DMC Introduces Lauren Lockhart as Interim Executive Director
The DMC is happy to welcome Lauren Lockhart in her new role for the Mathews Center! She will serve as the Mathews Center’s interim director while Executive Director Rachel Mosness is on maternity leave.
Fostering Civic Engagement: DMC at the 2023 Girl Scout Leadership Summit
The David Mathews Center had an incredible opportunity to be an exhibitor at the 6th Annual Girl Scout Leadership Summit at the City of Trussville Civic Center on Saturday, August 26th. The Leadership Summit is a one-day conference "just for girls and led by girls" that allows members to examine and explore professional career options, connect with mentors, and focus on leadership development.
Civic Dispatch: Collinsville, A Place to Find Family
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Payton Davis reminisces on her summer with the friends that became family and the unexpected surprises in the small town of Collinsville.
Civic Dispatch: Summer in hometown fuels passion for rural communities
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Jessica Criswell recounts her summer in her hometown of Chatom, where she was able to reconnect with her community and childhood with a new perspective.
Civic Dispatch: Living democracy in Camden provides deep appreciation for hometown, role of citizens
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Kaitlin Stabler reflects on the relationships and experiences she had reconnecting with her hometown of Camden this summer.
Developing Deliberative Skills with OLLI
This summer, the Mathews Center had the exciting opportunity to partner with the Greater Birmingham chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Alabama to teach Developing Deliberative Skills: Weekly Conversations on Topics of Public Concern, a new course that was piloted during this summer semester.
Civic Dispatch: Spending summer in Elba becomes ‘best decision’
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Mikailie Caulder describes the impactful summer she had working with a wide variety of compassionate and vibrant members of the Elba community this summer, where she even rediscovered her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
A Look into Summer JOIP: Visits Across the State
During the month of July, the Mathews Center had the amazing opportunity to visit some of our Jean O’Connor-Snyder Interns from the University of Alabama, Troy University, and Auburn University. While visiting, our team got to have one-on-one time with the interns to discuss their experiences working with communities over the summer.
Civic Dispatch: A History of Fellowship
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Madi Skinner describes how the combined efforts of a local church can overcome barriers to create a more inclusive and lasting relationship within the community.
Civic Dispatch: Making a Home – Jasper’s Recovery Den
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Olivia Goble explains how a community member transformed her own hardships into passion and a purpose to create a safe haven in her hometown of Jasper.
Civic Dispatch: A Problem in a Hard Place Meets a Veteran’s Embrace
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Tanner Jones describes how the passion for education in one individual can create a lasting difference for the Walker County community, especially through collaborative efforts.
Civic Dispatch: Inspiring a Community Through Faith
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Madi Duboise shares how gospel and faith can not only bring together a local community, but create connections across the country, as well.
DMC Introduces Education Coordinator Lauren Lockhart
The DMC is happy to reintroduce Lauren Lockhart in her new role! Formerly the DMC’s 2022-2023 Civic Fellow, Lauren will now serve as Education Coordinator at the DMC, where she will work with the Executive Director to administer and manage DMC signature programming reaching K-12 students & teachers, conduct research relevant to DMC educational programming, author reports & blogs on DMC educational programming, develop educational resources and issue guides suitable for the K-12 classroom, and any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
Civic Dispatch: Resilience
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Sadie Keller shares how the strength and persistence of individuals in the community will continue to make a lasting impact in Walker County.
Welcome 2023 Innovators in Civic Education Fellows!
On Thursday, June 29th, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life held its fifth annual Innovators in Civic Education Workshop. During the training, Teacher Fellows assisted the DMC in educational programming by providing important viewpoints on how to generate the most relevant and valuable resources for educators, both in the classroom and in the community. These educators were chosen for the fellowship because they are dedicated to developing and implementing skills-focused and inquiry-led social studies curriculum.
The DMC at Blakeley State Park
On Tuesday, June 13th, The David Mathews Center joined the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities at Blakeley State Park for an immersive learning experience for educators in the Mobile and Baldwin County area, utilizing the “The Creek War of 1813-14: What Would You Do?” to facilitate a deliberative conversation concerning the history of the nation and state.
Applied Democracy Exchanges: Communities as Classrooms, Students as Citizens
For the sixth session of Applied Democracy Exchanges, the Mathews Center welcomed faculty mentors, Mark Wilson and Nan Fairley, from Auburn University’s Living Democracy program, an immersive summer civic experience serving the communities of Camden, Chatom, Collinsville, and Elba. The event featured previous and present student interns as well as community partners to discuss more about the impact of the students’ civic learning experiences. The Living Democracy program is coordinated by both the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life.
DMC Welcomes Operations Coordinator Cameron Brown
The DMC is happy to welcome Cameron Brown to our team! Cameron will serve as Operations Coordinator at the DMC, where she will work with the Executive Director to administer and coordinate DMC signature programming; document DMC events and programs for program evaluation; author reports, newsletters, and blogs related to DMC programming; and any other duties to keep the DMC running.
Applied Democracy Exchanges: Reviving Public Responsibility in Legal Systems
For the fifth session of Applied Democracy Exchanges, the Mathews Center invited Carla Crowder, Executive Director of the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and Thomas Rains, Executive Director of the Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. Institute, to share about the work they are doing in their communities and the people of Alabama to promote the connection between the justice system and citizens’ trust in the institution.
Southern Deliberative Democracy Network: A Space for the South
A key aspect of democracy is innovation; people’s ability to be creative and create an impact within their communities, but also having the civic space to carry out this inventiveness. The space to actively engage in civic conversations and initiatives is missing in some cases, a need Cristin Brawner noticed during her time working as an associate for the Kettering Foundation and, previously, as Executive Director of the David Mathews Center.