About

The Beginning

At the invitation of the Collaborative’s Founder, Peter Lederer, several representatives from area colleges and schools, and from non-profit organizations began meeting in the spring and fall of 2018. These founding members of the Collaborative came together because they recognized the urgent need for expanded civics learning and civic engagement opportunities for both students and adults in the Greater Southern Tier. They realized that the time was ripe for this type of initiative, for an independent, nonpartisan organization to create, plan, and implement multiple, diverse, and replicable civics learning, civic action, and civil discourse opportunities. The initial group agreed to work together to address this gap in civic education in the region.

These initial discussions led to the Summer 2019 Future Leaders Program for middle school students, held at Corning Community College. Also, in September of 2019, a workshop at Corning Community College brought together a diverse group from a 14 county region of New York, including representatives from: colleges, universities, public and private K-12 schools, libraries and museums, economic development agencies, and philanthropic organizations. This workshop laid the foundation for the Civics4Action Collaborative by formulating and recommending the purposes of the Collaborative, a mission statement, and a statement of values.

The founding members’ assessment of the status of civics learning in the Greater Southern Tier, was confirmed by an in-depth, Fall, 2021 study, which concluded “that there is a lack of civic education across the 14 Greater Southern Tier Counties.” The study was done on behalf of the Collaborative by students at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The founding members of the Collaborative came together initially because of a shared view of the current poor state of civics education in their home region. They made a commitment to take action.

Rationale For The Collaborative

Nationally, a movement is occurring, shining a spotlight on the need for universal civic education and informed, actively engaged citizens. An array of prominent individuals, organizations, foundations, colleges/universities, state departments of education, and the U.S. Department of Education are working, through various means, to increase and improve civic education throughout the country. These diverse efforts are based on the fact that there is a serious decline in fundamental civic learning at all levels of our educational systems.

Additionally, in 2020-2022, ongoing political and public health crises strained the nation’s civic infrastructure. The global pandemic highlighted an array of social inequalities that require citizen action to solve. Simultaneously, antidemocratic movements/forces showed distrust in elections and have prompted a wave of voter suppression tactics. This is the context for our work.

Memberships

The Collaborative is an Affiliate of the South Central Regional Library Council(SCRLC). The Collaborative is also a member of the Museum Association of New York(MANY).This is significant because the Collaborative’s plans call for the cultivation of working relationships and strategic partnerships with the region’s many public and school libraries and with area museums and historical societies. These memberships give the Collaborative standing with library and museum leaders and thereby facilitate our work. We also belong to the New York Council of NonProfits.

Civics Hubs, The Centerpiece of the Collaborative

Summary Statement

The Civics4Action Collaborative works with local museums and libraries to develop Civics Hubs where residents, youth and adults, can learn about how government functions in their community and how their community fits into local, county, state, and national government.

As envisioned by the Civics4Acton Collaborative, both young and adult residents will have opportunities to learn how to make their voices heard on local and national issues in a civil manner.

The Civics4Action Collaborative (C4A) is based in the Corning, New York area. C4A is dedicated to improving the level of civics understanding, civic engagement, and civil discourse throughout New York’s Greater Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and Central Regions. C4A seeks partnerships with area museums and libraries to form Civics Hubs to help educate, engage and inspire the local communities served by those institutions.

In 2022, C4A formally incorporated and received IRS 501c3 status. However, C4A first formed as a group of concerned citizens in 2018. In 2019, we planned and implemented some initial programs, including a summer camp for students held at Corning Community College. Our progress was interrupted by the Covid pandemic. With a newly formed Board of Directors and group of advisors in 2023, we are re-energized in pursuit of our mission.

Civics Hubs are first and foremost, places: museums and libraries. C4A is deliberately looking to partner with museums and libraries to broaden community use of these two types of institutions that remain in high regard by most Americans. The goal of C4A is to educate residents about our civic responsibilities, and about how our government is structured and how it is designed to operate from the local level to the federal level and all points in between. We are looking for respected neutral spaces to hold nonpartisan civics educational programming and civil community conversations.

