#101, OTOH, Shana Chaplin, Program Director for Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Part 2, Feb 13 2025

In part 2 of this conversation with Shana Chaplin, Program Director for the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in Arkansas, Glen and April hear how local government can get its citizens engaged and active. The new Civic Guide, recently published by the Civic Arkansas imitative (https://rockefellerinstitute.org/programs/civic-arkansas/), is posed as one important tool to help citizens get involved. The initiative also has partnered with Miss Teen Arkansas and with others to facilitate more involvement and education among young Arkansans. The fatigue by Arkansans over persistent divisiveness is one source of mistrust in news sources, worsened by current strong misinformation currents in the media environment. Ways the Civic Arkansas initiative addresses this challenge are discussed. Shana also describes an effort to encourage civility in public discussions to hopefully improve a sense of trust among those who seek to engage in their communities. Hopeful signs are highlighted, including the willingness of most Arkansans to help neighbors during times of community crisis without regard to their beliefs or political views, along with the difficulties accompanying that community response.

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