#CLDE17 OPENING PLENARY | CivEd Talks and Our CLDE Theory of Change

The 2017 Civic Learning & Democratic Engagement (CLDE) meeting organized by the American Democracy Project (ADP), the Democracy Project (TDC) and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, is continuing the conversation set forth during the #CLDE16 meeting  by introducing our emergent theory of change adapted from elements of the 2012  A Crucible Moment report. We encourage attendees to reflect on how to build campus cultures that enhance the following threads of our work: civic ethos, civic literacy and skill building, civic inquiry, civic action and civic agency.

This year’s conference will feature CivEd talks by three practitioner scholars making waves in the CLDE space. CivEd Talks are dynamic, short, and quick-paced presentations by members of the civic learning and democratic engagement community intended to inspire and challenge our collective imagination and thinking. Each of the three CivEd Talks presented will actively engage participants in stretching our thinking and motivating us to action as we return to our campuses and communities following the meeting.

Join us for an opening plenary session that asks you to envisioning the work of our CLDE movement in higher education and consider how you can help us move the needle on democratic engagement on campus, in your communities, and in our civil society. Each of the CivEd Talks presented will actively engage participants to challenge the status quo and to move toward change and to take action upon returning to their campuses.

The opening plenary session will take place at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8, 2017.

Opening remarks by: Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

 

 

CivEd Talks:

• Millennial Conservatism and Civic Engagement: No, Really, What Do Young Conservatives Want?
  
  Young conservatives are here to stay, and in 2016, they voted in higher numbers — and exhibited higher engagement with candidates and issues — than they had in the past 20 years. But millennial conservatives aren’t social conservatives, and they aren’t necessarily fiscal conservatives, either. Jane Coaston will review the latest polling data and analytics to discuss what we’re hearing — and not hearing — from a demographic that will impact our politics, and our policies, for decades to come.
  Speaker:  Jane Coaston, political reporter, MTV News

 

• Doing Civic Engagement through a Wicked Problems Lens: The Case for Passionate Impartiality
  
  Amid perhaps the most polarized time in our nation’s history, the quality of public discourse has also reached historic lows. Civic engagement practitioners must find ways to build capacity in our communities and campuses to change the dialogue, work against the overly adversarial climate, and support the kind of conversation democracy requires. Martin Carcasson will make the case for taking a “wicked problems” perspective on tough issues to work toward improving the quality of public discourse and building the necessary civic skill sets and mindsets in our students.
  Speaker: Martín Carcasson, Founder and Director, Center for Public Deliberation, Colorado State University

• Citizen Power
  
  Far too many Americans are illiterate in power – what it is, how it operates, why some individuals have more than others. As a result, those few who do understand power wield it disproportionately. How can you learn to activate your civic power to see problems through fresh eyes and bypass broken institutions, stale ideologies, and divisive politics? Eric Liu answered this question in his recent book You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen. In this talk about power and civic purpose, Eric Liu expounds the values, knowledge and skills of effective citizenship, and rejuvenates the meaning of being an active American.
  Speaker: Eric Liu, CEO, Citizen University

 

Eric Liu will be signing copies of his book You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen (2017) after the plenary and everyone who registers will get a free copy of it onsite at the CLDE meeting registration desk.

Therefore will be plenty of additional engagement opportunities during this year’s meeting such as:

• CLDE Orientation on Thursday, June 8th prior to the start of the Opening Plenary.  
• Campus & Friends Showcase at CLDE17 on Thursday, June 8th! Learn more here. Sign up here.
• Exploratory Session by Bus | Right to the City – Curtis Bay: Community Engagement through a Mobile App Sponsored by Towson University.
• Walking Tour 1 | Baltimore West Side Sponsored by University of Maryland Baltimore County.
• Walking Tour 2 | Baltimore “Untour” Sponsored by University of Maryland Baltimore County.

To learn more about the 2017 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting and to register by the May 1, 2017 early-bird deadline, visit the conference website.

 

#CLDE16: Opening Plenary CivEd Talks

We are kicking off the 2016 Civic Learning & Democratic Engagement (CLDE) Meeting organized by the American Democracy Project (ADP), the Democracy Project (TDC), and NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education in a new way on June 2, 2016 with an opening plenary session format that is intended to spark dialogue, community, and passion in all attendees. We will begin our meeting for the first time using a format of presentation that we are calling, “CivEd Talks”. These talks are dynamic, short, and quick-paced exhibitions by members of the civic learning and democratic engagement community intended to inspire and challenge our collective imagination and thinking. Each of the CivEd Talks presented will actively engage participants in stretching our thinking and motivating us to action as we return to our campuses and communities following the meeting.

The opening plenary session will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2.  We ask you to envision the work of our CLDE movement in higher education and consider how you can help us move the needle on engagement on campus, in your communities, and in our civil society.

This year’s CivEd Talk speakers include:

Justice Works: Why Student Engagement on Social Justice Issues is Good for Democracy
Can student engagement on issues of social justice and inclusion help to restore higher education’s sense of civic purpose and produce the kind of active citizenry we need to support an effective democratic society? While passion about injustice is a good start, students need the skills, knowledge and capacity to translate their hunger for justice into positive social change. This talk will consider the role of higher education, philanthropy, and government in fostering positive student engagement on criminal justice reform, college access and equity as well as other issues.
Speaker:  Austin Belali, Director, Youth Engagement Fund

Connecting the Dots – Why We Need to Care about Civic Learning on and Off of College Campuses
What would it be like if college-based civic and political learning takes into account what students are learning before they enter college?  What would it be like to build a cohesive learning theory of civic learning and engagement within local and regional communities? This talk will ask us to think beyond our campus boundaries by pointing to the value of building a cohesive set of learning activities, objectives, along the developmental continuum. Together we can engage the entire community surrounding each campus in building a generation of youth and students who start learning how to become engaged citizen have important long-term consequences.
Speaker:  Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Director of CIRCLE, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University

A Brief History of U.S. Democracy, 2016-2046
What can we achieve together in the next 30 years if people in higher education concerned about civic learning and democratic engagement pull together to move an ambitious collective agenda forward? Building on experiences fostering democratic culture at his own institution, David Hoffman will take a “retrospective” look at a future history we can create together.
Speaker: David Hoffman, Assistant Director of Student Life for Civic Agency, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)  

This conference promises to catalyze a more intentional academic and student affairs collaboration and to enhance institutional commitments to excellence in civic education and development. Take advantage of the early-bird rate and register by April 25.

We hope you will take advantage of this year’s conference to continue our civic missions!