Welcome to the Civic Lab
September 6, 2016
It’s hard to ignore the headlines this election season. Whether you are eligible to vote this November or not, the issues dominating our media affect all of us here in Skokie. Go “beyond the ballot” with our Civic Lab!
The Civic Lab is a pop-up space located in the corner of our AV area. It's there to provide thought-provoking materials and activities that will allow us to engage in open conversation and grow together as a community.
We encourage everyone in our community to sit around our "kitchen table" and practice the art of listening, particularly to perspectives that may be different than your own. Perhaps this is ambitious, but it seems important now more than ever to create intentional and physical community spaces for dialogue and reflection. And what better place than your public library? We hope these activities provoke and inspire you to think about the role we all play in making our community a safe, affirming and inclusive environment.
Learn
The Civic Lab focuses on six major issues. For each of these areas we have curated materials that you can check out. Materials are available for kids, families, teens and adults and come in a variety of formats including fiction, nonfiction, picture books, DVDs and graphic novels. The selections are meant to provide distinct perspectives on these issues, but they cannot and do not represent the gamut of views on any given topic. Check our full list of resources below:
Vote
Every 2 weeks we will post a new issue for you to vote on. Grab a Post-It and do your civic duty! Everyone is eligible and no registration is required. Just visit the space to cast your vote.
Discuss
Sit at our kitchen table and open up dialogue with someone in your life or someone you've just met. While you're there, write a note to someone about the issues you'll see featured on the table. Drop the postcard into our
mailbox and we’ll send it off for you.