Civic Reflection News Update — June 2006

New Civic Reflection Small Grants Recipients

Step Ahead Council

Porter County, Indiana

The Educare Committee of the Porter County Step Ahead Council will convene a group of family childcare providers to discuss the challenges of developing and sustaining a county-wide network of quality family childcare providers. Such home providers play a critical but largely invisible role in the overall landscape of available childcare. By helping participants to better articulate the importance of quality childcare services in the health and welfare of their communities, organizers hope to nourish among them a sense of pride and community that extends beyond the program’s conclusion.



Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

The Humanities Council of Washington, DC, will convene community members, scholars, and professionals interested or engaged in local historic preservation efforts for conversations centering on the question, Who is a Washingtonian? Part One of the program will be a session at an annual symposium, Part Two a series of dinner conversations through a young professionals network. Facilitators for all events will attend pre-conversation briefings to discuss methods for approaching the readings and for encouraging open communication. The Council hopes that this series will broaden participants’ ideas about historic preservation, build greater understanding of other perspectives on the life and future of the city, and promote civic reflection as a resource for future community organizing.

Project News and Notes

New on Civicreflection.org

• “One Text, Many Lives: Talking Together About Our Life in Community,” What are the limits of charity? What do I expect from those to whom I give? What prevents us from being compassionate?
• “The Applicant” by Ambrose Bierce What justifies or explains relations of power? What enables us to connect with others? What limits connection?
• “September 1, 1939,” by W.H. Auden For whom are we responsible? How do we respond to those who do not want our help? What are the limits of charity?

…in the Facilitators’ Forum

The Facilitators’ Forum provides an opportunity for people to share their experiences leading civic reflection discussions. Recent submissions include:

• “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Hermann Melville A discussion with a group of AmeriCorps volunteers who serve as tutors in public schools. Franklin’s plan for self-improvement and moral perfection gave the volunteers a fresh opportunity to talk about virtue—their own and those of the families they serve.
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, “Part 2.” A discussion with a group of board and staff members from family foundations. Aleichem’s story helped the group to explore what constitutes a good donor transaction.
• "Reb Yozifl and the Contractor", by Sholom Aleichem. A discussion with a group of directors of childcare centers. Participants used the Silverstein to explore the questions, How am I perceived as a childcare provider? and What role does the childcare provider play in the larger community?

Spotlight on a Civic Reflection Program

Katrina Miller, the AmeriCorps team leader who served as facilitator, has taken special satisfaction in drawing both older and younger members to the series. She explains that these groups typically bring different kinds of experiences and expectations to their AmeriCorps service. “Traditionally there has been a divide between them, so I wanted to bring them together. There was tension at times, but older members are now more involved and engaged with younger members than in the past.” The series took place over nearly a year and, says Miller, “Discussions have deepened as we’ve gone along. One thing I really like is seeing how people’s perspectives change over time.” She notes that some participants who initially resisted taking time for reflection gradually came to see its value. “One member recently said to me, “Nowhere in our AmeriCorps contract does it say, you have to think about your actions, and this gives us a space to do that.’” Miller reports that civic reflection will continue to be incorporated into ASPIRE’s individual meetings in the coming year.

Staff News and Notes

Mary Kennedy, Associate Director, recently defended her dissertation, All in a Day’s Work: A Case Study of a Reading and Discussion Program for Child Welfare and Family Service Providers, in partial fulfillment of her doctoral degree in clinical psychology.



Doretta Kurzinski, Project Office Manager, earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and graduated summa cum laude in December 2005.



Cynthia Rutz, Resource Librarian, will co-lead a three-week-long summer seminar on Greek tragedy for high school students while on an island in the Aegean Sea.



Catherine Tufariello, Small Grants Coordinator, joined the Project in January 2006. Her first book of poetry, Keeping My Name (Texas Tech UP, 2004), was awarded the 2006 Poets' Prize, given annually for the best book of verse by an American in the preceding year, in May 2006.

Sarah Werner, Project Intern, graduated this May from Valparaiso University with a degree in English and is moving on to Chicago. Sarah’s work this past year revising and updating the online Resource Library has been invaluable. We will miss her, and we wish her well.

Katie Benjamin, Project Intern, joined the Project in May to work on the online Resource Library. She is a senior Theology and English major at Valparaiso University. We look forward to working with her!