Students Build Community and Collaboration: High School Students from Palacios and Wharton Join Together in Civic Education Experience

Houston, TX, June 10, 2016 – Five students from Palacios High School and six students from Wharton High School participated in a Student Legislative Seminar trip to Washington, DC, with the Institute for Civility in Government (ICG) on June 4-9. These Seminars teach students about how to be involved in the governing process while maintaining…

Civility Linkblogging

Civility Linkblogging: Pushing on the Limits of Civility

Civility Linkblogging is an ongoing series that highlights discourse about civility from around the Web. We glean the links in this segment from as broad a cross-section as we can manage of blogs, newspapers, magazines, and other online venues, from the United States and around the world. This installment offers two compelling arguments that the…

Civility Linkblogging

Civility Linkblogging: Faith Leaders and Civil Politics

Civility Linkblogging is an ongoing series that highlights discourse about civility from around the Web. We glean the links in this segment from as broad a cross-section as we can manage of blogs, newspapers, magazines, and other online venues, from the United States and around the world. This month brings us a selection of (mostly)…

Reflecting on Civility on Our Eighteenth Anniversary

Reflecting on Civility on Our Eighteenth Anniversary

On April Fool’s Day of 1998, we launched the Institute for Civility in Government by walking the halls of Congress and introducing ourselves and the newly-formed organization we had been planning since the previous fall. We were met with laughter, puzzlement, bemusement, confusion, politeness, and in some offices – real interest. While some people who…

Students Share Lesson in Civility: Wharton High School Students to Present to the Lions Club

Wharton, TX, February 25, 2016 – Several students from Wharton High School will be presenting at the Lions Club meeting on Thursday, March 3. These students attended the 2015 Student Legislative Seminar trip to Washington, DC, with the Institute for Civility in Government (ICG), and will be sharing their experiences and lessons learned. Besides seeing…

Civility Linkblogging: Town Halls, Debates, Iowa, and Indiana

This post is part of an ongoing series that highlights discourse about civility from around the Web. We glean the links in this segment from as broad a cross-section as we can manage of blogs, newspapers, magazines, and other online venues, from the United States and around the world. This month, with the Presidential primary…

A Note On the Passing of Justice Antonin Scalia

Opposites attract they say. And having an opposite also pushes us to better understand our own positions. That’s the truth for us as the two co-founders of the Institute. We initially believed we were supporters of the same political party. We were wrong. The day we realized that we thought differently is the day we…

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The Importance of Congressional Student Forums

Some people think it never happens. They think that Republicans and Democrats cannot work together, or even have a civil conversation. But those people are mistaken. It does happen – and could happen more if more people would speak out for civility.

For years the Institute for Civility in Government has sponsored Congressional Student Forums. These bring two members of Congress from opposite sides of the political aisle together on college campuses around the country in order to model civil and respectful conversations with students and faculty on whatever issues the students bring to the table. The conversations are lively and informative. And they are critically important to our civic process.