Dear friends and supporters of PCR,
It has been a busy summer for the Project on Civic Reflection. Even as we have been working through our own internal changes, we have been working hard to help a wide range of people and organizations across the country think and talk about the changes they are making in the world. Since our last newsletter, we have added a number of exciting events on our calendar, and we invite you to join us for upcoming workshop and events.
Following a successful workshop in May, we will host two civic reflection facilitation training workshops in Chicago in the near future – one on October 20-21, 2011 and the other on January 19-20, 2012. We have also added another program arm called the Teachers’ Inquiry Project (TIP), and on February 10-11, 2012, we will hold a civic reflection workshop specifically for educators. Please pass the word about these workshops to anyone you know who might be interested, and please contact us with questions or for registration information.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. What questions should we be asking about this day? Why and do we remember it? On the morning of September 12, the Project, in partnership with Chicago Public Media - WBEZ 91.5FM and Illinois Humanities Council, will facilitate 4 community discussions about the meaning of 9-11, now and going forward. Three of these discussions are open to the public, but advance registration is highly recommended, as space is limited. To learn more and sign up, please visit www.wbez.org/events.
We are also delighted to announce that the More Than Money archives now have their own website, www.MoreThanMoney.org. The Project was honored to host this resource for the past 5 years, and is pleased to now pass them on to Bolder Giving, where they will reach new audiences who are exploring the connection between money and values.
Thank you for your ongoing support for PCR. Please always feel free to share with us your experience with Civic Reflection.
Enjoy the summer!
-Project on Civic Reflection
New Resources
Additions to Resource Library
- "On Being a Cripple,” by Nancy Mairs: This essay raises questions about how we define ourselves in relation to our bodies, the world and one another, and prompts us to reflect on how we deal with chronic illness, physical imperfections, disability and mortality. It also could frame an exploration of the complexities of service—whether given or received.
- “The Peace of Wild Things,” by Wendell Berry: The narrator in the poem turns to nature in his increasing "despair for the world." What sort of response does he find there? What does he mean by saying that "wild things" do not "tax their lives with forethought of grief"?
- “Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter,” by Chitra Divakaruni: Mrs. Dutta is an Indian widow who left her home in India to live with her son and his family in the U.S. This short story reflects on Mrs Dutta’s past, her decision to leave her native land, and her struggle adapting to her new home. The story inspires discussions of giving, identity, immigration, and how we cope with change and cultural differences.
Spanish translations of readings in The Civically Engaged Reader
Commissioned by Serve Rhode Island, nine Spanish translations of popular readings in The Civically Engaged Reader are added to our existing Spanish resources!
New Anthology from Amy Kass
 A new resource is now available for civic reflection discussions on American identity, character, and citizenship. Amy Kass who has facilitated a number of state humanities council civic reflection discussions in recent years, has just released an anthology of stories, essays, speeches, and songs that she co-edited with her husband Leon Kass, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, and Diana Schaub, professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland. According to Kass, What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song, starts from the premise “that developing robust citizens involves educating the heart as well as the mind.” A website that supplements the anthology is intended to be a resource for educators, civic and service organizations, and others interested in learning about what it means, and what it takes, to be an American citizen.
Civic Reflection Across the Nation
- Partnering with Chicago Cultural Alliance, the Project has been helping Chicago-based ethnic museums to bring together the city's diverse communities to relate their heritage to significant contemporary issues.Check out the recent dialogue "We're Still Here: Changing Definitions of Identity in Chicago" on WBEZ.
- Karen Ardizzone helped host a “Connect & Reflect: Community Service Reflection” workshop series at Rutgers University to provide students an opportunity to meet and reflect together on what it means to be a student volunteer.
- At National Louis University, four PCR-trained staff and faculty – Karen Roth, Virginia Jagla, Antonina Lukenchuk and Tiger Rahman – formed a “NLU Service Learning Team.” On April 27, 2011, NLU’s Civic Engagement Center and Library hosted “A Day of Reflection,” where the service learning team invited students, faculty, staff and alumni to join in civic reflection discussions centering on the piece “The Lovers of the Poor."
- The national Meaning of Service kicked off its second program year with a civic reflection facilitation training workshop hosted by the Illinois Humanities Council in Chicago. Participants from Ohio, Wyoming, and New York joined us to share ideas and plan the continued growth of reflective discussio with AmeriCorps and other service groups. With the successful implementation of civic reflection in Maryland, Mississippi, Montana and Illinois, the Project is excited about helping the Meaning of Service grow, with the support of an NEH grant.
- At the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in Baltimore, MD, Fabio Lomedino helped start a new initiative called Community Conversations, in which LIRS will engage 12 communities across the country to reflect on the experience of welcoming migrants and refugees. The outcomes of these conversations will shape and transform how the organization engages with communities in the future, create a greater awareness of the strengths refugees and migrants bring to their communities, and foster the creation of community-led transformation initiatives. |
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