1. 1 Speed Networking: 1. At the sound of the chime, find a partner 2. Each person has 90 seconds to introduce him/herself 3. Possible things to share include: An organization you work with A specific project you are working on What excites you about civic engagement, dialogue, and collaboration Why you are here today 4. Repeat from Step 1!

2. 2 “Raise the Civic Canopy” 2nd Annual “Raise the Civic Canopy” Event a gathering to improve the civic health of Colorado in our schools and communities Wednesday, February 22, 2006 Colorado History Museum COLORADO CAMPAIGN FOR THE CIVIC MISSION OF SCHOOLS

3. 3 What is the Civic Canopy?

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5. 5  A metaphor for civic life rooted in collaboration and dialogue amongst our diverse perspectives  A network of individuals, organizations and institutions dedicated to increasing civic health in our communities  An umbrella for collaboration—a way to share and expand resources to increase our collective impact

6. 6 What is the purpose of the Civic Canopy?  To transform our civic culture by promoting collaboration among Canopy participants  Foster dialogue on civic matters among diverse members of society  Measure and strengthen the civic health of our communities using common indicators

7. 7 Purpose of Today’s Event  To strengthen the network individuals and organizations doing civic engagement work  To “raise the Canopy” by providing a broader vision under which our individual efforts are operating  To take action in individual Working Groups on a range of specific focus areas

8. 8 Collaboration Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

9. 9 Background of the Campaign  2003 National Report, The Civic Mission of Schools  CO Coalition (grew out of the Canopy) part of National Campaign to address growing concern about youths’ civic knowledge & involvement Focus is policy change  One of 18 states (one of 6 “Tier I” states) Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

10. 10 National Campaign Efforts  National Advisory Council (Gov. Roy Romer & Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Co-Chairs)  Students to Citizens Caucus in the US House of Representatives  Advocacy Efforts Increasing the frequency of NAEP Civics (from every 8 years to every 4 years) New relationships with funders (Carnegie, Knight, Annenberg, Gates, etc.) National Steering Committee of leading education and policy organizations Communications  Tools & Supports  Former CO Congressman David Skaggs is National Director for the Campaign Please stay for the reception to hear him speak at 5:45pm Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

11. 11 Democracy must be born anew in each generation, and education is its midwife. ---John Dewey Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

12. 12 CO Campaign: Mission  To increase the quantity and quality of civic learning in Colorado schools, grades K-12 access to and quantity of civic learning (quality)  What would need to happen to ensure that all CO students receive adequate access to and quantity of high quality civic learning opportunities (quality) throughout their K-12 education? Key Question Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

13. 13 Our Plan 1. Build public support Statewide coalition Communications & Outreach 2. Engage policy makers and school leaders Community engagement Outreach with policy makers 3. Develop a shared agenda  Statewide Summit (December 2005) Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

14. 14 Key Accomplishments to Date 1. Designed community engagement process (Garfield Re-2 & Poudre School district) 2. Helped develop teacher professional development in civic learning using $200K state appropriation 3. Orchestrated several OpEds and media coverage of the issue 4. Developing key partnerships (forming host committee for Summit, etc.) Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

15. 15 Today… Seeding conversations on key topics, including:  Overlap with workforce competence  P-16 curriculum alignment  Role of teacher preparation  Youth leadership in real governance roles Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools Educating for Democracy

16. 16 Dialogue The Art of Thinking Together...

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18. 18 Dialogues on Homelessness  Point 1  Point 2  Point 3  Point 4  Point 5

19. 19 Civic Indicators Defining and Measuring the Civic Health of Communities

20. 20 What are civic indicators?  Ways to measure the capacity of a community to do other things (e.g. solve problems, address concerns, etc.)  Distinct from Quality of Life Measures  The “vital signs” of our civic health

21. 21 What is civic health? “Capacity to engage effectively in mutual learning and decision making in order to maintain and improve quality of life." (Yampa Valley Partners)

22. 22 How do civic indicators help increase the civic health of communities?  Provide measures that different efforts can use to assess common progress  Just like vital signs, they provide a snapshot of our overall civic health

23. 23 So what happens next?  Continue to build the network of indicator partners and to define a short list of “social capital measures” that provide a common starting point for indicators  Work to create or adapt an online database and reporting mechanism  Use indicators to foster dialogue and collaboration amongst diverse partners

24. 24 Canopy Next Steps  Engage a body of participants interested in moving the organizational capacity of the Canopy forward  Use the website to disseminate information from today’s event and future collaborative projects  Continue to build connections and collaboration amongst the individual Canopy members