Chicago Roundtable to Launch New Report on Reviving Civic Communication

This Friday the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation release the sixth in a series of white papers aimed at implementing the recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.  The paper—“Civic Engagement and Community Information: Five Strategies to Revive Civic Communication” by Peter Levine—proposes practical strategies to strengthen civic communication and citizen engagement with an emphasis on a civic information corps and the role of youth and digital communications.

The formal release will take place during a high-level roundtable discussion among a select group of leaders, innovators, advocates and critics from the national, state and local levels on Friday, June 10, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (CST) at The Chicago Club (81 E. Van Buren, Chicago, IL 60605). Following the presentation of the paper, these leaders and experts will debate the best ways to implement the recommendations at a time when citizens are demanding a more participatory society, and as systems for exchanging news and information undergo significant change.

Peter Levine

Featured Speaker:

Peter Levine is director of CIRCLE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, and research director of Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.

Roundtable participants include:

Lisa Bardwell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Earth Force Incorporated
Susan Benton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Urban Libraries Council
Brian Brady, Executive Director, Mikva Challenge
Lisa Morrison Butler, Executive Director, City Year Chicago
An-Me Chung, Associate Director of Education, MacArthur Foundation
Thom Clark, President, Community Media Workshop
Steven Clift, Founder and Executive Director, E-Democracy.org
David Crowley, President and Founder, Social Capital Inc.
Paula Ellis, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Barbara Ferman, Executive Director, University Community Collaborative of Philadelphia
Lew Friedland, Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin
Christopher Gates, Executive Director, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement
Robert Hackett, President, The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation
Don Heider, Dean, School of Communication, Loyola University Chicago
Joseph Hoereth, Director, Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, University of Illinois at Chicago
Ngoan Le, Vice President of Programs, The Chicago Community Trust
Torey Malatia, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Public Media
Mabel McKinney-Browning, Director, American Bar Association Division for Public Education
Heather Peeler, Chief Strategy Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service
John Sirek, Director, Civics Program, Robert R. McCormick Foundation
Scott Warren, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Generation Citizen
Lauren Young, Program Director, The Spencer Foundation
Constance Yowell, Director of Education, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Moderator: Charlie Firestone, Executive Director, Communications and Society Program, The Aspen Institute

*Please note that space is limited to members of the press who RSVP. Please RSVP to erin.silliman@aspeninstitute.org or 202.841.4968.