By Sandra McKinney, for the CVPost
Citizens are developed, not born, and Eau Claire is a good example of getting developed citizens engaged in taking the community forward, according to a Twin Cities expert on this topic.
Harry C. Boyte, Senior Scholar in Public Work Philosophy at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, spoke Monday evening (Feb. 11) to small audience at the RCU Corporate Center in Eau Claire. The hour-long event was sponsored by Clear Vision Eau Claire.
Boyte’s most recent of his 11 books, Awakening Democracy through Public Work, cites citizens as co-creators and builders of communities and democracy, not simply as voters and volunteers. The book features Eau Claire as an example of making this happen.
Boyte said he agrees with the approach taken by Clear Vision, whose basic premise is that active and meaningful citizen involvement in planning a community’s future will result in a committed effort to make it a reality. Clear Vision was founded in 2007 on the three basic principles of preserving the quality of life, transforming the local economy and empowering individuals.
On a white board positioned just behind Boyte, the words “Civic Covenant” stood out clearly. He defined the term as:
- * Collaborative work
- * A shared agreement to live and work together in peace
- * A shared public story
Boyte said the lack of people becoming engaged has led to the country’s current civic crisis, and this stems from several factors. One, he said, is that individuals feel they have no power, which results in a lack of “civic muscle.” He said this situation has been created in part by the media.
Another factor is the advent of social media (Facebook, for example) which may connect us via the Internet but also leads to personal isolation, he said. He also cited the loss of community gatherings in such places as churches, schools and barber shops, and the loss of what he called “a common story.”
Boyte said he believes Eau Claire is making progress, and cited such examples as the work of Clear Vision and the partnerships responsible for the Pablo Center at the Confluence. He also spoke highly of the Chippewa Valley Museum, whose resources he used to identify collaborations in the Eau Claire community that go back to the early 1900s.
“It is one of the best local museums I have ever visited,” he said
Boyte illustrated the power of civic covenants by referring to the story of the biblical prophet Nehemiah, who drew people together for a common effort that rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls. He also mentioned a successful effort in Brooklyn, NY to create a community of some 3,000 low-income housing units that took its name – The Nehemiah Project – from the prophet’s success.
Boyte said that people acquire power – but not domination – as they become energized citizen professionals and ended his talk by telling his audience “let’s do it!”
Note: Sandra McKinney is the president of JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors Advancing Hope), a member of the Eau Claire County Board, the treasurer of the Chippewa Valley Post and the retired minister of Unity Christ Center in Eau Claire.
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