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THE SPRINGFIELD- GREENE COUNTY CIVILITY PROJECT
Our Mission: To increase effective engagement in Springfield and Greene County by creating a more welcoming and respectful environment where all people's views are encouraged and heard.
Be Attentive
Live with awareness toward others and your surroundings.
Acknowledge Others
Greet people, ideas and values with respect.
Be Inclusive
Recognize and welcome all people every day.
Listen
Seek to understand by concentrating on what people say.
Respect Other Views
Respond to different opinions with a fair and open mind.
Speak Out With Courage
Express yourself with honor and conviction.
Act with Compassion
Treat others with kindness and honesty.
Give and Accept Constructive Feedback
Consider criticism thoughtfully and factually.
Treat Your Environment with Respect
Show regard for nature, resources and shared spaces.
Be Accountable
Acknowledge mistakes and take responsibility for your actions.
How the Civility Project came about, and why … A backgrounder
Just as a nation of voices appeal for a return to civility, citizens across Springfield and Greene
County have begun calling for greater civility in public discourse about politics, diversity, even local
planning and development. They have witnessed growing schisms and malaise as a result of frequent
verbal attacks at public meetings and in editorial commentary.
More than a year ago, the Good Community Committee, an informal cross-section of
community leaders, began discussing and learning how this growing trend of incivility had turned so
ugly, it stifled community participation. The committee’s goal became one of restoring civic engagement to the democratic process.
It would appear support for that is growing across the community, based on responses to the
2010 Ozarks Regional Social Capital Survey conducted among Springfield-Greene County residents.
Some 88.9 percent of people responded that they strongly agree or agree with the statement that
“Civility in politics is important for a healthy democracy.”
Since then, committee members and others including educators and employers with vested
interests in civility began preparing a project to keep Springfield-Greene County a good community, and one that fosters an atmosphere in which people can freely speak their minds.
With the hope of renewing our energy for local civic engagement, the group will kick off The
Civility Project at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 13. The Good Community Committee is hosting a free, public event at The Gillioz featuring Dr. P.M. Forni, a founder of The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and author of “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct” and “The Civility Solution.”
Forni’s lead in the movement toward civility has been adopted by cities across the United States
and by private and public institutions. As their expression of commitment to civility, many have adopted Forni’s tenets of civility and posted them in public areas.
The Springfield-Greene County Civility Project focuses on 10 main tenets of civility, and
encourage private businesses, public agencies and government entities to adopt and display them in
their buildings. The Greene County commissioners took the first step on Feb. 28 by formally adopting a resolution that called for “spirited public discourse” while maintaining “mutual respect for all opinions.”
As the Civility Project rolls out, educators, the faith community, athletic, government, social
service and business leaders have already committed to adapt the civility tenets in ways that will help
Springfield-Greene County achieve the goal of fostering an atmosphere of free speech, civil discourse
and courageous civic engagement.