Working Better Together D A V I D M AT H E W S C E N T E R F O R C I V I C L I F E 2013 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
THOUGHTS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Throughout 2013, I was often asked to define “civic engagement.” In my opinion, “civic engagement” does not have a single, all-encompassing definition. Some may see it as volunteering, others may see it as attending public meetings, while others may see it as making difficult decisions about community issues. No matter how we define “civic engagement,” there is one common theme that seems to connect all perspectives and ideas about the term — Working Better Together. Healthy communities truly need people working better together. We may not always agree on how to address an issue, but we tend to commonly care about many deep concerns. If we can identify those concerns—public safety, emotional security, and/or good health—then there is a good chance that common ground may emerge when we deliberate together on difficult issues. The challenge? Finding more opportunities to deliberate and identify common ground with our fellow citizens. In other words, finding more opportunities to work better together. In 2013, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life addressed this challenge by facilitating community forums, capacity-building workshops, learning exchanges, and programs designed to engage young citizens. Our non-partisan programming has expanded rapidly in the past few years, and we are beginning to truly see Alabamians working better together. The following “Report to the Community” will provide real stories, examples, and perspectives connected to civic engagement in Alabama. I look forward to sharing our report with Alabamians and citizens across the country. The work that is being accomplished in our state is very impressive, but we still have so much more to do. As we reflect on 2013 and prepare for 2014, I encourage you to continue looking for more opportunities to work better together. Chris McCauley
Our Mission The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that works with citizens who want to make positive, innovative decisions that lead to action in their communities on issues that concern them. The Center works to encourage sustainable community practices that are aimed at building and preserving a healthy democracy. We do this through signature programs such as Alabama Issues Forums, Teachers’ Institute, and Coaching Community Innovation Workshops. We take a nonadvocacy, non-partisan approach to facilitating the important work that citizens must do to maintain a civic environment that promotes engagement. The Center honors the life and work of David Mathews, a native of Grove Hill, Alabama and President and CEO of the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio. Our offices are located at the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama, because we share their passion for educating the next generation of citizens.
Our Mission The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that works with citizens who want to make positive, innovative decisions that lead to action in their communities on issues that concern them. The Center works to encourage sustainable community practices that are aimed at building and preserving a healthy democracy. We do this through signature programs such as Alabama Issues Forums, Teachers’ Institute, and Coaching Community Innovation Workshops. We take a nonadvocacy, non-partisan approach to facilitating the important work that citizens must do to maintain a civic environment that promotes engagement. The Center honors the life and work of David Mathews, a native of Grove Hill, Alabama and President and CEO of the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio. Our offices are located at the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama, because we share their passion for educating the next generation of citizens.
Engaging Citizens ALABAMA ISSUES FORUMS Alabama Issues Forums (AIF) is a statewide public forum series that focuses on one issue of public concern for an entire year. During the AIF 2012–2013 project cycle, Alabama citizens addressed the bullying issue. Using a unique issue framework entitled Bullying: What is it? How do we prevent it?, the Mathews Center moderated and recorded 152 forums in 42 counties with approximately 4,500 citizens. Conveners across the state worked tirelessly to organize forums, invite participants, and encourage follow-up action. We are very grateful to our forums’ conveners, and we believe that they are the driving force of AIF. Throughout AIF 2012–2013, citizens gathered in public spaces — libraries, Alabama Cooperative Extension offices, courthouses, community centers, churches, and schools— to talk through the bullying issue. At each forum, participants examined three approaches to the issue, weighed costs and consequences, worked to identify common ground, and made decisions together. In some communities, decisions led to action. Librarians from the Birmingham Public Library System distributed eye-catching posters with information on bullying to hang in their branch libraries. Selma citizens came together and organized a bullying summit for hundreds of students and parents. Teachers at Drake Middle School in Auburn committed to engaging approximately 600 sixth-graders in deliberative forums on bullying. And administrators and teachers at Hayneville Middle School started using the bullying issue guide to engage and educate parents and students on the issue. AIF 2012–2013 also had an impact in states outside of Alabama. Citizens and organizations in Virginia and Massachusetts used Bullying: What is it? How do we prevent it? to prompt deliberation in their schools and communities. Due to the national concern on the issue, National Issues Forums Institute recently adapted the Mathews Center’s issue guide for a broader audience. Mathews Center staff and interns are currently authoring the comprehensive report for AIF 2012–2013. It will include emerging themes, a comprehensive convener list, and post-forum questionnaire results. We plan to release the report in March 2014.
