This month’s Civic Voice, The Civic Circle’s newsletter, looks at the collapse of the local news industry, and the many attempts to revive it. Local newspapers not only need short-term federal relief, as I write in The Fulcrum, but a new business model and mission. Even as the covid-19 pandemic decimates newsrooms around the country, the crisis has energized a “civic news” movement that sets out to reinvent newspapers as more community and public service…
For The Civic Circle, GivingTuesdayNow was more than a global giving opportunity in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was also a chance to thank essential workers with a new song, express gratitude to our community, and help students get the meals they need during school closures. We were excited to exceed our $2,000 target, thanks to a generous matching fund set up by some of our most supportive friends. We split our proceeds with…
The Covid-19 Pandemic presents an unprecedented civic challenge in all facets of our daily lives, our community and our nation. At the Civic Circle, this is both a moment to innovate, and an opportunity to give back. We are moving our program online to assist teachers, parents and students. As a way to stay connected, we released a video of the opening song from our show, The Citizen Tango. (Check it out below!) We are…
The Civic Circle’s newsletter, The Civic Voice, spotlights civic success stories that are often overlooked in what can seem like a steady stream of bad news. Sharing civic good news can help counter the sense of powerlessness and even defeatism that many Americans feel today. It’s crucial to shine a light on where leaders, government and democracy have fallen short. Yet when we harp excessively on democracy’s failings, we unwittingly become part of the problem.…
The Civic Circle is extremely pleased to welcome new board member Matt Brown, a nonprofit executive with extensive experience in youth leadership programming. Matt comes to us via BoardMatch Montgomery, a program that pairs graduates of Leadership Montgomery with area nonprofits. Matt has spent 22 years advancing community development, youth empowerment and economic growth in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. He is currently Director of Exchange and Training at World Learning, a nonprofit…