NCoC is excited to announce we are adopting an annual theme for our 2012 programming: "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: Exploring the Link Between Civic Engagement and Employment."

In September 2011, NCoC and partners released "Civic Health and Unemployment: Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy?" It found that states and cities with higher civic engagement rates saw less growth in unemployment during the height of the recession.

NCoC found this to be an exciting connection, but we want to understand its depth and rationale further, and will be working with the Knight Foundation and other partners to do so. Accordingly, NCoC is committed to focusing our 2012 research and convenings toward exploring this topic. We will do this in a few ways:

• Convening a Civic Innovators Forum Conversation Series. We will present the report findings and hear feedback from attendees at the following events (more to come as dates are confirmed):
  • February 18: Active Citizens Conference, Williamsburg, VA
  • March 10, 7:30 a.m.: Guiding Lights Weekend, Seattle
  • June 7: American Democracy Project Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX
  • June 18, 10 a.m.: National Conference on Volunteering and Service, Chicago
  • July 19-20: Frontiers of Democracy Conference, Boston
  • September 14: 67th Annual National Conference on Citizenship, Philadelphia
• Generating online dialogue. Individuals are invited to add feedback and comments to the 6 individual hypotheses of this research through an online discussion forum.
• Issuing new research. Working in partnership with organizations nationwide, we will strive to provide new data and analysis on the possible relationship between civic engagement and employment.
  • Knight Foundation We are honored to be working in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on a number of projects that will explore this finding, and its connection to their Soul of the Community research. More details on these activities available here.
  • State and City Civic Health Initiatives We are recruiting partners nationwide to produce reports, infographics, and other products that explain and animate these findings.
  • Civic Life in America We are continuing our relationship with the Corporation for National and Community Service to produce an annual assessment of our country's civic life.

We aren't sure what we will find along this journey, but we are excited to explore this connection in order to understand if and how communities with strong civic health can thrive economically, as well. We hope you will join us. Throughout the year, we will summarize what we're hearing and learning and share it with you here at NCoC.net. We will also present what we hear at our 67th Annual National Conference on Citizenship, hosted in partnership with the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia this September.