The Road to CIVILITY

Valerie J. Gross, CEOHoward County Library

What is Choose Civility?

“Civility”

An invitation

How Did it Start?

Internal campaign

100 Alliance Partners

Vision and Mission

Vision: Howard County chooses to be a model of civility.

Mission: We choose respect, consideration, empathy, and tolerance as our fundamental values, enhancing the community’s quality of life.

15 Principles of Civility

•Pay attention

•Listen

•Speak kindly

•Assume the best

•Respect others' opinions

•Be inclusive

•Acknowledge others

• Respect other people's time and space

15 Principles of Civility

•Apologize earnestly

•Assert yourself

•Accept and give praise

•Take responsibility

•Accept and give constructive criticism

•Refrain from idle complaints

•Be a considerate guest

Why?

Celebration of a civil community

Appreciate the reminder

Lead Organization

Howard County Library

Customer base

Educational mission

Collaborative Effort

Advisory BoardCongressman Elijah Cummings,

Honorary ChairAlliance Partners

Ambassadors, AdvocatesSponsors

Marketing Tools

Car magnets and window decalsBook lists (children, teens, adults)ChooseCivility.orgBanners, Faces of Civility posters Choose Civility Week (Awards,

Symposium, 15-second PSAs)

All Ages Inspired

HCPSS – A major Alliance PartnerPSAs (High School Students)Anti-Bullying Policy, Civility PolicyElementary School – Poster Contest

All Ages Inspired

Reservoir High School Civility ProjectRespect Other People’s TimeBe Good to Your GuestsAcknowledge Others

“Where’d you get that car magnet?”60,000 distributed

Regional

National: From Maine to Florida to California

Even in British Columbia

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

HoCo Dining

• Chewsin' Civility: A Civil Approach to HoCo Dining• Choosy Chewers Choose Civility

Striking a Chord

Media coverage – as far away as The Times of India

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Washington County, MD

Riverdale Heights (Prince George’s County, MD)

You!

Ken UlmanHoward County Executive

Choose Civility “in some ways, has come to define us.”

State of Howard County Address, January 14, 2009

“Can Kindness Be Mandated? Howard County's Civility Experiment” blog post by John Kelly in The Washington Post (July 28, 2009)

“. . . anything that causes people to ponder their actions is worthwhile.”

“This should be a national movement.”

Civility Cafe

Civility Sampler

What are the benefits of choosing civility?

Do you think that civility has become less common? If so, why?

What is the best way to stay civil in a stressful situation?

How can those who work in the field of aging enhance civility in the workplace?

Valerie J. Gross, CEOHoward County Library6600 Cradlerock WayColumbia, MD 21045410.313.7772valerie.gross@HCLibrary.org

Want to Learn More?ChooseCivility.org