The Project on Civic Reflection has been working with the Chicago Cultural Alliance and its Core Members on a discussion series that would bring together Chicago's diverse communities to talk about issues that matter. The Talking about… discussion series is part of a collective effort by CCA's members to build museums as centers of civic engagement. Two successful events have already been held, with more to follow through September.

In late March, the Arab American Action Network and the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture paired up a comparative presentation with a short civic reflection discussion to get participants thinking about how their communities have experienced waves of immigration and migration in Chicago. In mid-April, at the event "Aging in Our Communities," leaders from the Balzekas Museum and the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society hosted a dialogue with participants from their communities to explore the emotional and physical needs of the elderly. Participants read a short text, an excerpt from Chitra B. Divakaruni's short story "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter", to reflect on the condition of elder care in their communities, the changes they would like to see, and how museums as community centers could facilitate those changes.