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July 17-21 found myself and fellow co-founder Tomás Spath walking the halls of Congress again for the first time post-pandemic. It felt really good to be back. But you may wonder, why do we do that? We try to walk the halls every year for a number of reasons. First, and perhaps the most important,…
Same Mission, New Name The Institute for Civility in Government has simplified our name to the Institute for Civility. Our mission remains steadfast: to facilitate dialogue, teach respect, and build civility in both the public and private spheres. Our vision is to see a day when civility is the norm for all of us where…
Now that we are fortunate enough to be past the pandemic, the Institute is excited to be back to our full programming capabilities, and we are taking full advantage! This spring and summer we have been busier than ever! On April 12th we were delighted to take a Congressional Student Forum in person to a…
June 3-8 found us back in DC – this time with students from Palacios High School (TX) and Wharton High School (TX). This student trip was underwritten by two area foundations who like to focus their support on their local communities. It is through the generosity of these organizations that we have been able to…
The Congressional Civility and Respect Caucus has gained new life after lapsing in 2021. The Caucus, originally formed in 2018 by U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty and Steve Stivers, has gained renewed support, with 42 members of Congress agreeing to sign on, according to Beatty. The Caucus requires one Democrat and one Republican to join as a pair….
The Institute was thrilled to bring our Student Legislative Seminars back to Washington, DC this spring. March 25-30 found us there with 11 students from Texas City High School, Texas, along with three school chaperones. This trip has been sponsored by the local Texas City Rotary Club every year now for twelve years (with the…
There are headlines across the nation almost every day about violence. That, of course, is nothing new. Yet it is disturbing to be constantly assaulted by bad news, and to hear statistics tell us that crime is up, gun violence is up, and polarization has increased, while hate crimes of all sorts become more and…
During the pandemic many of us have spent a little time binge watching either our favorite programs from years past or perhaps series that we missed out on when we were busier. I’ve done a little binge watching myself. One of the first series I indulged in was The West Wing, a well-known show that…
HOUSTON–Institute for Civility President & Co-founder Cassandra Dahnke received the SCLC Civic Engagement Award on July 22. The Leadership Conference cited the Institute’s work to promote civility, teach civility skills, and create opportunities for people to put those skills into practice through real-life civic engagement. In particular, the Leadership Conference commended the Institute’s work to…
HOUSTON—Institute for Civility Co-founders Cassandra Dahnke and Tomas Spath were honored at the Emotional Civility Conference, hosted by Dr. Sharon Anderson, on March 26, 2021. Dahnke and Spath were bestowed the 2021 Legacy Award for their work promoting civility in public and private spheres.
