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What Civic Life Offers Journalists<\/p>\n
THROUGHOUT THIS WORK, JOURNALISTS WILL WANT –\u00a0indeed need<\/em>\u00a0– to refer to the civic life frameworks found in this section. They provide the foundation for tapping into a community’s civic life and mapping it.<\/p>\n #1 EXPLORING THE LAYERS OF CIVIC LIFE.<\/a> #2 MAKING SENSE OF DIFFERENT AREAS.<\/a> #3 IDENTIFYING TYPES OF COMMUNITY LEADERS.<\/a> #4 ENGAGING PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY.<\/a> <\/p>\n GETTING STARTED QUESTIONS<\/span><\/p>\n When reviewing each of the frameworks on civic life, think about the \n 1.<\/strong> <\/p>\n 2.<\/strong> READ THE NEXT SECTION OF THE WORKBOOK — EXPLORING THE LAYERS OF CIVIC LIFE<\/a><\/p>\n
\nBased on the Wichita experience and other Harwood Group projects, there are five layers of civic life that journalists will want to explore and understand.<\/p>\n
\nNot all neighborhoods or areas of a community are the same. In this framework, The Harwood Group highlights important insights from Wichita and how journalists might distinguish the nature of different areas in a community.<\/p>\n
\nOften leaders are primarily thought to be elected officials, but within a community there are at least four key types of leaders who are important for journalists to engage when tapping into a community’s civic life.<\/p>\n
\nTapping into a community’s civic life is about more than showing up at new places and listening. Journalists must engage people to gain a deep understanding of their lives, concerns, and how they relate to community life.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev-testinglink.com\/projects\/civilorg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hr-300x13.gif\")
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\nfollowing questions. At some point, it is a good idea to bring together
\nthe people involved in this work to have a conversation about their
\nthoughts and reactions to these questions and the frameworks.<\/p>\n
\nWhen thinking about each of these frameworks,
\nwhat are your thoughts and reactions?<\/p>\n
\nTry to fill in the frameworks and think about how
\nthe insights relate to your work. What happens?<\/p>\n