All too often the voices of the very people that have the wisdom and insight to creatively address the issues within D.C. are left out of the decision-making process. DC Civic Innovation Council (DC CIC) is an opportunity to address and take action on the root causes that dampen the impact of our efforts and experiment with new solutions to sustain change.

The Steering Committee will design and launch a sustainable council that addresses structural inequities of the civic ecosystem within D.C.

Steering committee members:

Feel agency to move the needle and to get things done.
Are seasoned leaders in social impact space. They know the jargon, generally understand the DC landscape.
Are superconnectors. They exist at the nexus of multiple networks and communities and often act as the bridge.
Committed to a long-term process of focusing on changing power structures at a systems level.
See things holistically. We know the power of getting out of our silos and looking at issues from the 30,000 foot view, at the same time we hold the realities that are happening on the ground.
Understand the power of relationship. 1 + 1 = 3. When two of the right people connect, change can speed up.

Why Join?

Amplify your impact beyond your capacity as an individual.
Address issues of inequities in from a systems level perspective.
Deepen relationships with collaborators who are as committed to structural change, and are tired of seeing the same problems persist.
- We will be really getting to know each other and our work. This will allow for more ease as we collaborate, and find ways to plug in to each other's initiatives, providing support to each other as we go.
Take action in the short-term, AND the long-term.
Gain access to networks, tools, and other information that will help you be more effective in your work.

What will the Steering Committee Committee do?

You’ll meet periodically throughout the next year to develop and implement an action plan for launching the Council.

Key Activities:

Partnership and Resource Development (sustainable source of funding - follow through on the promises we make)
Mapping the ecosystem
Pilot Projects
Community Building - building relationships with a focus on disinvested wards.
Recruitment of council members
Storytelling

Your Commitment:

Commit to a year-long process.
Participate in-person in regularly scheduled meetings (approximately 3 – 6 weeks and proxies will be welcomed)
Come to meetings with the spirit of regeneration.
Work in a way that moves things forward, but does not burn you out.
Be prepared to get outside your comfort zone (with compassion). We all have biases, conscious and unconscious. As we address complex social issues, we will come across our own limitations of our mindsets and need to grow in order to find solutions.
Offer trust to others in the group, and to the process.
Serve as a vocal champion of the collective impact effort in the community.
Voice what matters most to you, and ask for help and support.

Our commitment to you:

We've spent the last few months planning a process that will allow our facilitators to best support the gathering and action of the Steering Committee that will result in launching a sustainable council.

Facilitation - We have professional facilitators savvy in the co-emergent design process to support the efforts of the Steering Committee.
Matchmaking - We care about connecting those within the Steering Committee, both for issues around the council, but also to support the individuals within our committee. So we will have opportunities for "matchmaking".

Administrative and logistical support for planning, scheduling, and organizing.

How will this Steering Committee be different than other groups I've joined?

We welcome healthy skepticism! Authenticity can be hard to come by. We're not interested in reinventing the wheel -- that's why we've intentionally set up a process that draws upon your collective wisdom:

We will:

Use systems thinking to address underlying causes of the challenges of our city.
Be action oriented. In order to stay on task, and get things done, we have dedicated resources in place to support the work of the Steering Committee.
Acknowledge the elephants in the room. We will directly address issues of race, privilege, power, and the mindsets that get in the way.
Break out of the silos that hold us back from having a bigger impact.
Demonstrate that 1+1=3. We will provide opportunities for individual members to benefit from the expansive networks and resources of the Steering Committee.
Be regenerative. The work of the Council is to better allocate and pool resources that directly benefit disinvested communities in D.C.