Iowa CCI is excited to continue this Civic Love social experiment crafted by the National Public Housing Museum that a CCI board member brought to our attention.
As organizers, the work we do to reach a lot more people across the state takes "compassionate conversations" - meaning sharing and listening. People - and building relationships for social change - are the heart of everything we do. For that reason, 36 questions for Civic Love seems like a great fit for our work. We hope you'll join us and give it a try!
6:00-7:30 pm
Free, on Zoom
Description from the National Public Housing Museum:
In 1997, psychologist Arthur Aron explored whether intimacy between two perfect strangers could be accelerated by asking each other a set of 36 questions. We adapted his questions for use in a new kind of social experiment, aimed at helping us all fall in civic love.
What is civic love? In her manifesto for 21st century activism, Detroit-based organizer Grace Lee Boggs implored, “We urgently need to bring to our communities the limitless capacity to love, serve, and create for and with each other.” It is from this directive that the National Public Housing Museum created its conception of Civic Love.
Civic Love is one’s love for society, expressed through a commitment to the common good. It is a belief in the idea that we’re all better off, when we are all better off. We manifest Civic Love through all kinds of actions—volunteering, marching, speaking against systemic injustice, making reparations—and always with the love itself is the emotional heart of the work.
Everywhere we learn that love is important, and yet we are bombarded by its failure…This bleak picture in no way alters the nature of our longing. We still hope that love will prevail. We still believe in love’s promise. - bell hooks
We invite you to invest in civic “love’s promise”—asking and answering questions ranging from “What sound wakes you at the start of your day?” to “What law would you change for the betterment of your community?” —to test if we can grow civic love.
How it works
Toolkit and questions we'll be using.
You and a partner will each ask each other a series of 36 questions. You should allocate 90 minutes to the process, though previous participants have finished in less time.
Take turns introducing yourself, including your name and pronouns and where you're from. Continue to take turns, asking your partner each of the 36 questions. You ask a question and your partner answers; your partner then asks you the SAME question and you answer. Repeat using the remaining 35 questions.
Don’t jump around. Answer the questions sequentially, 1 to 36. Though some questions may be difficult — challenge yourself to stay in it, answering all of the questions to the best of your ability. This experiment is designed to not only help us share things about ourselves but also to listen, without comment, as someone shares with us. Make every attempt to listen with curiosity, minimizing distractions and interruptions.
Resist the urge to give feedback on your partner’s response or to ask additional questions about their answers. Allow them the space to simply share and be heard.
IA