Circle 2: Building Community Engagement

  • Churches should get back to being center of a community (but everyone will not go to church (i.e. non-religious))
  • Youth disengaged from all institutions
    • Social Media
    • Too many silos
    • Communication skills lacking(?)(in person vs online)
  • Silos prevent people from meeting in the middle (politics)
  • In-person gatherings vs virtual
  • How to find nuance in conversations today?
    • There are only 2 sides
  • Community-driven Solutions?
    • Don’t talk at people
    • More community based training/education programs
      • Civics lessons in church
      • Talk to children about voting/political engagement
    • Get out and walk the neighborhood
    • Invite all generations into conversations (youth are having their own conversations online)
      • Duplicate successful models
    • Do neighbors know each other today?
    • Meet communities where they are. Everyone is not going to church.
    • Sports bring people together
    • Use the solutions-circles model and talking sticks back in own communities

➡️ Read more stories from the Capital City Bureau here.

The mission of the Mississippi Free Press, a new nonprofit journalism website and multimedia network that launched in March 2020, is to publish deep public-interest reporting into causes of and solutions to the social, political and structural challenges facing all Mississippians and their communities. Mississippians need to know each other across regions and share our challenges and solutions despite geographic and other differences. We are introducing Mississippians to each other through our deep accountability reporting and compelling people-focused storytelling, and by convening online and physical “solutions circles,” using our statewide networks to ensure inclusivity and representation.