Orange County is composed of people of nearly all races and ethnic groups.  

0%
Caucasian
0%
Hispanic
0%
Asian
0%
African-American

We come from Italy, Cambodia, Australia, Korea, Iran, Vietnam, Poland,Mexico, or any of more than 100 other countries!  We enjoy many ancient and colorful customs and traditions. Being an American unites us as citizens and participants in this great experiment of liberty and self-government.  Freedom is not in our genes. It must be taught and renewed each generation. We share something important to us all, which was said best by President Ronald Reagan: ‘”Anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American.”

We can exercise our citizenship together, with civility, knowledge of how our government works and understanding of our responsibilities as well as our rights.  

This ToolKit provides you with ideas about how you can help raise the levels of civility and civic literacy in our community.

  • Organize a community conversation – for many reasons!
    • To identify shared values that transcend race, ethnicity or national origin                                       
    • To reinforce the importance of “community,” even when composed of diverse viewpoints and experiences To increase trust through understanding
    • The “All America Conversations Toolkit” provides a wealth of “how-to” resources to create that conversation:     
    • For small groups, large groups, town halls, existing meetings
  • Join the Civility Campaign! 
    • Civility is more than just being courteous or nice. It’s about how we see each other, talk to each other, listen to each other, work together and even disagree with each other. BUT being courteous and being nice is a great place to start! Be part of the being the difference.
    • Join our “Good Deed Challenge” on social media
  • Join our “Did You Know” Campaign!
    • Each Monday UWS:CCC posts one “Did You Know” fact of the day related to Civility or Civic Literacy. You can find each week listed here or check out our Instagram: @united.we.standccc for a shareable short version!
    • Use these to begin your meetings, post on your community or personal website or include in your newsletter.  Learn something new about civility or civic literacy every week in just a few minutes! Have fun and challenge your friends!
  • Encourage members of your community to complete an on-line course or webinar on the Constitution and how our government works  Invite your members to briefly share at your meetings the most important thing they learned. Combine it with our “Did You Know” campaign.
      • And, “Did You Know” that every immigrant who becomes a citizen of the United States must pass the Citizenship Test?  Only 56% of natural-born citizens can pass the test!
    • The quickest and easiest online introduction to our Constitution is the National Constitution Center’s “Interactive Constitution” where you can check out each of the Constitution’s 7 Articles and 27 Amendments.  Read them, explore their history, their meaning today, as follow discussions by scholars of different perspectives on what they agree upon and what they disagree about.
    • “Documents of Freedom” is a great digital course produced by the Bill of Rights Institute.  Designed primarily for high school students and their teachers it works for anyone interested in our government and its history.
    • “Voices of History” available from the Bill of Rights Institute, is a series of brief (about fifteen minutes) videos perfect for groups or individual learning and covers topics such as “Being an American,” “Congress and the Constitution” and “Founders and the Constitution.”  
    • Reading something is generally better than reading “about” something. To explore our country’s Founding Documents, check out the Bill of Rights Institute’s short digital courses on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the other Amendments and more!  Read about our Founding Fathers (and Mothers, too – well, at least one).
    • The Ashbrook Center at Ashland University offers free online webinars on the Constitution and American history, using original documents.  You can choose from many courses and completion certificates are awarded (if you complete the webinar!):
  • Learn by watching – Civility in Action (and Incivility in Action!!)
  • Encourage people in your community to commit to having an open mind – not changing their minds, but being open to others’ opinions and new evidence or information.  Why bother? Here’s why….
    • It will help you find the truth.                          
    • It will make you more persuasive.            
    • It opens opportunities for growth and learning

Remember – it was once believed that the sun revolved around the earth and the earth was flat. Galileo was censored and tried because he disagreed.  But he was right!

      • OpenMind is a free, interactive, professionally-based platform designed to foster intellectual humility, empathy, and mutual understanding. 
      • Create an account and then choose between “Classroom or Campus”, “Company”, “Organization or Local Community”, “Religious Community”, or “On your own.”
      • It takes about two hours to complete and you even earn a certificate upon completion! You will be better for it.
    • Additional available essays, videos, academic articles, and books can add to your effort.
  • Encourage your community to have “Lunch Across the Aisle” – that is, with someone who is different than them or holds views different from theirs.  But don’t go unprepared and don’t try to convince the other person about anything…just focus on learning about them and from them.

“…You and I ought not to die until we have explained ourselves to each other.” — From John Adams’ end-of-life letters to lifelong political foe Thomas Jefferson

  • Spend just 5 – 10 minutes a day learning about the origin of our government, the Constitution, the Founders who drafted it and why it was amended immediately in response to its critics.   You vote, you should know!
      • Constitution Facts gives you thorough, rapid-fire, everything-you-need-to-know information about the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Founders and more!  For each section, you will find a quiz. Can you pass them?
  • Take the 7-Day Civility Challenge through Revive Civility  – Be a connector of respect and civility and share your challenge activities.
    • Use these hashtags to share and engage others:
      • #civilitychallenge
      • #ReviveCivility
  • Be civil on social media – here are some tips for fostering civility on social media and a fun exercise using a text messaging platform for high school and colleges students as well as adults who enjoy their cell phones as much as the younger generation!
  • Be among the first to participate in “The People” program, designed to bring Americans together in civil conversations about core American values, reaffirm our unity and work together to “fix our broken democracy.”