25-WORD DESCRIPTION:
Through our youth civic leadership, civic health, and voting rights programming, Civic Nebraska is building a more modern and robust democracy for all Nebraskans.
HOW WE USE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS:
- $25 can allow a middle school class to send letters to their elected officials.
- $50 can ensure the training and oversight of nonpartisan election protection volunteers.
- $100 can provide educational and promotional materials for voter registration efforts.
- $250 can provide multiple fifth grade classrooms with the curriculum and materials to participate in Kid Governor.
A STORY FROM OUR AGENCY:
When a Kearney resident joined Civic Nebraska’s Idea of America Fellowship, she knew she was in for readings and discussions on civic leadership. What she didn’t expect: a crash course on listening — specifically, how to ensure that those with conflicting views know they’re being heard. One key? Simply repeating a speaker’s words back to them. She’s put that method to the test in the wake of the fellowship. “I’ve implemented it with my family and (workplace) and a couple other contexts where you get a few big personalities together,” she said. “It really does work. If people feel heard — if they genuinely feel heard — you can get past just about anything.” Throughout the fellowship, she relished chances to hear directly from those whose voices get distorted via social media or second-hand narratives. Many times, those voices spoke to perspectives far afield from her own. “Not everybody’s just going to agree with you, but if you can get past that discomfort, it does lead to actual growth,” she said. “Genuine growth is always uncomfortable, but this is a way to (experience) that uncomfortable growth in a very safe, comfortable setting. That’s a real rare gift, because a lot of people go through uncomfortable growth in really not-fun situations. This is a way for us to do it in a way that is safe and purely beneficial.”
ADDRESS/PHONE:
206 S 13th St, Ste 800
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-904-5191
