Civic Engagement Group

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT GROUP OPERATING PRINCIPLES

Origins: This group emerged from a dinner conversation at which we discussed the state of the nation, particularly with regard to recent developments that have occurred with the change in Administration. Recognizing our concerns at the global, national and local level we determined that there is a compelling need for citizens to become actively involved in the processes of the body politic.

We have come together to foster and promote civic engagement. By this we mean that we are a group, we believe in the full and free exchange of ideas, and we support the efforts of our residents and others to communicate their concerns to our various federal, state and local officials.

To do this we have begun to undertake three principal efforts:

  1. To generate written material which is factual, logical and respectful on issues and events of public concern, and
  2. To share that information among ourselves, and more broadly to our friends, colleagues and families throughout the nation, that we and they might communicate those concerns to our federal, state, and local officials, and
  3. To find ways to share our concerns in a respectful and effective way within our communities with those who share differing perspectives.

We believe in active involvement in the body politic, but we are not a partisan organization. We include, in our membership, Democrats, Republicans, members of other political parties, and many who do not ascribe to any particular party.

We welcome and will share all views on any subject of public concern, provided it is factually based, logically coherent, and respectfully expressed. Many of us share common perspectives on some issues, but in other areas we may have fundamental disagreements.

To achieve these ends we have or are working the following kinds of activities:

  1. Developing short, topical statements of concern on various issues such as Federal Cabinet Nominations, legislative proposals, and other governmental policies and actions.
  2. Developing easy to use lists of contact information for our elected officials, such as the United States Senate.
  3. Sharing those statements of concern and contact information to assist residents in sharing their concerns with elected officials.
  4. Bringing elected officials (Frank Chopp, Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives, Congressman Adam Smith, for example) and other events such as the live streaming of the Town Hall / University of Washington School of Law to Skyline.
  5. Encouraging residents to participate in other events and activities intended to demonstrate concerns with questions of public policy to the attention of our officials.
  6. Investigating ways to promote active listening, discussion and the respectful free flow of ideas throughout the community.

Skyline Civic Engagement Group – Roles

The following activities, which might in some cases be combined, are needed for a successful Civic Engagement Group (CEG) program at Skyline. The Business Meetings have routinely been scheduled for 4 pm on the 2 nd Friday of each month (with an occasional adjustment – or omission – in light of public holidays) 

  • Program Manager – maintains a schedule of upcoming events and prepares an agenda (showing past and upcoming events) for email distribution approximately a week before the monthly business meeting and assists Organizers in preparing reminder email announcements for upcoming events.
  • Facilitator – moderates the Business Meetings; participants can sign up in advance, on a monthly schedule, to serve in this role one or more times.
  • Note Taker(s) – develop the notes into minutes immediately after each Business Meeting. The minutes serve as a report of any discussion at the meeting, briefly summarize the events that have occurred since the last meeting, and provide details of future programs. There may be assistant note takers who help out with coverage of the meeting.
  • Event Organizer – submits a Lifestyle Activity Request to the Lifestyle office.

There are several different responsibilities depending on the type of event: 

  • For events with outside speakers: 
    • contact the potential speaker(s)
    • identify a mutually convenient date and time in consultation with the Lifestyle staff and the speaker
    • collect and draft publicity materials for the Caremerge Live Calendar and other announcements
    • arrange for someone to escort the speaker(s) upon arrival and at the end of the event
    • schedule small-group luncheons, etc., as appropriate
    • send a thank-you note (may be co-signed by the facilitator and/or other residents)
    • facilitate the event for which she or he recruited presenter(s) or identify another resident who will perform that task
  • For forums, candidate appearances, discussion sessions, etc.: 
    • describe the format
    • confirm a date and time with the Lifestyle staff
    • develop or revise procedures as needed
    • provide the details of the event to Lifestyle for use in the Caremerge Live Calendar and other announcements
    • circulate procedures as memo to expected presenters or speakers
    • secure facilitators, greeters, timekeeper, mike runners, chat-box reader, etc., as needed

Anyone who is interested in engaging with the CEG program in any of the above roles should contact one of these people:

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