Intense polarization. A sense of disconnection. Feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness. Across our country, many of us are experiencing these same heartaches and challenges. But we are not stuck. Civic Saturday gatherings are an antidote to this feeling of apathy and despair.

On Dec. 9, Civic Nebraska will host Lincoln’s final Civic Saturday of 2023. The 11 a.m. gathering at Turbine Flats, 2124 Y St., will feature live music, original poetry, inspiring readings, and time for socializing and discussion centered on rebuilding faith in one another and our democracy.

The gathering’s theme is “Loud & Clear,” and will focus on maintaining clarity and purpose in an increasingly noisy and hyper-partisan environment as 2024 dawns. Live music will be provided by Jack Rodenburg; original poetry will be performed by Jewel Rodgers; and civic readings will be led by Kwame Gyamfi and Charlyne Berens.

Steve Smith, a writer, mentor, and community advocate, will deliver the “civic sermon.” Smith, director of communications at Civic Nebraska, is a national Civic Saturday Fellow via Citizen University, a Seattle-based organization that began the gatherings in 2016. Since then, Civic Saturdays have spread to more than 200 communities across the country, including Lincoln.

“We can’t reckon with our feelings as a country just sitting by ourselves, looking at our screens. We have to do it in fellowship with one another,” Smith said. “That’s what makes Civic Saturday so powerful – it creates a space where friends and strangers come together to nurture our shared civic spirit and reflect on our creed of liberty, equality, and self-government. That is what truly unites us.”

Civic Saturday is free and open to all. Refreshments and light snacks will be served. For more information about Dec. 9’s gathering and/or to RSVP, please visit https://bitly.com/CivSatNeb.

Nebraska Civic Saturday Fellowship seeks ‘civic catalysts’ across the state

Civic Nebraska and Citizen University are partnering to bring Civic Saturday to more Nebraska communities in 2024. Applications for the Nebraska Civic Saturday Fellowship, which will kick off at The Scarlet Hotel in Lincoln from Feb. 6-9, 2024, are being accepted through Nov. 22. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.civicnebraska.org/fellowship-2024.