What Is Civic Engagement?
Civic Engagement is any action by a person or organization with the intent of connecting with the community.
According to Thomas Ehrlich, author of Civic Engagement and Higher Education, Civic Engagement is "working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference."
What is CivicSolve?
CivicSolve is a consulting firm with a focus on civic engagement, and a mission of "building better communities through civic engagement." We believe in connecting people with their own power as citizens and the power that exists in communities.
Whether engaging in a single person, neighborhood, or community, we want to help "build better citizens," and through those empowered citizens, create the most inclusive and productive conversation possible. We believe through engaged conversation, lasting progress can be achieved.
Community Meeting Facilitation
CivicSolve will take the time to get to know you and your organization so we can best understand how you would like to build your community. From there, we will create a tailored and personalized plan for your needs. CivicSolve can help you or your organization identify and partner with other potential stakeholders (i.e. elected officials, municipal/state agencies, other community organizations) in your community. After identifying these potential stakeholders, we will work with all parties to build a network that addresses the needs of your community.
Personalized Civic Training
Everyone has to learn to walk before they can run. CivicSolve will create a "Civic Academy" training program that will help your community turn its ideas into action. In this customized training, we will cover the basics of civic engagement and community development, which we base on the principles of Asset Based Community Development.
Civic Capacity Building
CivicSolve will help you build a system or infrastructure to build civic capacity within in your organization, institution, or municipality. Currently, we are working with the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) to build a national civic engagement network and develop best practices among their 54 councils nationwide. CivicSolve also manages the web and social media presence of OneVoteNow, a partnership of disability advocacy organizations, focused on providing information and resources for voters who care about issues that affect the disability community.
Other things to check out!