E X P A N D I N G
CivicCapacity M O D E R AT O R D E V E L O P M E N T W O R K S H O P S
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Moderator Development Workshops
600
Alabama citizens participated in workshops
1,000
Bullying issue books shipped to schools across Alabama
The Mathews Center facilitated thirteen Moderator Development Workshops with over 600 Alabama citizens in 2013. Moderator Development Workshops equip citizens with the skills and understanding to moderate and record deliberative forums on issues of public concern in their communities. In total, 525 more Alabamians participated in moderator development in 2013 than 2012. Much of the credit for this increase must be attributed to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). ALSDE planned and convened workshops with guidance counselors, administrators, and educators in eight cities — Montgomery, Daphne, Birmingham, Oxford, Russellville, Demopolis, Enterprise, and Madison. Additional workshop conveners include Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center, Opelika City Schools, Calhoun County Board of Education, Troy University Office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement, and Alexander City School District. The Mathews Center is committed to providing meaningful and impactful workshop experiences.Throughout 2013, staff and interns distributed evaluations at every Moderator Development Workshop. According to the completed evaluations, 96% of the workshop
96%
of the workshop participants rated the experience as very positive and valuable.
participants rated the experience as very positive and valuable. Several participants related that the workshop equipped them to “get [their] school and community more involved in difficult issues.” Many of the participants put their words into action.
Specifically, workshop participants from Greenville Elementary, Alexander City Middle School, Highland Home Elementary School, Hamilton Elementary School, U.S. Jones Elementary School, and Brilliant High School contacted the Mathews Center and requested bullying issue books for follow-up forums. In total, the Center shipped over 1,000 books to schools across Alabama. Using these issue books, teachers, administrators, and counselors are engaging faculty, students, and parents in deliberative forums on the bullying issue across the state of Alabama. We look forward to learning and reflecting alongside our state’s newest group of moderators and recorders.
NAMING & FRAMING WORKSHOPS The Mathews Center conducts Naming and Framing Workshops with citizens and communities to name issues of concern in public terms and to frame those issues for deliberation. On December 2, the Mathews Center facilitated a “History as Choice Naming and Framing Workshop” for Alabama Public Television’s “Project C: Lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement.” Through Project C, students across the country are given the opportunity to participate in several engaging electronic field trips focused on the Civil Rights Movement. In total, 644,000 students participated in the first field trip in October 2013. The “History as Choice” framework will be a complementary resource for prompting classroom-based deliberation on the realities of inequality and discrimination during 1963. By participating in the field trips and engaging in deliberative forums, students will examine inequality, reflect on community decision-making, and explore the role of citizenship in a democracy.
LEARNING EXCHANGES The Mathews Center worked with several community partners to convene four innovative Learning Exchanges in 2013. In January 2013, the Mathews Center partnered with the Alabama State Department of Education’s Prevention and Support Services to produce an innovative webinar/ learning exchange on Alabama Issues Forum 2012–2013. Guidance counselors from 46 school systems across the state viewed the webinar, entitled “Engaging Students in Deliberating on Bullying.” The webinar sparked great interest with counselors in Alabama and led to eight follow-up Moderator Development Workshops. The Mathews Center partnered with Alabama Possible and Auburn University’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education to host a summit on civic engagement and Alabama’s community colleges, “Engaging Alabama Communities Through Two-Year Colleges: Real Learning, Real Change.” Held at Jefferson State Community College on February 8, the Summit drew over 75 administrators, faculty, staff, and students from sixteen community college systems across Alabama. Conference evaluations conveyed that attendees felt highly motivated and more prepared to engage their students and communities after participation in the summit.
