Moving Forward, Together: A Community Conversation on the 2022 Rhode Island Civic Health Index

Join members of the team behind the 2022 Rhode Island Civic Health Index (RI CHI) to discuss steps that Rhode Islanders can take, together, to impact civic health in the state. The conversation will begin with a panel focusing on strengthening community well-being and community participation in Rhode Island. RI CHI Data Consultant and Co-author Neelam Sakaria will moderate. Attendees will then be invited to join the panelists in optional break-out room conversations focused on panel topics. Virtual via Zoom. Registration required.

Speakers include:

• Cathleen Carr, Community Partner | Executive Director, newportFILM
• Jeff Coates, Primary Contributor | Research & Evaluation Director, National Conference on Citizenship
• Wanda Hopkins, Community Partner | Native American Advisory Council (NAAC) member, Tomaquag Museum and University of Rhode Island; Narragansett Tribal Elder; Masters in English candidate, University of Rhode Island
• Nicholas V. Longo, PhD, Academic Advisor | Professor in the Department of Global Studies & Co-Director of the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy (DID) Lab, Providence College
• Doug Victor, Community Partner | Chair, Elmwood and South Providence Crime Watch
• Kilah Walters-Clinton, Community Partner | Founder of Innovative Advising and Director of Race, Equity & Community Engagement for the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services
• Yinjiao Ye, PhD, Academic Advisor | Professor of Communications Studies & Director of Graduate Studies, University of Rhode Island 

RI Civic Health Index Panel and Break-out Group Discussion Questions:

• How would Rhode Island, your city, or neighborhood look, feel, and operate if addressing racial inequities were a priority? What investments would be required to do this in meaningful ways?
• What tools or spaces have proven useful or accessible for starting dialogues with Rhode Islanders unlike yourself? If you have not found these tools or spaces yet, what do you feel would be most helpful?
• Think about the non-governmental civic institutions that have been most impactful in your life–for example, local heritage societies, parks, and independent corner stores. What resources would allow those institutions to impact even more Rhode Islanders? What would it require to provide those resources?
• What ripple effects can you envision in your community from improvements in civics, history, and media literacy education? What impact would more inclusive monuments and historic sites have in your neighborhood?
• What will it take to achieve greater investment in local independent media? How could this transform the state’s civic landscape?
• What do you see working well in Rhode Island when it comes to government transparency on the state, city, or neighborhood levels? What needs improvement, and how could that improvement be made?