About Us

Promoting Nonpartisan Community Discussions
of Important Public Issues.

  Ongoing Programs
Civic Life Institute - June 21-22, 2004
 

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What happens at the Institute?
  This is an intensive two-day program to train forum convenors and moderators in order to attain the Center’s goal of promoting, facilitating, and engaging West Virginians in the practices of deliberative democracy through forums that are nonpartisan, balanced, and neutrally moderated. The Institute includes general sessions as well as breakout "homeroom" groups for intense training and practice sessions for the nearly 70 participants each year. Training is provided by the Center’s director and over 20 volunteer faculty members. Participants include high school and college students and faculty, community leaders, volunteers, agency and organization representatives, and other interested members of the general public.
Framing of Community Issues
  The Center works with groups of citizens throughout the state who are interested in creating balanced, multi-perspective frameworks for community discussions of pressing issues. This work often begins in issue framing seminars, in which the Center director and associates teach participants the skills and practices of working in communities to discover diverse views and to develop discussion formats which recognize the motivations and concerns the diverse views represent. With some issues, the Center works on an ongoing, longterm basis with community groups as they construct discussion guides, train moderators, convene forums, and prepare reports back to the community.
Deliberative Forums
  The Center is interested in working with anyone in West Virginia who would like to hold a deliberative forum on an important state, national, or community issue.  Deliberation is based on the idea that shared ideas and concerns can make a great difference in improving issues that affect a great number of people.  Citizens can come to forums to rationally weigh the choices and as a starting point to begin working on a particular issue.
   
WVCCL Program Highlights
 
WVCCL Honored with Regional Innovator Award

Underage Drinking Forum: What can our community do?
Americans' Role in the World Forums on West Virginia College Campuses
Dealing with Domestic Violence in West Virginia

 
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Community Discussion Guide Developing on Underage Drinking

Dealing with underage alcohol use in West Virginia - What should we do to keep our children from drinking?

A partnership between the West Virginia Center for Civic Life and the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center has been formed to produce a framework for community discussions on the issue of underage drinking in West Virginia.   The initial framework was created from interviews with approximately 430 West Virginians about this very important topic.  

The overall problem identified by the interviews is that widespread use of alcohol by underage youth in West Virginia negatively affects individual and community development.

Five community issue discussions were then held in distinctive regions of the state in order to test the publicly framed discussion guide.   Approximately 100 citizens participated in the forums held in Charleston, Welch, Romney, Summersville, and Bridgeport.

Both organizations intend on promoting more community deliberations on this important issue once the discussion guide is completed. 

 

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Americans' Role in the World to be discussed at West Virginia's colleges & universities

In 2003, thirty student representatives from ten different West Virginia institutions of higher education came to a Civic Life Workshop sponsored by the West Virginia Center for Civic Life and West Virginia Campus Compact.  These students were introduced to the practice of public deliberation and given training on how to convene and moderate deliberative forums.  This training session prepared the students for their project to conduct National Issues Forums on Americans' Role in the World around the state during the week of February 16.

WV Public Television featured the students and their experiences on Outlook on Thursday, February 13, 2003..

Public dialogue on Americans' Role in the World is based on the premise that as Americans we need to have a public voice as to how are country should act globally.   As a nation, we face critical choices about the role of America�and Americans�in the world. � Decisions we make now about national defense, global economic policy, and international aid will have far-reaching consequences for us as a nation, as a state, and as individuals. Because that�s the case, we need to talk.

The public is invited to attend these nonpartisan community forums and encouraged to contact the WVCCL or National Issues Forums to participate.

 

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Team Frames Domestic Violence Issues and Conducts Forums

With the help of the West Virginia Center for Civic Life, the Coalition Against Domestic Violence successfully conducted an issue framing and produced an issue guide entitled Dealing with Domestic Violence: What Should We Do? The issue guide will enable anyone to conduct a public forum in order to find common ground for pubic action on Domestic Violence. To frame this issue, the team conducted 250 interviews with a diverse group of people in an effort to develop a thorough understanding of the prevailing attitudes about domestic violence. The team is aimed at promoting these dialogues around the state.  For more information or to help with a local forum contact the WVCCL.

 

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WVCCL Honored with Regional Innovator Award

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.�West Virginia Center for Civic Life was honored on June 1, 2003 with a regional Innovator award as part of the Southern Leadership Summit conference held in Biloxi, Mississippi June 1-3, 2003. � Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove presented Betty Knighton, director of West Virginia Center for Civic Life, with an Innovator award at the opening session of the conference. � Each year Southern Growth Policies Board, a regional public policy think tank, recognizes innovative programs in the South that are improving the quality of life in the region. �

The Southern Leadership Summit innovators included a collection of 25 public, private,

faith-based, academic and nonprofit programs that promote leadership development and civic engagement in the South. Nominated by Southern Governors, the innovators were honored based on their unique approaches to leadership development and creative tactics to reach and involve traditionally underserved groups. � Programs ranged from neighborhood and community level projects to state-wide initiatives. �

The West Virginia Center for Civic Life was recognized for its efforts to increase West Virginia�s citizens capacity to talk about and set directions for solving public problems. �

About Southern Growth Policies Board

Southern Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan public policy think tank based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Formed by the region�s governors in 1971, Southern Growth Policies Board develops and advances visionary economic development policies by providing a forum for collaboration among a diverse cross-section of the region�s governors, legislators, business and academic leaders and the economic- and community-development sectors. Supported by the governments of 13 Southern states and Puerto Rico, Southern Growth provides its members, and the region, with authoritative research, discussion forums and pilot projects in the areas of technology and innovation, globalization, workforce development, community development, civic engagement and leadership. � To learn more about Southern Growth Policies Board, visit www.southern.org.