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. There will be two upcoming Common Ground discussions in December.
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! (COMING SOON)
