Birthday parties don’t tend to be controversial. Caloric, yes. Contrived, at times. But taking time to celebrate the birth of someone, or something, feels like generally safe territory. Unless the one being celebrated happens to be named the United States of America. As […]
Holding the Tension: A Reflection on 250 Years Read More »
I moved to Steamboat Springs in December, following my partner to a job opportunity he couldn’t turn down. Knowing this was supposed to be “the big move,” I started thinking
Finding My People Among the Populous Read More »
Creativity and violence may feel like two words that don’t belong in the same sentence. But violence comes out of our reptilian brains when we’re assessing threats and moving quickly.
Getting Creative About Political Violence Read More »
Our Officer Manager, Hugh Daly, explores what it means to be a Canopian through one of his most recently sold paintings, Procession in Red. At a recent weekly staff meeting,
A Portrait of Guidance at Civic Canopy Read More »
It used to be that the most treasured resources of a society—its central spaces, tallest buildings, most ornate monuments—were celebrations of its institutions. Pyramids, cathedral spires, vaulted capital domes, and
Building the Infrastructure of the Future: Civic Hubs Read More »
During the first weeks of the new administration, many Americans were desperately looking for a place to understand how to show up in this current moment. Whether or not you
Leadership in the Messy Middle: Embracing Conflict and Collaboration Read More »
Every day from last Monday’s Inauguration it seems that half of our nation is on cloud nine and half are in a nightmare. It seems impossible that anything could turn
From Scattered Fragments to a Connected Colorado Read More »
During a recent panel discussion on the future of democracy, a community member stood up to tell a story of repeatedly asking her daughter, who had recently turned eighteen, if
The Disinterested Majority: America’s Greatest Threat or Asset Read More »
Four years ago, I was on a date watching RBG, a documentary about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I didn’t follow Justice Ginsberg’s career much, but I
Finding Common Ground: Lessons from RBG, Pueblo, and the Power of Pluralism Read More »
It has been a year since we launched Canopy Learning Online (CLO), our online learning platform. We have been hard at work, having published seven workshops on the topics of
A Year of Canopy Learning Online: Lessons & Learnings Read More »
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. This is a familiar quote from “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. And this quote may
Navigating Complex Times Read More »
“Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never make it out alive.” I’ve had my rendition of Elbert Hubbard’s infamous quote written on a blue Post-it and stuck to my computer
Tools and Trolls: Lessons from the Canopy Summit Read More »
“The System is Broken” In a time when the political left and the political right can’t agree on even basic facts, they do agree on one thing: “The system is
Changing the Way We Think About Systems Change Read More »
How many times a day do you hear, “We should have a dialogue”? It’s a well-intended question because it recognizes that something needs to be discussed and talked about. The
Unpacking the “D” word: Dialogue Read More »
“I have burnt out severely several times in the past years…and recovered.” When I heard Dean Spade utter these words in a video over the winter break, my whole body
Breaking the Cycle of Burnout: Practices for Endurance Read More »
From July 1 through October 1, the Canopy piloted our first three-month sabbatical. As the one who took leave during that time, I was frequently asked what that feels like
Sabbatical: A Shared, Renewable Resource Read More »
Fall is here, and with it is also coming the release of our newest offering: Canopy Learning Online! For a long time, we have dreamt of making our tools and
Introducing: Canopy Learning Online Read More »
“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” Augustine
Moving Beyond Normal Read More »
“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” is a question that often finds me through books, social media, loved ones, and my therapist. I don’t particularly like
Letting Go of “Perfect” Read More »
What happens when a surgeon needs surgery? They must trust the process they deeply believe in and give their life in the hands of another surgeon. Despite their expertise, experience,
A Year in Different Shoes Read More »
Reflections from a Social Work Internship Recently, our Master of Social Work intern, Ashley Escobar, completed her year with us. As she reflected on what she’d learned, she composed the
Collaboration in Poetry Read More »
There’s that magic moment that happens when people come together who are working on the same issue, but never realized they had company. Coming together with others who are working
Maintaining Momentum: Keeping Collaboration Going When We’re All Busy Read More »
Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared a few tools around the topic of facilitation. These tools include agenda-crafting, setting agreements, questions to ask while facilitating, and grounding practices like
When Difference Arises in Facilitation Read More »
As we move through our Leadership Emergence process, we are constantly standing at the edge of something new, wondering if we’re ready to release the old structures that have held
Loosen Your Grip: Surrendering control through Leadership Emergence Read More »
Sustaining Critical Change Makers in Our Communities By Alice B. Pugh November 17, 2022 There are some who are not content to watch by the side-lines and must jump in
Reimagining the Executive Director Read More »
I hear this question often, whether it pops up in comments on Instagram or gets asked during a Q&A during a panel or workshop. There are a variety of different
What’s the ONE thing that I as a white person can be doing to create a more just world? Read More »
Recently I dropped off my car at the mechanic and the person at the front desk asked me what I do. I told her I was a facilitator. Her eyes
Facilitation: The Art of Making the Difficult Easier Read More »
Over the past year, we’ve been engaged in the process of a leadership disruption. What began as a request from Diversity Dynamics for EDI assessments for our internal organization became
The Messy Path from Disruption to Emergence Read More »
Dear friends, supporters of The Civic Canopy, The second Friday of May was my last day as a Civic Canopy staff person. I’ve accepted another position with The Colorado Health
Ageno Says “See You Later” Read More »
Listening. Thinking. Creating. Engaging. The list can and does go on and on. The daily requirements of our personal and professional environments. The adjectives sound gentle, progressive, and holistic. Then,
The Bravery of Grace Read More »
Taking a New Approach to Old Resolutions “Don’t you just love New Years? You get to start all over. Everyone gets a second chance.” – Lenora, Forrest Gump
Second Chances in The New Year Read More »
Jodi Hardin Shares an Upcoming Transition Gratitude. I’ve been thinking about gratitude quite a bit over the last several months – how, when and why it shows itself, and how
Gratitude for a Decade at The Civic Canopy Read More »
Just when we got the hang of virtual meetings, the world began shifting once again. As each week welcomes new COVID-19 guidance, it can feel a little bit like doing
Don’t Make the Same Mistake: Lessons from Our First Hybrid Meetings Read More »
It is a quiet Monday morning and I stand in the middle of the San Luis Valley miles from a cup of coffee. Rural Colorado can seem like a different
An Ode to Belonging in Rural Colorado Read More »
The conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on all three counts for the murder of George Floyd was hailed by police and community members alike as a rare
Supporting the Resistors Read More »
A year ago, I was enthused to enter a new decade with a renewed vision for my next chapter of life and community. How I was going to get to
Ignite, Kindle Your Fire for The Movement Read More »
Embedding Equity in the Community Learning Model The Canopy team spent time this past year developing standards for what this looks like in alignment with our Community Learning Model. That
The Ends Reflect the Means Read More »
Preparing for a road trip, we each have our list of “must-haves” or “must-dos.” My husband and I just drove from Colorado to southern Alabama to spend some time with
For the Miles We Have Yet to Travel… Read More »
Three months ago, the Canopy released a statement that included, without hesitation:
“Our core belief that “every individual matters and contributes” means we firmly believe that until Black Lives Matter, we cannot say every individual matters. Racial inequities and injustices have no place in the society we envision.”
At that time, the Canopy committed to making the systemic changes needed so ALL participate and prosper. It is time to follow up on that commitment. Staff at the Canopy have crafted five key commitments, each with their own milestones and action items that result in both immediate and long-term actions.
Putting Our Racial Equity Commitments To Work Read More »