News & Events

When Congressman Jamie Raskin was kind enough to recognize The Civic Circle in his “Local Heroes” series recently, he asked me how we talk with kids about public issues given all the negative stories dominating the news—the violence, the brutality, the pandemic. I responded that information is power, and that our current civic challenge is a teachable moment.Watch Congressman Raskin’s whole “Local Heroes” interview HERE.

The Civic Circle is thrilled to be joining Carpe Diem Arts in a “SummerArtVentures” workshop called “Singing for Democracy. Here is the class description: Kids will learn seven “steps to democracy” through story and song, singing and writing songs about respectful listening (Listen!), voting (Choose!), helping others (Join!) and other democracy skills. The virtual workshops for 3rd-5th graders will feature our wonderful teaching artists, Nick Newlin and LEA, and will take place daily at 1:30

Is the nation falling apart or coming together? Perhaps a bit of both, as I note in the latest Civic Voice newsletter, but unity seems to be winning out over chaos. Both the covid-19 pandemic and the nation’s public reckoning over police brutality and racism have simultaneously upset public equilibrium, and created new openings for change. As the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has noted, systemic disruptions can lead to new political alignments, as the

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