The Alabama Humanities Foundation and the Mathews Center co-hosted the WhetstoneSeaman Faculty Research Symposium on June 26 at the University of Alabama. The event was convened to honor Dr. Rekha Nath, University of Alabama Philosophy Professor, with the Whetstone-Seaman Faculty Development Award. Over 30 faculty, students, administrators, and others gathered for the Symposium. The learning exchange sparked a conversation about democratic practices and the role public deliberation can play in overcoming polarization. The group also participated in a National Issues Forum, “Shaping Our Future: How Should Higher Education Help Us Create the Society We Want?” On August 26, DMC Executive Director Chris McCauley moderated a unique, communitybased event entitled “Injustice Remembered” at the Troy University Dothan Campus. The Learning Exchange was convened by the Evergreen Center for Dialogue and Discernment, and it featured a film screening and interactive panel discussion on Doug Blackmon’s Pulitzer-Prize winning book, Slavery By Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. The panel featured Dr. Wayne Flynt, Robert Lupton, Dr. Amy Chasteen-Miller, and Tonya Groomes. The event proved to be very thought-provoking and community-oriented, with over 100 citizens in attendance.
SPONSORSHIPS Each year, the Mathews Center sponsors conferences and events that promote a more robust conversation on civic and community engagement.The Mathews Center sponsored the Anti-Bullying Summit hosted by Auburn University on July 10–12; the Social Studies Council of Alabama’s Annual Conference on October 14; and the Birmingham Council of PTAs Leadership Training bullying forum on August 24. The Mathews Center is also serving as an external partner for the Gulf South Summit hosted by Auburn University Outreach on March 26 –28, 2014. Entitled “Creating Capacity Collaboratively: Connecting Learning and Civic Outcomes,” the Summit seeks to enhance the conversation on genuine service learning and civic engagement.
E Q U I P P I N G T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F
ActiveCitizens JEAN O’CONNOR-SNYDER INTERNSHIP The Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship program provides college students with an opportunity to learn alongside citizens in communities and to explore what it means to live democratically. Named in honor of Jean O’Connor-Snyder, Director of the University of Alabama Capstone Men and Women Program from 1969 –1975, the internship is administered from the University of Alabama’s New College. It draws participation by students from colleges and universities across Alabama. Participating institutions during 2013 include Alabama A & M University, Auburn University, Troy University, the University of Alabama, and the University of Montevallo. Below is a comprehensive list of our great faculty mentors.
Alabama A & M University Constance Wilson, Ph.D. (Professor of Community and Regional Planning)
Auburn University Mark Wilson, Ph.D. (Community and Civic Engagement Coordinator, College of Liberal Arts)
University of Montevallo Clark Hultquist, Ph.D. (Professor of History) Hollie Cost, Ph.D. (Professor of Special Education, & Service Learning Coordinator, Department of Service Learning and Community Engagement)
Troy University Jonathan Cellon, M.Ed (Coordinator of Service Learning and Civic Engagement)
University of Alabama Natalie Adams, Ph.D. (Director, New College) During 2013, interns from the University of Montevallo coordinated and facilitated Students’ Institute, assisted with Mathews Center signature programming, and attended the Sustained Dialogue Conference at Harvard University. Troy University interns coordinated a Moderator Development Workshop and engaged their peers and community members in forums on issues of public concern. Interns at Alabama A & M University are working with citizens and policymakers in Bridgeport, AL to map assets and engage citizens in deliberative conversations on the community’s future. Students at Auburn University participated in Living Democracy—a unique embedded internship experience—and assisted in moderating and recording bullying forums at Drake Middle School. University of Alabama interns continued a longstanding partnership with the Walker Area Community Foundation.
TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE
Teachers’ Institute is a two-day professional development workshop designed to equip teachers with innovative skills and resources to engage the next generation of citizens in active civic learning. The Mathews Center partnered with A+ Education Partnership to convene “Teachers’ Institute: Civility and Deliberation in the Classroom” for a consecutive year. Approximately 25 educators, community partners, and DMC staff and interns gathered at the American Village in Montevallo, AL on November 12–13, 2013 for the Institute. The following schools were represented: Drake Middle School, Montevallo Middle School, Cullman High School, Liberty Middle School, Hewitt Trussville Middle School, Rudd Middle School, James Clemons High School, Fairfield City Schools, and Francis Marion High School. Representatives for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System were also in attendance. During the Institute, participants explored public deliberation, developed moderating skills, learned from panelists, and created lesson plans and activities for implementing deliberative practices in their classrooms, schools, and communities. Workshop participants are now applying the practices they learned at Teachers’ Institute in order to engage their students in active civic learning. One specific example is Jane Herndon, an English teacher at James Clemens High School and panelist at Teachers’ Institute 2013. Jane participated in Teachers’ Institute 2012 and, in 2013, used deliberation to engage her students on the issue of discrimination. Jane reflected on the experience and authored a thoughtful guest blog for the Center’s website. She noted that “some students were able to think of…the topic of discrimination and their role as a citizen in a new light.” The Mathews Center received overwhelmingly positive evaluations from Teachers’ Institute participants. 100% of the teachers found the workshop “very helpful,” and many participants outlined plans for utilizing their new skills and resources. Several expressed a desire to explore opportunities for further collaboration and learning. We look forward to continuing to learn alongside these incredible educators as they implement their innovative ideas.
