Civic Reflection News Update — July 2011

A Letter from Our New Director

Greetings from Chicago.

Whether you know the Project on Civic Reflection well or have only a vague idea of why you might be receiving this message, I want to take a moment to briefly re-introduce PCR and also to ask something of you, to invite you to think with us about a few things.



Here is the brief re-introduction: the Project on Civic Reflection is a small team of people (based in downtown Chicago and at Valparaiso University) who work at leading discussions and helping other people lead discussions. We try to get people talking thoughtfully and openly where they work, volunteer, study, convene, or worship—wherever they act to improve the world around them.

Most recently we have been doing this work with AmeriCorps program directors; public librarians; K-12 teachers; staff, visitors, and board members of ethnic and cultural museums; palliative care unit team members; college faculty, staff, and students; branch leaders at the YMCA of the USA; trainers at an environmental foundation; a web and documentary film campaign that explores calling and vocation; two leadership organizations; and with public audiences. As you can see, we have been leading discussions, training facilitators, making the case for integrating reflective discussion into our regular activities, and providing related resources all around the country—in 42 states to date.

This activity begs at least two questions. First, why are we doing it—why are we working on getting people talking with one another about large, often difficult questions? Second, why are people and organizations across the country devoting time and resources toward learning about and implementing this activity?

The answer to both questions, on a quick pass, is this: it is good for people to talk together about why they do what they do and why they think what they think. It is good for people to listen carefully to colleagues, to talk openly with fellow community members, and to think again—and again—about their own commitments and questions.

It feels strange for me to write "it is good for people," but this is what 13 years of careful evaluation has shown. What we see across the board is that creating space for structured reflective discussion helps people understand others and themselves with more clarity, connect more strongly to one another, and renew their commitment to their work in the world.

Taking time for reflective discussion can look like a step away from our work, but it actually strengthens our work in the world—helping us remember why we do that work and what it means to do it well. It also helps build and sustain the kinds of communities that are essential to doing our best work—the work we do with and at least in part for others.

If we have learned enough to say with confidence that reflective discussion is a helpful complement to action, we have also learned that every group of people is different, that every public space and workplace presents its own challenges and opportunities…and this is where this re-introduction becomes an invitation.

Here is the invitation: we would love to hear from you about where you would like to get people talking, to build stronger community, to establish practices that help people see one another more fully and see their own commitments with renewed energy and clarity.

In short, I'm inviting you to holler at us—to holler at me directly or at any of my PCR colleagues. Please tell us about the discussions you have been having, the discussions you would like to have, or the case-making materials you would need in order to get discussion going. Please tell us what our website should do better, what kind of materials would best support your work, or what kinds of training or convening you think would be most valuable.

As we become a Center rather than a Project, we have an opportunity to think fresh about what we are doing. We would love your help in re-imagining what we are and might become.

We will be back in touch soon with more information about our next open-call workshop in Chicago, programs for teachers in the upcoming year, the release of our next book, and the launch of our mostly new website and slightly new name, but for now, just this: we look forward to hearing from you, learning from you, and perhaps even partnering with you as we continue to work on strengthening community and deepening understanding across the country.

Thanks for your time and attention, and best wishes.

Sincerely,

Adam Davis

Director, Project on Civic Reflection

312.750.1760