Background

Through a philanthropic gift from the Boeing Company, we were able to launch the Civic Engagement for the 21st Century Project at the Evans School in 2006.

The goal of the project is to create a new model of civic engagement that makes use of available forms of communication today.

Why is it important to renew civic engagement and create a new model for it?

A number of social and political forces in the world today inhibit our ability to find shared values and develop creative solutions to critical political problems. These forces include:

• Polarization
• Cynicism
• Disillusionment
• Lack of civility

How will the new model help change the current state of civic engagement?

The research involved in designing the model will generate new knowledge about how to improve democratic governance through effective dialogues between citizens, policymakers, and stakeholders.

Who will use the new model for civic engagement?

Citizens who want more knowledge and control over their future, and leaders who are seeking to better serve citizens and manage the political risks associated with change.

Find out more about the five core principles of civic engagement providing the foundation and scope for the project.

Five Core Principles of Civic Engagement

Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence Norman B. Rice, a former City of Seattle mayor, is laying the foundation of the Civic Engagement for the 21st Century project. A number of major initiatives were in the Rice Administration were guided by five core principles of strong community engagement:

1. Center the engagement on policy rather than politics.
   

   Framing questions around values first and issues second allows for building common ground and eases the divisiveness that is prevalent in today’s political environment.

2. Have meaningful civic engagement or no engagement at all.
   

   Giving citizens the opportunity to shape the questions and answers requires compassionate leadership, trusting the process rather than controlling it, and not having presumptions about what the results of the process will be like.

3. Hyper-communication is key.
   

   A public endeavor will never fail from too much communication. Today’s technology has expanded the toolbox for communicating and can help move people along a continuum from being informed - to interested - to involved.

4. Civic engagement requires political will.
   

   Communities need to identify and support leaders who:

   • Have the political will of investing in civic engagement,
   • And continue that investment even when putting their own re-election chances at risk.
5. Civic engagement should look beyond governance.
   

   Leaders must learn to leave boundaries and biases aside in order to get the heart of policy issues. This requires strategies at the regional level where silos of governance are brought down, working through territorial disputes, and prioritizing collaboration.

These same five core principles are used in all Civic Engagement for the 21st Century events hosted by the Evans School, which will put the project’s research to practice in discussing regional policy issues.

Find out more about the foundation and scope of the project.

Foundation and Scope

The focus of the Civic Engagement for the 21st Century project at the Evans School is not to advocate for particular perspectives. Rather, the focus is the advancement of meaningful, inclusive dialogue when addressing issues of public concern.

We will do this by studying effective components of civic engagement, including the new technologies of today, and the different roles each of us play in the process, including:

• Individual citizens
• Public-private partnerships
• Nonprofits
• Elected officials
• Academic institutions
• The media

The work involved with the project will ultimately result in:

• Creating a new model of civic engagement that provides innovative methods for increasing civic participation and creativity in solving complex policy issues.
• Using the new model to host a set of forums at the Evans School on regional policies that address issues urban communities face today such as affordable housing and homelessness, the socioeconomic integration of immigrants, racial inequities, and religious expression.
• Introducing the new model of civic engagement and the best-applied practices of it through publications and a documentary.
• Mentoring a body of leaders educated on the value and methodology behind effective civic engagement.

Find out more about our other key projects, grants, and awards.