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
No Opinion
Somewhat Satisfied
100% Very Satisfied
STUDENTS’ INSTITUTE
Students’ Institute provides opportunities for young people in elementary, middle, and high school to engage in active civic learning. In Fall 2012, the Mathews Center began collaborating with Montevallo Mayor Hollie Cost and the University of Montevallo Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement (UM OSLACE) to convene a pilot Students’ Institute. The first Institute incorporated a two-day citizenship workshop and three follow-up community forums focused on supporting and retaining young people in Montevallo. Common ground emerged across the three forums. As a result, a group of Institute participants, with the assistance of Mayor Cost, formed the Montevallo Junior City Council (MJCC) to take action. The MJCC now meets weekly and conveys the youth perspective to community leaders. The students have also hosted two events to raise funds for the arts and athletic programs at Montevallo schools. They will present on their work at the National Service Learning Conference in Washington D.C. in April 2014. In a longitudinal survey completed in December 2013, MJCC students related that participating in Students’ Institute and the community forums changed their views of citizenship and how citizens make decisions together. MJCC founding member Sam Reece remarked that after participating in Students’ Institute “I realized that I could be a good citizen, a member of a community who could make a positive change. Before…I was always unsure of what a good citizen was, and how I could be one.” The Mathews Center and UM OSLACE are continuing our partnership for the 2013– 2014 school year. Fifty-three students from the student councils and student government associations at Montevallo Elementary, Middle, and High Schools are participating in a series of field trips around the city to increase their understanding of the assets and challenges in their community. Participating students will explore active citizenship through exercises, activities, and discussions. During spring 2014, the group will name and frame an issue impacting the Montevallo community, develop an issue guide, use that issue guide to convene community forums, and continue sharpening their civic skills.
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students from the student councils at Montevallo schools are participating in field trips around the city to increase their understanding of the assets and challenges in their community.
SHARING
OurStory CITIZENS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Citizens Who Make a Difference (CWMAD) is a conversation series aimed at capturing and sharing stories of Alabamians doing important work in their communities. Using innovative video and audio production, Mathews Center staff and interns record conversations with Alabamians who are working with others to build relationships, make decisions, and take action in their communities. The recorded conversations are shared on the Mathews Center website and via social media platforms. The first CWMAD segment was produced in October 2013 and featured long-time educator Larry Vines. The second conversation featured Dallas County Cooperative Extension Coordinator Callie Nelson. In 2014, the Center plans to produce a total of six unique CWMAD segments.
M I C R O - D O C U M E N TA R Y The David Mathews Center for Civic Life worked closely with Micro-Documentaries to develop a brief and engaging documentary piece on the work and mission of the Center. The film serves as a unique audio/visual introduction to the Mathews Center. While we recognize that a two-minute documentary cannot fully tell the Mathews Center story, we believe that the ideas and insights shared in the short film will lead more Alabamians to explore the work that we do.
NEW WEBSITE The Mathews Center launched a sleek new website in August 2013. The site prominently displays regular blog posts by DMC staff and interns, features a new social media dashboard, and contains pages dedicated to signature programming, resources, videos/ press, and general information about the Center. In 2013, site visitors spent an average of 2:49 on our website and logged 14,500 page views.
P R E S E N TAT I O N S The Mathews Center gave several presentations during 2013. Presentations help citizens better understand the work we do, provide opportunities to connect with new collaborators, and help us share our story with more citizens. Mathews Center staff presented at the following conferences and meetings in 2013: National Association of Multicultural Education Conference, University of Montevallo; Alabama Cooperative Extension System Annual Meeting; Anti-Bullying Summit, Mobile Convention Center; Alabama State Department of Education MEGA Conference, Mobile Convention Center; Fairfield City Schools In-Service Training; Operation Military Kids Quarterly Meeting, Birmingham, AL.
