Our Mission
Civic Spirit educates, inspires, and empowers schools across faith traditions to enhance civic belonging, knowledge, and responsibility in their student and faculty communities.
What We Do
We believe in a multidisciplinary approach to fostering informed and adept members of American society. Through our years of experience working with schools from diverse communities, we have identified three core pillars for designing long-lasting, effective, and meaningful civic learning for all.
By providing educators with enriching and academically rigorous professional development, pedagogical coaching, and discourse training, we support the next generation in gaining the information, skills, and sensibility to become beholden participants in the civic life of their community and the political life of our democracy.
Civic
Belonging
Finding one’s place in the American story and fostering connection and a sense of civic responsibility for community and our self-governing democracy.
Democratic
Fluency
Knowledge of America’s history, political origins, and evolving systems through study of founding documents, primary sources, literature, religion, and the arts.
Civic
Skills
Competency in respectful discussion, media literacy, design thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and authentic relationship-building across differences.
Co-designed with middle and high school educators and school administrators, we have created a list of 15 Shared Aims that align with our three-pillared approach to civic education. These aims are meant to be a guide for designing and implementing engaging, content-rich civic learning in the classroom and beyond.
the
problem
Deteriorating Faith
Fewer than 20% of Americans trust the government.
Destructive Polarization
81% of Republicans and Democrats say they have an unfavorable view of the other.
Diminishing Communities
In the past 25 years, attendance at civic meetings has dropped by 58%.
the
solution
Comprehensive Civics Education
will shepherd 55 million individuals coming of age in America into the gifts and responsibilities of citizenship.
Our Vision
We envision a country in which every student reaches voting age with conviction and skills to better the civic life of our democracy.
Why We Work with Faith Communities
Civic Spirit builds civic opportunities within and between faith communities. Here is why.
Because it
is needed.
Over 4 million students in America attend schools rooted in a faith tradition; these communities are in need of comprehensive civic education to navigate the complex intersection of religion and civic life.
Because faith anchors society.
For over 50% of Americans, faith tradition informs communal behavior and social infrastructure, while providing a fertile and critical place where healthy democratic habits can be practiced and formed.
Because this is
our calling.
Our team of historians, political scientists, religious leaders, and educators are uniquely capable of and passionate about understanding the benefits and challenges of working at this essential crossroad.