RI Humanities

RI CIVIC HEALTH INDEX

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In 2022, the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities is conducting the first-ever data-driven Civic Health Index for the state. Many factors impact civic health, including community participation and community well-being.

Rhode Island will join over 30 states to have a data-driven baseline assessment that can be utilized in many contexts: public policy, public health, government, education, journalism, community development, and the humanities, arts, and cultural sector. This assessment will help Rhode Islanders understand the current status of civic health and innovate new paths forward, together.

This initiative is supported by the “A More Perfect Union” initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Rhode Island Foundation and is being produced in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship (NCOC) and the Rhode Island Department of State.

Click here for a PDF with more information.

Engagement Facilitator – request for applications:

The Humanities Council seeks an Engagement Facilitator for an eight-month contract to assist with the Council’s Civic Health Index initiative, managing opportunities for community engagement with the Index and its use across sectors (cultural, health, economic, policy, etc.) for future planning and collaboration. Click here for details and information about how to submit an application.

Deadline to apply: Friday, August 12, 2022 at 5:00 pm EST

Rhode Islanders have experienced changes in the fabric of civic life during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have navigated fundamental rearrangements of how we interact with our communities and our government, as well as shifting connections between public health, political polarization, and media that have tested participatory democracy. The NCOC’s 2021 U.S. Civic Health Index reports on the underlying trends: “Stagnating levels of civic education, dwindling community group membership, and worsening interpersonal and institutional trust.” However, the NCOC Index also reports “signs of a vibrant civic nation with increased rates of volunteerism, political knowledge, and casting ballots, and millions of Americans joining together to protest police violence against Black Americans and other communities of color.”

While there have been recent reports on aspects of civic health, such as media literacy and civic education, an overall report on the status of our state’s civic health with established metrics does not exist. The Humanities Council seeks to bridge this gap with the RI Civic Health Index. In doing so, Rhode Island will join over 30 states to have a data-driven baseline assessment that can be leveraged in many contexts: public policy, public health, government, education, journalism, community development, arts, culture, and the humanities, and so on. This assessment will help Rhode Island understand who we are and what matters as we face the challenges from the pandemic and embrace new civic opportunities such as the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Ten Community Partners with strong connections within their communities (geographic, religious, educational, racial/ethnic, gender and sexual identity, cultural, etc.), who have taken a formal or informal leadership role within those communities will support this initiative. Community Partners will shape the development of the Civic Health Index based on their own experiences and insights, ensuring that the Index reflects the stories and truths they hold about Rhode Island, and about how their communities participate in civic life in the state. The Humanities Council and its partners will promote the finished Index statewide and nationwide, making it a powerful opportunity to present civic life in Rhode Island as Rhode Islanders experience it.

RI Civic Health Index Community Partners include:

Cathleen Carr (she/her), South Kingstown
Christine Costa (she/her), Tiverton
Diana Figueroa (she/her), Pawtucket
Wanda Hopkins (she/her), Hopkinton
Mariam Kaba (she/her), Woonsocket
Alex Kithes (he/him), Woonsocket
Joel Rosario Tapia (he/him, they/them), Providence
Doug Victor (he/him), Providence
Kilah Walters-Clinton (she/her), Providence
Jannessa Ya (she/her), Cranston

If you or your organization are interested in supporting the Civic Health Index as Community Ambassadors, please see the FAQs below for more details about how to sign up for this volunteer opportunity.

 

FAQs
Who is organizing the Civic Health Index?

The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities is organizing the Civic Health Index in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship, an organization commissioned by Congress, as well as local partners. As the independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Humanities Council seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.

What if I would still like to support the Civic Health Index? Are there ways to be involved?

Yes! Individuals and organizations that would like to be involved in supporting the RI Civic Health Index may do so through signing up to serve as volunteer Community Ambassadors. Volunteering in this way will help build the Civic Health Index network, connecting Index-related activities and events with communities across Rhode Island.

  • To learn more and sign up as an Individual Community Ambassador, click here.
  • To learn more and sign up as an Organizational Community Ambassador, click here.

Community Ambassadors serve as an integral part of the Civic Health Index network by connecting Index-related activities and events with communities across Rhode Island.

What are Community Partners for the Civic Health Index?

Community Partners are Rhode Islanders who have strong connections within their communities (geographic, religious, educational, racial/ethnic, gender and sexual identity, cultural, etc.), and have taken a formal or informal leadership role within those communities. Community Partners will shape the development of the Civic Health Index based on their own experiences and insights. Community Partner, will ensure that the Index reflects the stories and truths held by Rhode Islanders about how communities participate in civic life in the state. The Council and its partners will promote the finished Index statewide and nationwide, making it a powerful opportunity to present civic life in Rhode Island as Rhode Islanders experience it. To learn more about this role, download slides from an information session here. Or watch the information session video here.

Are there any eligibility requirements for being a Community Partner?

To be eligible to be a Community Partner, participants must be at least 14 years of age, and they must live in Rhode Island. Given that the work of the Partners will be conducted in English, participants should have written and verbal proficiency in English.

What are the responsibilities of Community Partners?

All Community Partners will contribute a total of around 10 hours of their time to the project:

  • Attending and participating in three two-hour Zoom meetings (6 hours):
    • Wednesday, March 16, 2022 from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm EST
    • Wednesday, March 30, 2022 from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm EST
    • Friday, May 6, 2022 from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm EST
  • Review and offer feedback on a draft of the Civic Health Index in June 2022, as well as respond to any other Index-related communications (~4 hours).

During the three meetings, Community Partners will work closely with Humanities Council staff and other partners to offer perspectives on the existing civic health-related data for Rhode Island; to advise on the development of a survey to collect supplemental civic health-related data; and to shape the story told in the Index.

Please note that all meetings will be held virtually via Zoom, and will be conducted in English.

What is the timeline for the project?
  • Monday, February 28, 2022, 11:59 pm EST: Community Partner Statement of Interest Form due
  • Friday, March 11, 2022: Community Partners announced
  • Wednesday, March 16, 2022, from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST: First Community Partner meeting
  • Wednesday, March 30, 2022, from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST: Second Community Partner meeting
  • Friday, May 6, 2022, from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST: Third Community Partner meeting
  • June 2022: Offer feedback on draft of Civic Health Index
How will Community Partners be selected?

The Humanities Council and its project partners will select up to 10 Community Partners based on their eligibility for participation; connections to communities in Rhode Island; their ability to fully participate in the process as outlined; and their interest in civic life in Rhode Island. The project partners seek to work with a group of Community Partners that represents the full diversity of Rhode Island across all metrics (age, gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, geography, religion, education, etc.). The composition of the Community Partner cohort will include:

  • At least 3 members age 25 and under
  • At least 5 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-identifying members
  • At least 5 members from outside the urban centers of Providence and Newport
  • Gender diversity among the group
What if I have questions about the Civic Health Index or Community Ambassador volunteer opportunity?

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to civichealthindex@rihumanities.org, and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.