Civic Saturday

Organized By: Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County

WHAT IS CIVIC SATURDAY?

During this time of widespread cynicism and division in American civic life, Civic Saturday is a place to come together as a community, to gather and rededicate ourselves to the practice of being active citizens. At Civic Saturday, you will be inspired and encouraged to reflect and connect with each other, and create new civic traditions that are joyful and communal.

Civic Saturday is a civic analogue to a faith gathering: a gathering of friends and strangers in a common place to nurture a spirit of shared purpose. But it’s not about church or synagogue or mosque — it’s about American civic religion: the creed, deeds, and rituals that truly unite us all.

We’ll gather on a Saturday morning as friends and strangers to hear readings and poetry, come together in song, share thoughts and ideas, and hear a “civic sermon” from Civic Seminarian Jennifer Byrnes.

Civic Saturday was created in 2016 by Citizen University, a national civic organization based in Seattle, WA whose mission is to build a culture of powerful and responsible citizenship across the country. In this moment, it is imperative for communities to come together and rededicate ourselves to the values and practices of being a contributing member of civic life.

WHAT IS CIVIC SEMINARY?

Civic Seminary was developed in 2018 to train and prepare civic catalysts from all over the country to start Civic Saturday programs in their communities. Created with an intention to bring people together, face-to-face, to revitalize the practice of civic gatherings, the Civic Saturday program is designed to be replicated across the country, in places both large and small. Citizen University knows that civic catalysts embedded in their communities are best suited to bring these programs to life across America.

Each year, Citizen University trains multiple cohorts of civic catalysts at their headquarters in Seattle at the Civic Seminary. During the three day training, Civic Seminarians explore the ethical foundations of their beliefs and others, learn how to write civic sermons, and ultimately develop their own Civic Saturday programs in their communities.

This event is co-sponsored by the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.