This era of anxiety and divisiveness calls for a new approach to building and maintaining a civically healthy and active citizenry. In a country held together not by race or religion but by a common creed, how do we maintain a sense of national cohesion? And how do we convert our ideals into action? These are the questions that we confront with Civic Saturday.
Join Civic Nebraska at 11 a.m. Sept. 26 for our first virtual Civic Saturday of 2020. The gathering, designed as a civic analog to a faith gathering, was originally created by our friends at Seattle-based Citizen University in 2016. Since then, the gatherings have spread to dozens of cities, bringing together friends and strangers to nurture a spirit of shared purpose.
Civic Saturday delves into American civic religion – the values and practices of being a contributing member of civic life in the United States. Its goal is to give participants the tools, inspiration, grounding, and opportunity to engage powerfully as citizens.
The Sept. 26 gathering will be Civic Nebraska’s second Civic Saturday. The first was held in person, in December 2019 at The Bay in Lincoln.
The upcoming gathering will feature music and original poetry from area artists, readings and reflections on “civic scripture,” discussion circles via Zoom, and a civic sermon by Steve Smith, Civic Nebraska’s director of communications. Smith is a 2020 Civic Saturday Fellow through Citizen University, and recently graduated from Civic Seminary training with civic catalysts from around the United States.
The theme is Reclaiming We, a call for Nebraskans to connect around the values and practices of being an active citizen, reckon with and reflect on our nation’s definition of what it means to belong, and create new relationships and connections. Set a reminder to watch here.
We look forward to joining you the morning of Sept. 26 on YouTube Live as we sing, share, and reflect. See you soon!
