DC Civics Coalition preliminary meeting

Maryland has its Civic Education Coalition, Virginia its Virginia Civics Coalition, but there is as yet no similar organization in Washington, DC. In this politically tumultuous time, there is arguably no better moment to establish a DC Civics Coalition — DC Civics, for short, and provisionally — in our nation’s capital. DC Civics could connect diverse District stakeholders, share pertinent info, foster collaboration, and advance civic education policies that help strengthen democracy in DC, and America, for generations to come.

Following up on recent CivxNow Coalition meetings, a first step is to connect via an email list those interested in being part of a DC Civics Coalition so we may begin gathering the info we need to understand the current landscape in DC (e.g., stakeholders, leaders, gatekeepers, relevant policies in place, obstacles, opportunities, and potential funding to fuel DC Civics).

If you’re interested in being on the DC Civics Coalition email list, please fill out this form to help us learn about you, and you’ll get added to the list. This moderated list will keep you informed periodically of DC Civics meetings and other information to advance the Coalition: https://bit.ly/subscribedccivics

Second, if you’re able to attend this initial DC Civics Zoom mtg, please (a) mark your Calendar, (b) copy the Zoom mtg link below, and (c) please email me at paul@learninglife.info to let me know you plan to attend.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86178036043

Here are the preliminary questions we’ll be discussing and crowdsourcing your answers to via Google sheets:

1. Players: Who/What are the individuals and organizations in or around DC that currently play a role in DC civ ed administration and policymaking?

2. Members or Allies: What individuals and organizations (businesses, advocacy or service nonprofits, membership associations, govt agencies) are potential DC Civics Coalition members or allies, including funders?

3. What Exists: What civ ed policies are currently in place in DC? How well are these policies implemented?

4. Obstacles and Opportunities: What are some of the obstacles and opportunities you see for civ ed in DC?

5. Other Questions: What other questions should we be seeking answers to in this initial fact-finding phase of DC Civics’ development?

Please share this meeting with anyone you think may be interested.

Thank you!

Note: the attached photo collage is of Learning Life’s own DMV Democracy Learning Community (DLC) , not the DC Civics Coalition, since we don’t have an event poster for this DC Civics first mtg. If you’d like to learn more about the DLC, visit: https://learninglife.info/dlc/

Paul Lachelier
Founder & Director
Learning Life
paul@learninglife.info