We are thrilled to announce the newest resource from our Community Science Initiative, the Civic Engagement & Policymaking Toolkit! Our team developed this toolkit with museum and science center professionals in mind who want to start, expand, or improve civic engagement work with their local communities. Read on for a sneak peak of what’s inside…
Why Should Science Centers and Museums Engage Civically?
When people think of science centers and museums, “civic engagement” isn’t likely their first thought. But there are many reasons why organizations like these are well-positioned for this work. Museums have many assets they can use when working with local partners to advance community civic priorities. In particular, they are often seen as trusted sources of information and can lend their credibility, along with their resources, to power community-driven discussions and actions.
What Role Could My Organization Play?
Every museum has different strengths, values, resources, and goals. We want to help your museum find the right role for you! The toolkit describes four different roles organizations can adopt, recognizing that these roles may overlap and you may play multiple or different roles over time.
Fostering Civic Action: Educate, encourage, and support your local community in taking meaningful action. This role involves communicating the connections between science and civic action, uplifting activities already happening in your community, using your physical space to increase accessibility to civic participation, and/or designing and facilitating opportunities for community members to discuss and deliberate on important topics.
Generating Data for Civic Progress: Produce, interpret, visualize, and/or share data to inform decision making. This role involves contributing to civic progress by sharing technical knowledge and equipment, collaboratively identifying effective research questions, storing data, and/or effectively sharing data that can inform evidence-based decision making and policy development.
Contributing to Coalitions: Forge connections for action. This role is about understanding the power of collective action, finding, supporting, and joining coalitions, bringing together diverse organizations to create a unified voice, and/or sharing power to build and maintain resilient working relationships.
Building Momentum and Refining Strategies: Connect community members and decision makers and strengthen strategies for lasting impact. This role is about facilitating connections with decision makers and directly advocating for community priorities, amplifying community voices, evaluating and improving your civic engagement work.
Learn more about the toolkit from the Community Science Team by watching our recorded Civic Engagement & Policymaking Toolkit Overview Webinar.
We hope you will join us for our Civic Engagement & Policymaking Toolkit webinar series to learn more!
- Critical Preparations for Civic Engagement November 21 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET: Learn how to set yourself up for success in civic engagement efforts, including using power mapping and risk registers. Register here.
- Finding Your Role in Civic Engagement December 12 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 p.m. ET: Learn about the different roles science engagement organizations can play in collaborative civic engagement efforts. Register here.
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ASTC’s Community Science Initiative supports ASTC members in joining their communities in advancing local priorities. To stay up to date about ASTC’s Community Science Initiative, sign up for our mailing list!