The Project on Civic Reflection recently awarded eight new seed grants, described below. The new programs will take place in eight states, affirming the growing national reach of the Project on Civic Reflection and growing interest in the practice.

New Hampshire Legislators to Reflect on Religion and Civic Life
The New Hampshire Humanities Council will convene members of both houses of the New Hampshire legislature for six weekly civic reflection conversations as part of the NHHC's two-year initiative, "Shifting Ground: Religion & Civic Life in America." Guided by co-facilitators who complement each other politically and religiously, legislators will discuss diverse set of readings on the relationship between church and state, religion and civic life. Of special interest to program organizers is how the "willing suspension of disbelief" that people generally adopt in the reading of a piece of fiction or a poem translates into "real life" understanding of and decisions about public policy issues.

Ohio Social Service Groups Use Civic Reflection in New Partnership
A 60-year-old social service agency in Cincinnati, Bridges for a Just Community, will affiliate in September 2007 with Public Allies Cincinnati, a nine-year-old AmeriCorps program with over 200 alumni. In a pilot civic reflection program, "Considering Yourself and Your City," AmeriCorps alumni from Public Allies Cincinnati will join experienced community volunteers from Bridges for a Just Community to talk and reflect during the organizations' first year of partnership. In a series of monthly dinner gatherings, participants will use short readings, some from The Civically Engaged Reader, to discuss the value and challenges of service and the role of leaders. The program will allow Public Allies Cincinnati to continue some of the conversations that they began during their year of service and serve as a demonstration project for other Public Allies sites nationally.

Civic Reflection to Enrich Spring Break Service-Learning in Florida
In Spring 2008, the Office of Service-Learning at Eckerd College will launch a series of civic reflection discussions with students participating in a spring break service-learning experience at one of 11 locations throughout the United States and abroad. While spring break service has been a growing program at the college, it has lacked intentional reflection and a standard set of readings. Student participants in the series, "Civic Reflection and Intensive Service-Learning Experiences," will meet before, during, and after the spring break week to share a meal and reflect on readings by Jane Addams, Franz Kafka, Gwendolyn Brooks and others, as they explore issues of community-building, values, and social responsibility.

Chicago Service Agency to Reflect on Cultural Heritage and Health
Erie Neighborhood House, a Chicago community service agency founded in 1870 in the settlement house tradition, works to empower low-income, primarily Latino families through a range of educational programs and social services. During the coming year, Erie House will use civic reflection as a staff development tool with sixteen employees charged with supporting individual and organizational initiatives for better health. Reading essays, poetry and fiction by Octavio Paz, Luis Rodriguez, and Ana Castillo, participants will meet six times over three months to discuss the relationship between cultural heritage and health.

Health and Human Services College in Kentucky Explores Service
During the 2007-08 academic year, faculty, staff, students and administrators of Western Kentucky University's College of Health and Human Services will be invited to participate in a series of "Community Conversations" about service. The conversations will allow members of the College to talk with one another about the fundamental values behind their civic activities and to develop a deeper understanding of their service, both to WKU and to the greater community. Among the questions they will explore are, What motivates us to serve? What challenges do we face in serving? How can we serve each other?

Newark, NJ High School Students Discuss Philanthropy and Leadership
The LEAGUE is a new organization dedicated to engaging youth in service to their communities, using sports as a model for philanthropy. In the coming year, the LEAGUE will run a pilot civic reflection program in a Newark, NJ high school. Twenty student "captains," mentored by a teacher "coach," will participate in a civic reflection meeting prior to each service event during the school year. Organizers hope that deep thinking and dialogue around topics of civic efficacy and responsibility will add a vital component to students' leadership development and help to foster a life-long commitment to civic engagement and service.

Civic Reflection and Service-Learning in Vermont
Participants in the Norwich University Service-Learning Program will meet every other week during the 2007-08 academic year to discuss readings on service from The Civically Engaged Reader. Throughout the year participants will keep reflection journals, which they may use privately or share with the group. A trained civic reflection facilitator and participant volunteers will lead the conversations, which are designed to bring together participants in the NUSL Program around the program's core vision: to be the common thread that connects academic, student, and community life.

AmeriCorps Members at Indiana United Way Discuss Service
The United Way of Porter County will hold a civic reflection series with AmeriCorps members and their site supervisors in Valparaiso, Indiana. Joined by volunteer coordinators for the Lake and LaPorte County United Ways, the AmeriCorps participants will discuss readings from The Civically Engaged Reader that raise questions about service and responsibility. Program organizers hope that the series will promote greater tolerance for diversity, deeper self-understanding, and a richer sense of what motivates people to serve and volunteer in their communities. The series is designed to support participants in their common goal of engaging the citizens of Northwest Indiana in civic activities and service.