Common ground circles
Choose a timely topic, then have members identify the basic values or goals both perspectives share before discussing where they differ.
Civility Club Toolkit
Start a civility club at your school
Your one-stop shop for everything you'll need to get started.
Step by step
Starting your club
Follow these steps to go from idea to first meeting.
1
Find your people
You only need a handful to get started. Reach out to classmates with different viewpoints who are interested in learning from each other. Diversity is your club's greatest asset!
2
Share the basics of civil discourse
Before your first meeting, have everyone read through the "Why Civility?" page on this site. Understanding anger and the principles of active listening gives your group a shared foundation to work from.
3
Share your purpose
Most schools require a faculty advisor to start an official club. Feel free to reference our sample letters below to introduce your club to the appropriate administrator. Keep it short and focused on the educational value.
4
Plan your first meeting
Start with the Civility Pledge. Have everyone read it aloud together, and encourage everyone to sign their copies if they haven't already. You can find a list of suggested meeting activities available below.
5
Keep building
Use the resources below to make each meeting practical, welcoming, and useful.
Start with the Civility Pledge
Download a copy for your club's first meeting.
Make it meaningful
Suggested club activities
Use these flexible ideas to help members practice listening, curiosity, and respectful disagreement together.
Perspective swap
Pair up and ask each person to explain the other person's point of view on a sensitive topic as fairly as possible before responding.
Civility case study
Bring in a real-world disagreement from school, news, or history and discuss how it could be handled more constructively.
Listening lab
Practice active listening in small groups: one person speaks, one summarizes, and one notices what helped the conversation feel respectful.
Community conversation
Invite teachers, local leaders, legal professionals, or student groups to join a moderated discussion on an issue that matters to your school.
Student civil discourse in action
Create a short video or live demonstration where two or more students discuss a topic they disagree about. Show how listening, understanding different views, and sharing ideas respectfully can help everyone learn from one another.
Engage with existing civil discourse organizations
Explore the Civility Organizations listed on our "Get Involved" page. Use their ideas and resources to plan more activities that help your club practice civility.
Bring it to life
Run Civil Discourse and Decision Making and Courts & Civility
Use these two programs to host a special event for your club, designed and led by real legal professionals.
Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions (CD3)
CD3 is a national U.S. Courts initiative developed by U.S. District Judges Robin Rosenberg and Beth Bloom. Its three-hour, judge-led simulation based on a U.S. Supreme Court case lets students serve as attorneys and jurors while building advocacy, active listening, critical thinking, and civil discourse skills. Use the sample letter below to contact the head of your local Federal Bar Association (FBA) chapter about potential lawyer or judge participants to run the program.
Courts & Civility
Courts and Civility is a free, pre-packaged and easily adaptable program that includes a PowerPoint and interactive handouts that judges, lawyers, teachers, and club leaders can use to educate students and others about the courts and the need for civility. If your club is interested in having Courts and Civility led by a judge or lawyer in your area, the sample CD3 letter may be adapted to request volunteers to run the program.
Form letters
Sample letters
Use these letters as a reference when reaching out to the people responsible for approving your club.
Letter to Your Principal
Requesting approval to start a civility club
Dear [Principal or Administrator's name], I am writing to request approval for the creation of a Civility Club at our school. Nowadays, it is more important than ever that we learn to disagree with someone without becoming angry and unkind, which is why we believe this club will be a valuable addition to our school community. The basis of our club's mission and materials is an organization called Students4Civility, whose mission is to help students learn how to respectfully discuss sensitive or controversial topics while genuinely listening to and learning from opposing viewpoints. You can visit their website to find out more information about what we are aiming to achieve at students4civility.org. As of right now, I have found [number of starting members] students interested in becoming members of the club. I plan to reach out to [potential faculty advisor] to speak about potentially becoming the club's faculty advisor. I appreciate your time and consideration, and hope we can make this club a reality. Respectfully, [Name] [Grade/Contact information]
Letter to a Potential Faculty Advisor
Inviting a teacher or counselor to sponsor your club
Dear [Potential advisor's name],
I am a student at [School Name] who is interested in promoting civil discourse in our community. I am working to start a civility club here and am hoping you might be interested in becoming our faculty advisor.
The club would focus on structured dialogue, active listening, and exploring how people with different views can discuss difficult topics productively. Our mission and materials would be drawn from an organization called Students4Civility (students4civility.org).
Your role as advisor would primarily involve attending meetings and providing guidance, while the students would plan and lead all activities. I believe this club could make a meaningful difference in our school culture.
If you would be open to further conversation about this, I would be grateful for your support.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Grade / Contact Info]Letter to Your Local Federal Bar Association Chapter
Requesting lawyer and judge participants for CD3
Dear [Federal Bar Association Chapter Leader's name], My name is [Your Name], and I lead [Club Name] at [School Name]. We are hoping to bring a program called Civil Discourse & Difficult Decisions (CD3) to our school and are seeking a judge and local attorneys to help lead the program. CD3 is a national U.S. Courts initiative that helps students practice respectful dialogue, productive disagreement, and advocacy. It involves a three-hour U.S. Supreme Court case simulation where students serve as attorneys and jurors with guidance from a judge and local attorneys. You can find out more about the program on their website: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/civil-discourse-and-difficult-decisions If any members of your chapter would be interested in participating, we would be grateful to discuss the opportunity further. Thank you for considering our request. Respectfully, [Your Name] [Club Name] [School Name] [Grade / Contact Information]
You've got this
Ready to take the next step?
Take the Civility Pledge, explore our programs, or try the Civility Translator to see civil discourse in action.