Civic Learning is people actively learning from one another, from the work they are engaged in, and from the community and actively putting that learning to use to make more intentional choices and judgments about their individual and collective efforts moving forward. In making community a common enterprise, we are tied to one another, which requires that we actively and openly learn together.
It often takes place without us knowing–when we’re taking to each other, when we do things together and recognize what’s working and what’s not, when we exchange ideas about what’s happening and how things are going. However, when we are intentional about civic learning, we increase the likelihood of unleashing a chain reaction, creating impact and growing civic faith.
There are a variety of questions that can spur civic learning. While they take different forms, they focus on what is being learned collectively and how that affects the choices and actions people make. Examples of these questions can look like:
What are we learning together about the community?
What are we seeking to achieve together?
What does it mean—and take—to work with each other?
What are we learning as we do our work together about how we need to recalibrate our efforts?
What are we learning about our relationships and ourselves?
Without an explicit commitment to civic learning, we can fail to see and name what is and isn’t working and to recalibrate our efforts. We can fail to know and value the capacities that others have. We may not rearrange our relationships and roles, and thus alter the very ways in which we work together. These and other insights are essential to forging a strong civic culture that works for all.
Civic learning is woven throughout the Harwood approach. It is only by tapping into what you are learning, that you are able to move the community forward on a more productive and hopeful path.