DMC IN THE NEWS Throughout 2013 the Center was featured on the following news/media outlets: AL.com, Clarke County Democrat, Clanton Advertiser, Tuscaloosa News, Shelby County Reporter, Selma Times-Journal, Weld Birmingham, The Demopolis Times, WVUA-TV (Tuscaloosa), Fox6, The American Library Association, Alabama Public Television’s “Spotlight on Education,” and Troy Public Radio’s “Community Focus.”
On the Horizon D A V I D M AT H E W S C E N T E R B U I L D I N G S At the end of 2013, the Center completed construction on two incredible buildings at the American Village. We look forward to utilizing these amazing facilities in 2014 to house new staff, host on-site workshops, and offer enhanced civic learning opportunities. A ribbon-cutting event will take place on February 21, 2014.
S T R AT E G I C P L A N N I N G In August 2013, the Board of Directors and staff of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life launched a strategic planning initiative that will define the direction of the organization for the next five years. The Mathews Center is working with Markstein Consulting to conduct the strategic planning process. The Plan will be completed in early 2014.
The Mathews Center looks to the future with hope and excitement as we prepare for 2014. We look forward to partnering with you as we continue to find more opportunities to work better together.
D A V I D M AT H E W S C E N T E R F O R C I V I C L I F E
Collaborators
I N S T I T U T I O N S & O R G A N I Z AT I O N S A+ Education Partnership
Marengo County Cooperative Extension
A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club
Mobile County Coalition Against Bullying
Alabama A&M University
Monroe County Cooperative Extension
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Monroeville Middle School
Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education
Montevallo Elementary School
Alabama Humanities Foundation
Montevallo High School
Alabama Possible
Montevallo Junior City Council
Alabama Public Television
Montevallo Middle School
Alabama State Department of Education—
National Issues Forums Institute
Prevention and Support Services
Opelika City Schools
Alexander City Schools
Operation Military Kids
American Village
Parnell Memorial Library
Auburn University College of Liberal Arts
Perry County Cooperative Extension
Auburn University Office of Public Service
Phenix City Housing Authority
Birmingham Council of PTAs
Pickens County Cooperative Extension
Birmingham Public Library System
Social Studies Council of Alabama
Birmingham National Issues Forums
Sparks Consulting
Bridge Builders of Alabama
Stillman College
Calhoun County Schools
St. Clair County Cooperative Extension
Children’s Policy Council of Jefferson County
Summerville Baptist Church
Chilton County Cooperative Extension
Sumter County Cooperative Extension
Colbert County Cooperative Extension
Talladega County Cooperative Extension
Collinsville High School
Troy University
Conecuh County Cooperative Extension
Truman Pierce Institute, Auburn University
Cullman County Cooperative Extension
Tuscaloosa City Schools
Dallas County Cooperative Extension
Tuskegee University
Demopolis Middle School
Tuskegee Youth Safe Haven
Desert Island Supply Company
University of Alabama — New College
Drake Middle School
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Evergreen Center for Dialogue and Discernment
University of Montevallo Department of Behavioral
Fairfield City Schools
and Social Sciences
Francis Marion High School
University of Montevallo Office of Service Learning
Franklin County Cooperative Extension
University of South Alabama
Hale County Cooperative Extension
Walker County Cooperative Extension
Junior League of Birmingham
Washington County High School
Kettering Foundation
Washington County Public Library
Lauderdale County Cooperative Extension
Wilcox County Cooperative Extension
Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center
W.S. Neal Middle School
Lawrence County Cooperative Extension
YouthServe Birmingham
Lowndes County Cooperative Extension
YWCA Central Birmingham
