthews
In Review: Civic Health Initiative at the 2019 Annual Conference on Citizenship
For the 74th Annual Conference on Citizenship, NCoC joined University of Maryland School of Public Policy in co-hosting this convening focused on highlighting “bright spots” or local leaders committed to full participation across America.
The Conference included a pre-Conference convening on CHI – as well as in-depth working groups on civic health. We were delighted to have presentations from our partners in Arizona, Maryland, Georgia, and Houston. These included insights from initiatives like Progress Meters and Participatory Budgeting in Arizona, Houston in Action and GenHTX in Houston, Civic Health Programs in Nebraska, and much more.We are extremely grateful to have such an impressive array of partners using civic health data in unique and actionable ways. We look forward to seeing you all in 2020!
Partnership Updates
Civic Signals
An important part of full participation in our democracy is fostering inclusive physical and digital spaces for people to interact. With that in mind, NCoC is excited to partner in a new, important project: Civic Signals. Led by Eli Pariser and Talia Stroud at the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas, this effort connects a multidisciplinary community of designers, technologists, and community leaders to build flourishing, public-friendly digital spaces.
Building from the robust civic health data, Civic Signals taps into the wisdom of physical spaces and community engagement to envision better digital spaces. Learn more about the project here.
Purple Project for Democracy
In June, we announced a partnership with the Purple Project for Democracy – a non-partisan coalition, campaign and movement to recommit to our democratic values and institutions. They have recently revamped their website and opportunities to engage at WeThePurple.org.
Our Senior Fellow, Sterling Speirn was recently quoted in Yahoo Finance! about the initiative: “We are thrilled to launch We The Purple, one of the most ambitious movements ever undertaken, with the goal of bringing back trust in democracy. With this initiative, we seek to encourage not just pride in our democratic institutions in principle but civic engagement among Americans of all ages.”
Check out the full article.
CHI Partner Updates
Indiana Partners Release 2019 Civic Health Index
Our partners in Indiana have released the 2019 Indiana Civic Health Index. Since 2010, organizations in the state have come together to prepare the Indiana Civic Health Index on four occasions.
The focus of this report is to take a closer look at how our civic health has changed over time with a particular focus on voter turnout and registration. Check out the news related to this report:
Journal Gazette – Study: Hoosiers’ Voting Rate Low
WYFI – Civic Health Index Shows Indiana Needs Improvement
The Indiana Lawyer – 2019 Report Finds Hoosiers Continuing to Avoid Ballot Box
Herald Bulletin – Editorial: Participation is Key to Representation
Alabama Partners Launch the 2019- 2020 Jean O’Connor – Snyder Internship Program
Earlier this year, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life invited institutions of higher education across Alabama to send in applications for the Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program (JOIP). This program provides experiential learning opportunities for Alabama’s undergraduate students. Over the past eleven years the DMC has funded JOIP programs in twelve Alabama colleges and universities, engaging over 210 students who worked in 22 different Alabama counties.
During this program year, 32 students, pursuing higher education at eight different Alabama universities and colleges, will have the opportunity to work in thirteen Alabama counties as JOIP interns. These internship experiences provide college students the opportunity to collaborate with community members in addressing common concerns through the use of deliberative practices. Learn more about the program here.
2019 Georgia Report in the News
Heather Farley of the Murphy Center reflects on the findings of the 2019 Georgia Civic Health Index in this Brunswick News article.
Civic Nebraska Unveils Their 2019 Annual Report
View the report here.
Seattle CityClub’s Civic Spotlight
In their most recent spotlight, Seattle CityClub highlights the work of ECONorthwest.