Center for Civic Lands and Democratic Stewardship

Working With the Center

The Center for Civic Lands and Democratic Stewardship connects the resources of Old Dominion University with the knowledge, challenges, and opportunities found in communities and public lands.

Our work is collaborative. Rather than bringing predetermined answers to partners, we begin by asking questions, listening, and identifying what university faculty, students, research, and convening capacity can contribute.

Civic Lands Dialogues

Public lands contain stories (and sometimes disagreements) about history, identity conservation, recreation, access, development, belonging, and the meaning of place.

Civic Lands Dialogues used shared places as settings for structured public conversation.

The Center can work with parks, historic sites, communities, and other organizations to development place-based dialogues around questions that matter locally. Dialogues are not designed simply to generate discussion. They are designed to help participants listen across differences, consider competing values and choices, and explore possibilities for shared action.

Research and Evaluation

Does your organization have a question that servers systematic investigation?

The Center can explore partnerships involving:

• volunteer and visitor experiences;
• civic and community engagement;
• program evaluation;
• strategic planning;
• public participation;
• stewardship;
• organizational and network capacity;
• community relationships;
• interpretation and civic learning; and
• the public value and impact of protected places.

Projects may involve faculty, students, community partners, or interdisciplinary research teams depending on the question and scope.

Workshops and Training

The Center develops workshops and learning experiences related to civic engagement, volunteerism, public participation, deliberative dialogue, community-engaged research, stewardship, and the civic dimensions of public lands.

Programs can be designed for public-land professionals, volunteers, nonprofit organizations, community groups, students, and other audiences.

Convenings

Some questions require bringing people together.

The Center convenes symposia, roundtables, workshops, scholarly gatherings, practitioner conversations, and conferences that connect people who may approach shared landscapes from different professional, disciplinary, georgraphic, or community perspectives.

Student Engagement

Public lands can become classrooms.

The Center seeks opportunities for ODU students to learn through field experiences, applied research, community-engaged projects, internships, service, and direct interaction with public-land professionals and communities.

Have an Idea?

Not every partnership fits neatly into one category.

If your park, organization, community, or research team is working on an issue involving people, place, participation, stewardship, or public life, we would like to hear from you.