Engaged, Not Enraged
Civility, Politics, and Civic Engagement
August 27, 2013
4:30-6:00 pm
Reception and Book Signing to Follow
The Florida Historic Capitol Museum
400 S. Monroe Street, Tallahassee
It’s not about moving left or right.
It’s about moving forward.
Our Program
Engaged, Not Enraged is the beginning of a conversation designed to initiate reflection
and dialogue on civility in our social and political interactions. The program begins this
evening with an opening discussion on the meaning and significance of civility, the
impact and influence of incivility, the conflicts and compromises throughout our nation’s
history, and tools to effectively address change through civic design and engagement.
The evening will conclude with an opportunity to interact with local and state civic
organizations, attend a Naked Civics book signing, and view the new exhibit, Choosing to
Participate at the Florida Historic Capitol Museum.
Our program tonight is not about casting blame or about politician or political party
bashing. It is about listening to each other, becoming engaged, and moving forward. We
may not all agree on the content shared by our presenters or other participants. But this is
only the beginning of the conversation and we want to hear your ideas and perspectives
as well.
Following tonight’s program, we hope to host additional opportunities to learn civil
discussion skills and to practice those skills while addressing critical public issues. We
thank you for your participation and hope to remain connected in the future. For more
information on future sessions, please contact Annette Boyd Pitts, Executive Director,
The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc. at [email protected].
Engaged, Not Enraged
Civility, Politics, and Civic Engagement
This program is part of Civility and Free Expression in a Constitutional Democracy—A
National Dialogue, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and is
conducted in partnership with the American Bar Association Division for Public
Education. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American
Bar Association, or any of its program partners.
The Dialogue Begins…
Nate Garvis
As a former Vice President of Government Affairs and Senior Public Affairs
Officer for Target Corporation, one of the world’s largest retail operations, Nate
Garvis has sat at the intersection of Fortune 100 business, government, politics,
civics, media, health care, public safety, academia, philanthropy and nongovernmental organizations for over twenty-five years. He is a member of a
number of academic, think-tank, business and non-profit boards throughout the
country, including Allina Health, the Public Affairs Council and the College of
Arts and Sciences at St. Thomas University. He also serves as Senior Fellow and
Social Innovator in Residence and Design Counsel at the Social Innovation Lab at
Babson College. He is one of the co-founders of DoTopia, a social enterprise that
is creating lifestyle philanthropy for all as well as a co-founder of Studio/E, an entrepreneurial
experience for top-tier leaders conducted quarterly out of the historic James J. Hill Library.
Garvis is the author of Naked Civics. Naked Civics isn’t about finding solutions
through multi-billion dollar, angry political theater. Garvis shows readers how
cultural tools like Sesame Street and dish soap can bring about more positive
change than political debate. As Garvis unravels the true power that culture has
over productive societal change, he cuts to the core of what really matters: Safety,
Good Health, Productivity, Compensation, Innovation, Preserved and Constructed
Infrastructure, Passing on Knowledge, and Justice. Garvis shows that Naked
Civics isn’t just about thinking outside of the box. It’s about denying the box is
even there. If we want widespread change, we must redirect our gaze to a larger
priority: the common good.
Michael Allen
Michael Allen is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Development
and Strategic Initiatives at Stetson University College of Law. Allen teaches
courses in Civil Procedure, Remedies, Complex Litigation, Constitutional Law I,
the Federal Courts and the Federal System, and Veterans' Benefits Law. He also is
the co-coach of four of Stetson's moot court teams. In addition, he supervises
Stetson's internship programs at the Florida Supreme Court, the Florida Second
District Court of Appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims,
and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. During his
time at Stetson, Professor Allen has received the University level award for
Excellence in Teaching, the Award for Excellence in Professionalism and Career
Development presented by the Stetson College of Law Student Bar Association, been twice named the
Best All Around Professor, and five times been awarded the Golden Apple Achievement Award for
teaching. He has also received the University level award for excellence in scholarship as well as the
Dickerson-Brown Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship.
Program Partners
The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc. (FLREA) is a private, non-profit,
nonpartisan grassroots civic education organization. FLREA was established in 1984 to advance
civic and law related education programs, policies, and practices, enhance public understanding
of the rule of law and the American legal system, and contribute to the preparation of a
reasoned and educated citizenry actively participating in the civic and political life of the nation.
Over the last three decades, the organization has evolved into one of the most effective and
respected civic and law related education entities in the country.
The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc. is dedicated to improving civic education
opportunities through practical, hands-on law related and civic education programs for K-12
students and adult audiences alike.
What distinguishes FLREA is a grassroots, law-focused, nonpartisan
approach. Programs highlight civic content and methodologies to foster
essential critical thinking skills, teaching participants how to think
about critical issues, not what to think.
The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc. serves as the
state coordinator for multiple national civic education programs
including We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution, Project
Citizen, the United States Senate Youth Program, and Justice Sandra
Day O’Connor’s civics initiative iCivics program. Additionally,
FLREA has been working to expand adult civic education efforts
through the statewide Benchmarks program. FLREA has shared its
models in over 25 countries though reciprocal civic education
programs and partnerships. The organization is funded in part by the Florida Bar Foundation.
For more information on The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc., please visit our
website at www.flrea.org or contact our Executive Director, Annette Boyd Pitts.
The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc.
2930 Kerry Forest Parkway, Suite 202
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Phone: 850.386.8223 ~ E-mail: [email protected]
Program Partners
Join us for the Opening Reception
immediately following the Engaged, Not
Enraged program
The exhibit features eleven panels developed
through the partnership of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service and Facing History
and Ourselves to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect, and participation in our
communities. Each panel highlights the choice between being a participating upstander or a
passive bystander in our communities and reminds us that no action to improve society is too
small.
Visitors will also explore the impact of organizations and programs that strive to encourage the
civic education and engagement of Florida students. Objects and audiovisual materials on loan
from The Florida Law Related Education Association, the Bob Graham Center for Public
Service, the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government, the Center for Leadership and
Social Change, the Able Trust's Florida Youth Leadership Forum, the Florida Youth Leadership
Academy and Youth Leadership Tallahassee will reveal how students in Florida feel about the
importance of civic participation and being active participants in their communities.
The Florida Historic
Capitol Museum serves
to illuminate the past,
present, and future
connections between
the people of Florida
and their political
institutions through
programs of civic
education, historic
interpretation, and
preservation.
Program Partners
A Voice for Citizens
A Force for Change
Open to All
Making Democracy Work
Join the cause:
www.LWVTallahassee.org
[email protected]
(850) 309-3005
Program Partners
It is the mark of an educated mind to
be able to entertain a thought without
accepting it.
Aristotle
I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not
at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them:
For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being
obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change
opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but
found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt
I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the
judgment of others.
Benjamin Franklin
Our lives begin to end the day
we become silent about things
that matter.
Martin Luther King Jr.
A special thank you to:
Mark Schlakman, Florida State University Center for Advancement of
Human Rights for his programmatic contributions and counsel.