Alabamians showed up for a day full of conversations relating to the theme of Community Empowerment: Thriving Together at this year’s Civic Institute. One of the six panel sessions in particular was Elevating Excellence: Empowering Women in Leadership & the Workplace. This session, which took place in Independence Hall at the American Village, truly lived up to its name and was an empowering conversation not only women but for the men in attendance as well.

The 8th Annual Civic Institute, themed "Community Empowerment: Thriving Together," unfolded as a resounding success, thanks to the remarkable participation of over 230 civic-minded individuals from across Alabama and the southeast. Our event aimed to shed light on stories of collective empowerment and foster community strength. We express our heartfelt gratitude to all who attended, as your presence contributed to the vibrant atmosphere and meaningful interactions of the day.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life would like to extend a sincere thank you to our friends at the American Village. The Mathews Center recently concluded our 8th Annual Civic Institute on Friday, February 2nd, 2024. The day was filled with meaningful conversations among like-minded civic leaders from across the state, and it could not have been done without our partnership with the American Village. Since our inaugural Civic Institute in 2016, the Mathews Center has hosted all eight of our institutes on the American Village campus. The support from the American Village team in lending us access to their campus has allowed our annual event to grow tremendously!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This fall, the DMC connected with University of Montevallo students on two separate occasions, engaging in a conversation guided by the NIF U.S. Government: What Kind of National Leadership Do We Need? issue brief, followed by a moderator and deliberative skills workshop.

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.

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.

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.

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

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."

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.