In 2025, Civitas has started hosting a series of conversations on a myriad of hot topics. These discussions are selected and partially run by students. The next Common Ground Discussions will be December 7 and December 14. Check out the sign-up form below for more details and to select which topics you’d like to discuss!
In order to keep these conversations civil, we have a series of guidelines. (Also written by students!)
What: Virtual (and, eventually, in-person) discussions between high school students of different political ideologies and backgrounds.
Who: Students involved with Civitas-STL, Nixa High School students, and more.
Rules:
- All participants will receive the topic of discussion beforehand and the opportunity to dictate which subtopics of the discussion topic will be addressed.
- All participants are encouraged to do prior research in order to sufficiently develop their opinions and ideas in preparation for the Common Ground discussion.
- Each individual will receive roughly 2 minutes of speaking time for each comment. This time limit is not extremely strict (individuals will be allowed to finish their thought), but should serve as a guideline that ensures one person will not dominate the conservation.
- Two different individuals should speak before any single individual speaks again.
- All participants are required to complete a debrief survey following each Common Ground discussion, giving Common Ground organizers feedback.
If you are interested in joining one of our Common Ground discussions, sign up below!
