Last month, CivxNow partner Leadership Ohio released Join In: Revitalizing Civic Life. The report recommends Ohioans rebuild interpersonal relationships and communities through the foundational democratic pillar as old as the republic: joining together. While rooted in the Buckeye State, the report’s findings and recommendations can be generalized more broadly, inviting people to rebuild trust, strengthen democracy, and contribute to the common good through volunteerism and organizational membership.
Leadership Ohio’s Join In tour across the state found that people are spending less time with one another than ever before, stymieing opportunities to connect across differences and weakening social trust. Despite these challenges, Join In found signs of civic renewal and offers a series of recommendations to individuals and families, local businesses, philanthropic organizations, cities, and educators and schools.
Among the highlights for educators and schools are service-learning integrated across the curriculum; extracurricular activities to develop civic skills and earn civic seals; and opening schools to the larger community to host town hall meetings, cultural events, and polling stations on Election Day.