Macon Citizens Camp
INDIVIDUALS
Allison Campbell
Elizabeth Hamlin
Lillis Taylor
Angie Eddings
Elysa Gordon
Lynne Meeks
Ann Sirmon
Emily Brogden
Margaret Odom
Armand DeKeyser
Fran Stewart
Margaret Purcell
Arturo Menefee
Guy Trammell
Mary Elizabeth Boucebci
Audrey Ellis
Gordon Fears
Matt Hartzell
Beth Hamer
Jane Herndon
Melanie Allen
Beverly Helm
Jennifer Kilburn
Merry Brazzelle
Bernie Ronan
Jennifer Wilkins
Mitzi Gates
Robert Corley
Jessica Ross
Myeisha Hutchinson
Callie Nelson
John Miller
Pam Stenz
Carol Bruser
Josine Walter
Peggy Hair
Carol Bush
Julie Caine
Peggy Sparks
Carolyn Sutley
Karen Winn
Rachel Simpson
Cathy Gassenheimer
Katanga Mants
Ralph Foster
Ceceilia Mills
Katernia Cole
Sallie Hooker
Charles Robertson
Katrina Easley
Sandi Lee
Cindy Kirk
Kay Atchison Warfield
Shelia Lewish
Cindy Reed
Kelli Hill
Stephen Woerner
Corey Beasley
Kristin Boggs
Steve Pace
Curtis Sparks
Kristina Scott
Steven Carson
David Weeks
Kymberlee Lewis
Sue Williams
Dawn Dixon
Larry Vines
Synithia Flowers
Debra Ward
Laurel Hitchcock
Tiffany Brown
Dionne Clark
Lavonda Gosselin
Traci Pearson
Donna Jones
Lee Pastor
Tyrone Smith
Donna Thomas
Leigh Akins
Wesley Hester
Ed Jeffres
Leon Evans
Willie Williams
BOARD OF
Directors OFFICERS Ray Minor (Ph.D.), Chairman of the Board – Program Officer, Kettering Foundation Robert McKenzie (Ph.D.), President and Chief Executive Officer Stanley Murphy (J.D.), Vice President – Murphy & Murphy, LLC Sanford Gunter (J.D.), Treasurer – Shields & Gunter, Attorneys Steve Berryman (J.D.), Secretary – Attorney at Law
DIRECTORS Marsha Folsom – Chief Executive Officer, Resource Fiber/Alabama, LLC Natalie Adams (Ph.D.) – Director, New College, University of Alabama William Muse (Ph.D.) – President, National Issues Forums Institute Cathy Randall (Ph.D.) – Pettus Randall Holdings, LLC Joe Sumners (Ph.D.) – Director, Economic and Community Development Institute, Auburn University Dale Wallace (J.D.) – Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt, LLC Tom Walker – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The American Village Mark Berte – Executive Director, Alabama Coastal Foundation Joffre Whisenton (Ph.D.) – Joffre T. Whisenton and Associates, Inc. David Wilson (Ph.D.) – President, Morgan State University
Staff Chris McCauley, Executive Director Cristin Foster, Program Director Robert Turner, Assistant Program Director R E S E A R C H A S S O C I AT E S Ashley Kontos Luke Buckley
R E P O RT C O N T R I B U TO R S Authors: Chris McCauley & Cristin Foster Editor: Dr. Glenda Conway Design: Ideogram, ideogramstudio.com
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The David Mathews Center for Civic Life convened and moderated public forums in 42 counties this past year. Shelby Franklin Pike Hale Greene Choctaw Washington
Lee Montgomery Baldwin Jefferson Calhoun Coffee Bibb
Mobile Marengo Dallas Macon Madison Houston Sumter
Lowndes Autauga Lauderdale Wilcox Talladega Russell Tallapoosa
Conecuh Lawrence DeKalb Clarke St. Clair Walker Escambia
Monroe Cullman Perry Pickens Chilton Colbert Tuscaloosa
Our Mission The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that works with citizens who want to make positive, innovative decisions that lead to action in their communities on issues that concern them. The Center works to encourage sustainable community practices that are aimed at building and preserving a healthy democracy. We do this through signature programs such as Alabama Issues Forums, Teachers’ Institute, and Coaching Community Innovation Workshops. We take a nonadvocacy, non-partisan approach to facilitating the important work that citizens must do to maintain a civic environment that promotes engagement. The Center honors the life and work of David Mathews, a native of Grove Hill, Alabama and President and CEO of the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio. Our offices are located at the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama, because we share their passion for educating the next generation of citizens.
P.O. Box 6 | Montevallo, AL 35115 | 205.665.9005 | mathewscenter.org | Š 2013