Secondly, Civics Hubs utilize the unique collections held in each museum and library. Every organization has its own unique story to tell which includes specific books, recordings, collections, journals, artifacts, artwork, documents and other items and information that help tell that story. C4A looks to use these unique resources to help fill out a more encompassing story. Perhaps there is a former elected official from the area near the museum or library whose history is illustrative of the more generic programming from C4A, or perhaps the story of how the museum or library was founded and funded can bring to light the story of politics in action at a more local level. The goal is to help connect people’s daily lived experiences, their stories and everyday local events to a larger civics’ initiative.

Third, the focus of a Civics Hub is local people. C4A understands that many potential Civics Hubs have a small staff, or are run entirely by volunteers. Enter the Traveling Civics Ambassadors Program, envisioned by C4A: Over time, our goal is to make trained Civics Ambassadors available to libraries and museums to help them build out their capacity to implement civics programming. C4A views museum and library personnel as the local programming experts. Effective C4A programming at each Hub will be facilitated by these local experts, with the assistance of Civics Ambassadors, at that particular site, and will reflect local issues, local history, current community needs and interests.

Two C4A programs are particularly adaptable to local circumstances. C4A’s Future Leaders Program, an outside-of-the-classroom, experiential learning opportunity, is designed to be flexible. C4A’s Community Conversations, which use the National Issues Forums Institute’s methodology, is similarly flexible and well-suited for locally oriented Civics Hubs. Information about these Programs is included in the Learning Resources section of this website.

Each Civics Hub will be unique. For instance, a library may serve as a Hub and host C4A for regular moderated discussions on civics topics, and a museum might incorporate C4A goals into an exhibit with a civics discussion about that exhibit. This is a new beginning for the Civics4Action Collaborative, following two years of planning, but no in-person programming. During that time, C4A did collaborate with Humanities New York, holding three virtual, state-wide community conversations.

Members of the Civics4Action Board of Directors are open to listening and learning. How the Civics Hubs and the Civics Ambassadors Program are envisioned today may not be how they work out tomorrow and this is perfectly acceptable. We expect that our Civics Hub partners will work with us in developing programming, sharing ideas and helping us improve our own operation as we collaboratively work to expand civics learning, civic engagement, and civil discourse, and empower both our youth and adults in our multi-county region of New York.

Civics Ambassadors

Overview

The goal of the Civics4Action Collaborative is to provide museums and libraries with Civics Ambassadors, who are employed by, and whose salaries are paid by, the Collaborative. The Civics Ambassadors will be on loan to the institutions for an agreed-on time period. The long- term vision is for the C4A Collaborative to develop and sponsor a corps of Civics Ambassadors to work with museums and libraries throughout New York and in other regions of the Country.

Civics Ambassadors implement the mission of the C4A Collaborative: helping cultural organizations become Civics Hubs: Centers of Civics Learning, Civic Engagement, and Civil Discourse. Important to note that Civics Ambassadors will work closely with the leaders and educators in each cooperating museum or library to ensure that civics programming and civic strategies are tailored to, and aligned with, their individual missions and the needs of their local communities.

We plan to launch the Civics Ambassadors Program in three phases, pending funding for each phase.

Phase 1: The design of a program to train Civics Ambassadors. The training program will ensure that the Civics Ambassadors that are loaned to museums and libraries are knowledgeable and well-equipped to do their job. (See the Job Description below).

Phase 2: Following the completion of the design of the training program, we will hire the first Civics Ambassador, who will be trained and then placed at local institutions as a Pilot test for at least six months.

Phase 3: Using lessons learned from the experience of the initial Civics Ambassador at the test sites, we will then hire one or more Civics Ambassadors, the number to be dictated by how many requests for their services we receive as well as the availability of funding.

Open Sourcing: We believe so strongly in our approach to Civics Ambassadors loaned to museums and libraries as a way to grow Civics Learning and to expand Civic Engagement and Civil Discourse, that we are inviting other nonprofit organizations to use our concepts. All we want in return is acknowledgement of the contribution of the Civics4Action Collaborative. And, we ask to be kept informed of others’ related work and experiences.

Civics Ambassadors Job Description

The C4A Civics Ambassadors Program is an opportunity to engage deeply in civic life and empower local and regional communities to take an active role in shaping the future. As a Civics Ambassador, you will undergo training on government structure, the electoral process, effective communication skills, leadership development, and civic engagement strategies. You will also gain hands-on experience in designing and executing community outreach programs to promote civil discourse, voter education, and community involvement. This is an ideal role for those passionate about making a difference, strengthening democratic processes, and fostering active citizenship.

