NCoC: Discussions and Commentary

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Discussions and Commentary

NCoC engages in Research, Discussion and Solutions to real world issues. We apply this strategic approach in 6 primary civic focus areas, highlighted here.

NCoC believes addressing an issue occurs in three primary strategic phases: research, discussion, and solutions. The discussion phase is an important element in understanding challenges and animating research findings, as well as turning them into action plans and solutions in communities. This is why NCoC is committed to using our website as a platform for ongoing discussion and commentary about issues facing the civic sector.

Here, you will see a list of our featured discussions, broken down by focus area. Scroll over the title to see a brief description, and click to read the article and join the discussion.

For all featured discussions sorted by date, click here.

Ongoing Discussion Series are also generated on the following topics:
The Meaning of American
Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy?
Public Policy Chat

Discussions by issue area are here:

Title	Date	Type
Are Our Schools Doing Their Part to Fulfill the Promise of the Constitution?A Civic Connector Commentary by Judge Frank DamrellThe “Civic Connector” is a daily online forum during the 66th Annual National Conference on Citizenship. The September 17 commentator is Judge Frank Damrell. Judge Damrell’s “Civic ...	September 17, 2011	discussion
Power in the Spoken WordPropaganda, Hate Speech, and Civic EngagementIn a world where violence and sorrow often prevail, how do we create an environment where hate cannot flourish? This was a central question for discussion at a leadership summit titled “What You ...	August 8, 2011	discussion
What’s Trending in #Congress?New Report Shows Capitol Hill Uses Social Media ExtensivelyMost Members of Congress have thoroughly integrated social media into their communications operations, and are using new media tools to gauge public opinion, communicate with constituents, and reach new ...	August 2, 2011	discussion
Can Social Media Reinvigorate American Democracy?There is no question that the rise of social media has impacted the way that American and global citizens interact with one another. The rapid transfer of ideas and perspectives across geographical boundaries ...	July 13, 2011	event reflection
Can the United States Remain United?Some have said that America’s dynamic is beginning to shift, as communities become more homogenized and the nation becomes more fragmented than ever before. This was a central point of discussion ...	June 23, 2011	event reflection
Fiscal Literacy 101The Future of Economics EducationBeyond a cursory introduction to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in U.S. History, how many of us can say we cemented a basic understanding of our country’s economic policy from ...	June 16, 2011	discussion
Government: right-sized and in the right roleBy Karen Baker, California Secretary of Service and VolunteeringIn this guest post, Karen Baker explores the important role each sector can plan in tapping individual civic energy for social good in communities. “A multi-sector approach is based on the idea ...	May 17, 2011	expert commentary
Change Is Possible—Though Not Instantby Scott Beale, CEO, Atlas CorpsOn April 21, 2011, Atlas Corps, Civic Enterprises, and NCoC hosted a panel discussion entitled “The Road to Democracy: My Reflections on the Egyptian Revolution.” Three Egyptian women shared ...	April 26, 2011	discussion
Protesting For Tahrirby May KosbaMay Kosba is NCoC’s Civic Health Fellow. She is from Cairo, Egypt, and is serving with NCoC for a year long fellowship through Atlas Corps. In this featured discussion, May shares her personal ...	April 4, 2011	discussion
The Rise of the Social Entrepreneurby Karlo MarceloSocial entrepreneurship are certainly a buzz word today—a phrase that combines business sense with a do-gooder moral compass. But what does the term mean when put into practice? In many ways, ...	March 16, 2011	discussion