A Weekend of Connection: The 2024 Jean O’Connor Snyder Internship Program Retreat
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

A Weekend of Connection: The 2024 Jean O’Connor Snyder Internship Program Retreat

To end the month of January, the David Mathews Center headed south to host the 2024 Jean O’Connor Snyder Internship Program Retreat! Joined by over 30 students and faculty mentors from six colleges and universities across the state, interns spent the weekend exploring their projects, discovering more about civil rights and small towns in Alabama, and forming connections with one another.

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Holt High School: Connectivity Through Asset Mapping
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Holt High School: Connectivity Through Asset Mapping

The DMC team had the pleasure of joining Ms. Mindy Walker’s junior class at Holt High School in Tuscaloosa County on Wednesday, January 24th for an asset-mapping workshop and discussion about the upcoming Civic Institute. A 2023-2024 Innovator in Civic Education Fellow, Walker has been incorporating deliberative dialogue and resources, such as DMC issue guides, to take a deeper dive into history lessons throughout the school year.

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Washington County Youth Leadership Program’s Career Readiness and Life Skills Day
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Washington County Youth Leadership Program’s Career Readiness and Life Skills Day

On Thursday, January 18th, the David Mathews Center team traveled to Chatom, Alabama to participate in the Washington County Youth Leadership Program’s Career Readiness and Life Skills Day. The group of students consisted of participants from the youth leadership program as well as high school seniors from all five schools in Washington County. The Mathews Center joined the Washington County career coaches and Troy University’s Office of Civic Engagement in leading career prep workshops for the students throughout the day.

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A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Board Members!
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Board Members!

The David Mathews Center is happy to announce four new members joining our Board of Directors. As of January 2024, the DMC is proud to welcome Alan Miller, Marian Royston, Crisitin Brawner, and Ralph Foster to our esteemed Board of Directors. Our new directors bring with them a wealth of expertise and a shared commitment to our mission.

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2023 Year in Review
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

2023 Year in Review

As we reflect on 2023, we are thrilled to share the work that defined our organization's commitment to fostering democracy, education, and community engagement. Throughout 2023, we successfully hosted our monthly Applied Democracy Exchanges, creating spaces for meaningful conversations and collaborative efforts. Our dedication to empowering future leaders shone through our support for the Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program, and our teacher fellows program continued to make a lasting impact on education.

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Tomorrow's Voices: David Mathews Center at the National Conference on Citizenship"
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Tomorrow's Voices: David Mathews Center at the National Conference on Citizenship"

On Thursday, November 30th the Mathews Center attended the 2023 Annual Conference on Citizenship in Washington, DC at the Planet Word Museum. This annual conference is held by the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). The NCOC is a congressionally chartered nonprofit dedicated to advancing civic life in America. This year’s theme was "The Future of Citizenship” which focused on and delved deep into topics regarding the future of democracy and citizenship in the United States. The conference covered topics on the future of news media, volunteerism, nonprofits, Generation Z, Artificial Intelligence, and more. The DMC team truly enjoyed the time in Washington, DC, and are glad to have had the experience.

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Celebrating Excellence in the Humanities: The 2023 Alabama Colloquium
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Celebrating Excellence in the Humanities: The 2023 Alabama Colloquium

On October 23rd, 2023, the Alabama Humanities Alliance hosted its 2023 Alabama Colloquium, presented by Regions. This year the Alabama Humanities Alliance honored our very own namesake, Dr. David Mathews as well as Dr. Imani Perry as the Alabama Humanities Fellows of 2023. Both Dr. Mathews and Dr. Perry are not only renowned scholars but also dedicated community builders.

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Civic Dispatch: Solutions Journalism in Jasper
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Civic Dispatch: Solutions Journalism in Jasper

Throughout their summer in Jasper, Alabama, Jean O’Connor Snyder Interns at the University of Alabama gain valuable experience talking to people in the community—and by creating a positive opportunity for the community to perceive itself by writing journalism pieces that describe the accomplishments of the locals, as well as where they are still trying to fill the gaps.

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NCDD Conference Recap: Insights and Reflections
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

NCDD Conference Recap: Insights and Reflections

The Mathews Center had an exceptional experience at the 9th National Coalition For Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference took place from Friday, October 13th to Sunday, October 15, 2023. The NCDD is a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and take action together effectively on today’s toughest issues. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource center, a news source, and a facilitative leader.

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Remembering Sen. Roger Bedford
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Remembering Sen. Roger Bedford

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life celebrates the life of Board member Senator Roger H. Bedford, who died on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

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Civic Impact: Mathews Center at ALCSS
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Civic Impact: Mathews Center at ALCSS

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life was honored to be one of the sponsors at the Alabama Council for the Social Studies (ALCSS) 2023 Annual Conference. This event took place on October 6th, 2023, at the Shelby County Schools Instructional Services Center, and its theme for the year was "Social Studies: Putting the Pieces Together Unifying Our Local History."

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Social Problems, Social Change: Creating Conversations at UA
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

Social Problems, Social Change: Creating Conversations at UA

During the week of September 18th, the Mathews Center joined Dr. Natalie Adams and her class, Social Problems/Social Change, at the University of Alabama - New College. Students engaged in a conversation guided by the NIF Land of Plenty issue guide, followed by a moderator and deliberative skills workshop.

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Fostering Civic Engagement: DMC at the 2023 Girl Scout Leadership Summit
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

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.

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Developing Deliberative Skills with OLLI
Rachel Mosness Rachel Mosness

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.

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