What is Civic Reflection?

Imagine stepping back from the pressures of daily life and thinking about not how but why you do what you do. Imagine getting together with other civically engaged people and talking about your values and the choices you make in serving your community. Now imagine beginning this conversation by discussing short readings that help you gather and articulate your thoughts. This, in a nutshell, is civic reflection.

In civic reflection, a group of people with common civic work step back and think about their activities and commitments. Gathering in a hospitable place, they share refreshments and engage in facilitated conversation. The conversation focuses first on a short, thought-provoking reading and gradually opens up onto larger questions about civic engagement. What obligations do we have to others in our community? Why join one association and not another? To whom should we give? What do we really expect of those whom we serve? By reading and talking together about these underlying questions, participants gain a richer connection to one another—and to the important tasks of civic life.

To quote one participant, "The more we share our deep reflections with each other, the more we learn how to work together easily and effectively for the common good."