CommUnity Conference

Welcome, Overview of Civic Health in Wisconsin

Join Mary Beth Collins, J.D., M.A., Executive Director of the UW-Madison Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies, for an engaging discussion with expert panelists with an array of perspectives on current legal considerations and the role of civil society affecting communities and democracy in Wisconsin and beyond.

• League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
• Dr. Katherine J. Cramer, Professor and Natalie C. Holton Chair of Letters & Science
• Dr. Mark Sidel, Doyle-Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs at UW Law School

State of the Media Landscape*

Join Tamia Fowlkes, Public Investigator Reporter and UW-Madison alumna, for an engaging panel discussion with representatives of key segments of the current media landscape – including broadcast and traditional media, nonprofit news sources, and neighborhood and community-driven efforts. Hear about timely, influential issues for the media and civic health – including the state of local news and mass media, misinformation, artificial intelligence, and grassroots efforts and platforms.

Teaching for Democracy in Wisconsin Schools (Panel Discussion)

Speakers:

• Kate Ullman, Co-Chair, Wisconsin Civic Learning Coalition
• Jeff Wright, Superintendent of Sauk County Schools
• Akshay Manna- UW Freshman, Middleton HS LegSem Majority Leader
• Lynn Glueck- Program Director for The Discussion Project

Wisconsin Communities Navigating Timely Issues Across Party Lines

Flashtalks from Local Leaders on Civic Health Strategies with Discussion by Expert Discussants:

Discussants:

• Marjan Ehsassi, Executive Director, FIDE, North America
• Dr. Alex Takh, Associate Professor of Political Science, UW-Madison, and Director of the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership

Presenters:

• Philanthropy Farming

Sam Cooke – Cooke’s Charitable Cattle Company

• Bridging the Divide

Hallie Haim – Tommy G Thompson Center on Public Leadership

• The Neighbor Game

Libby Falck – Forward Games

• Lincoln AI – Constructive Dialogue

Jacob Hicks – LSTN2U

• ECCHO (Engaging Community to Change Health Outcomes)

Kadijha Marquadt-Davis – ECCHO

• What the Fed? – a student-led civic engagement initiative using AI to build young civic participants’ understanding of policy

Cody Ke and Stephen Li

• Faith-Based Efforts to Build Civic Health in Wisconsin

Youth Advisors: A Promising Intervention for Civically Healthy Institutions and Communities

• Kiley Komro, Juvenile Justice Specialist and Youth Coordinator for the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission
• Maurice Newton Jr., Youth Voice Commissioners
• Kendra Wenger, Youth Voice Commissioners
• Dr. Matt Calvert, Professor of Civil Society and Community and Studies

Civil Society Organizations Navigating Civic Health

• CDL Training: A Community-Rooted Model Nydia Martinez – Latino Workforce Academy
• Relational Mapping: An Approach to Holding on in Troubling Times Jenna Cushing-Leubner – UW-Whitewater/Lub Zej Zog Project
• Chrysalis Effect: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health, Employment, and Well-being Amy Yonker Matthew C. Strickland

Running for Local Elected Office: Who’s getting involved, how do they prepare, and what issues are they navigating?

• Abigail Becker, UW-Madison UniverCity Alliance
• Sam Kaufmann, La Follette graduate student, Village of Waunakee Trustee
• Henry Fries, undergraduate student, Dane County Board Supervisors representing District 5
• Zach Vruwink, La Follette graduate student, League of Wisconsin Municipalities chief operating officer, Wisconsin Rapids mayor from 2012-2020
• Bill Oemichen, UW-Extension’s Local Government Education

Wisdom-Drop Lightning Talks on Key Civic Health Themes*

• Civic Assemblies and Leadership Wisconsin

Dr. Amber Wichowsky, La Follette School of Public Affairs

• Inspiring Global Awareness: Increasing International Education at Times of Uncertainty

Tony Jing – Contemporary International Relations Association

• Theory and Current Themes in Civic Health-related Scholarship

CSCS 775 Students

• Mapping Civic Understanding: Using Walking Tours in Early-Stage Engagement

Nicole Ramer- Morgridge Center for Public Service

• Community-University Mixers: a Model for Facilitating Partnerships

Cory Sprinkel – Morgridge Center for Public Service

• Monitoring and Mitigating Political Violence in Wisconsin

Benny Witkovsky – Bridging Divides Initative and Princeton University

Discussion Across Difference

Marissa Rueda & Andrew Badt – BridgeMadison

Closing Mini-Session: Conclusions & Celebrations*