Civic Saturday

A civic analogue to a faith gathering.

A large group standing and singing along with a person playing the guitar in the front of the room.

Civic Saturday is a spirited and ritualized gathering for friends and strangers to strengthen a sense of community.

Looking around the U.S., it’s easy to see that so many of us are disappointed, disillusioned, angry, or just checked out, feeling hopeless and powerless to impact our communities or society at large. Many people don’t have places to connect and reflect on the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities we face and need to embrace in public life. Our communities need ways to build trust in one another, restore civic faith, and move through the challenges facing our nation – together.

Civic Saturdays are an antidote to this inertia; a structure that can spark change. They provide a place for inspiration and meaning-making by reflecting on the values and practices of being a contributing member of society — and for deepening a shared sense of civic purpose.

Learn how you could convene Civic Saturdays →

A civic analogue to a faith gathering

America is not defined simply by the promises on parchment, but rather by our willingness to reflect on and keep working toward them. Indeed, democracy works only when enough of us believe that democracy works.

A person holding a printed program and singing. In 2016, we hosted our first Civic Saturday gathering in a local bookstore in our hometown of Seattle. After a seismic election, we knew our community needed a place to process, reflect, and figure out what to do next. These gatherings quickly became a regular civic ritual.

At Civic Saturdays, we share music, poetry, readings of civic scripture, and what we call a civic sermon. If these elements sound familiar, it’s because we’ve designed Civic Saturdays as a civic analogue to a faith gathering. We recognize the power of coming together in this way — with a sense of ritual and structure — in service of deepening connectedness and belief. In this case, belief in democracy.

Ready to feel some civic spirit?

Tune in on YouTube.

You can find recordings of some in-person gatherings and all of the virtual Civic Saturday’s we’ve held over the past few years. Sharing music and poetry helps break down a sense of separateness and connect our hearts.

Explore our virtual gatherings on YouTube

Host gatherings of your own.

In our Civic Saturday Fellowship, you’ll join a network of over 250 people around the nation who are leading their own gatherings. You can lead them on your own, with a friend, or through an organization you work with.

Picture yourself as a Fellow

Growing gatherings

We need methods for making moral sense of these times. For kindling a belief that democracy is possible both close to home and nationally. And for rededicating ourselves to being powerful, responsible citizens striving towards a common good, together. In this way, Civic Saturdays offer a way to deepen civic faith! Whether through solemn truth-telling or spirited celebration, this model is rekindling civic faith in towns around the nation. From Wichita, Kansas to Miami, Florida, Civic Saturdays are happening in banquet halls and street corners, art stores and Zoom rooms.

Our Civic Saturday Fellowship is a place for you to learn how to take the Civic Saturday format and adapt it to the needs of their hometowns. The Fellowship is a six-month experience of learning, connection, and transformation.

We are building a nation-wide movement of civic rituals and gatherings. Are you our next Fellow? Learn more about the Civic Saturday Fellowship →