As the C4A Collaborative has conceived it, there are two types of Civics Ambassadors. Both types are full-time, paid positions.

FIRST, Traveling Civics Ambassadors will conduct “Civics Roadshows” trainings, workshops, civics programming at one library or museum, or in one community, for several days up to a week or two. Then, they will move on to a different community.

SECOND, Resident Civics Ambassadors will work with one museum or library, or with a regional grouping of several museums and/or libraries, depending on how these institutions want to work, individually, or as a regional collaborative. The Resident Civics Ambassadors will remain in their positions from several months to a year, or more. Responsibilities and duties will vary per institution and will reflect the particular mission and civic strategy of the museum or library where they are employed.

Key Responsibilities:

• I. Civics Education and Outreach
  • A. Lead Community Workshops to educate the public on topics such as the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, branches of government, voting rights and current local issues.
  • B. Promote voter registration and conduct education drives to increase community involvement in local elections.
  • C. Organize and facilitate discussions to help individuals understand their rights, the electoral process, and the importance of civic participation.
• II. Community Engagement and Mobilization
  • A. Develop and implement community outreach programs that encourage active participation in civic activities.
  • B. Collaborate with local community leaders, organizations, and stakeholders to foster a strong network of engaged citizens.
  • C. Refer to the civics4action.org Learning Resources & Links pages to be informed about, and potentially build on, or model the work of other relevant organizations.
• III. Leadership and Project Management
  • A. Assist in designing and managing community-focused community engagement projects.
  • B. Apply leadership, conflict resolution, and consensus building skills to facilitate group discussions and workshops.
  • C. Organize events, manage timelines, and ensure successful execution of outreach programs and events.
• IV. Communication & Public Speaking
  • A. Develop and deliver presentations to diverse groups on topics of civic engagement, government structure, and active citizenship.
  • B. Write reports, newsletters, and social media content for different audiences.
• V. Research: Conduct research and analyze data to assess the effectiveness of civics programming in relation to the mission and civic strategies of the museums and libraries where the Civics Ambassadors are employed.
• VI. Preferred Skills & Qualifications
  • *Passion for Civics Education, Civic Engagement, and Civil Discourse
  • *Basic knowledge of the civic role of museums and libraries and how they are managed
  • *Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • *Experience in Public Speaking and Presenting
  • *Interest in learning about how local, state, and federal governments work
  • *Ability to lead and facilitate group discussions with a focus on respectful dialogue
  • *Strong organizational skills
  • *Critical thinking, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills
  • *Ability to work collaboratively
  • *Familiarity with social media platforms and how to use them for attracting specific audiences, particularly, GEN Z
  • *Bachelors degree
• VII. Preferred Experience
  • *Previous involvement in community service,, public speaking, or volunteer programs
  • *Experience with social media engagement and digital communication strategies
• VIII. Commitment:
  • Both the Traveling Civics Ambassadors and the Resident Civics Ambassadors are full- time, paid positions. They require the same commitment as other comparable
• IX Benefits
  • *Training in civics education, civic engagement, and civil discourse
  • *Hands-on experience on project management, public speaking, community outreach, and program design and implementation
  • *Opportunities to collaborate with museum and library leaders and educators
  • *The opportunity to broaden the level of civics knowledge, to expand civic engagement, and to increase opportunities for civil discourse in local communities, thereby having a positive, tangible impact on the community’s civic health
• X. How To Apply
  • Interested applicants should submit a resume and a brief statement of interest outlining their passion for civics learning, relevant experience, and why they would be a great fit for the role of the Traveling and/or Resident Civics Ambassadors.

Board of Directors

Officers

G. Peter Lederer, Ed.D.
Founder and President
Retired College Administrator and Business Owner
Big Flats, New York

Christine Brown
Secretary
Outreach Services Librarian
South Central Regional Library Council (SCRLC)
Ithaca, New York

Bruce Whitmarsh
Treasurer
Director
Chemung County Historical Society and Museum
Vice President, Museum Association of New York
Elmira, New York

Special Advisors to the Board of Directors:

Collaborative Members Emeriti