36 Questions for Civic Love
“What is civic love? Civic love is one’s love for society, expressed through a commitment to the common good. It is a belief in the idea that we’re all better off, when we are all better off. We manifest it through all kinds of actions - volunteering, marching, speaking against systemic injustice, making reparations - but the love itself is the emotional heart of the work.”
Over the summer I wrote a post on Civic Love regarding community and engagement, I realized I never shared the 36 questions used in this project! We’ve all heard the 36 questions to ask a stranger that is guaranteed to make you fall in love. This project works the same way but with questions centered around their community. By the end of the question session, could these two humans strengthen their love for the place they call home?
Here they are!!1 What’s your favorite kitchen smell?
2 Can you keep a plant alive?
3 What sound wakes you at the start of your day?
4 What’s one thing you’ve done for your personal health?
5 What do you keep in your cupboard that someone who raised you also kept in theirs?
6 Where have you made the most excellent fort?
7 What’s the one thing that makes wherever you’ve lived, your home?
8 Tell me about the diversity of your high school.
9 What makes you feel safe?
10 When was the last time you saw the police in your neighborhood? Why were they there?
11 What’s your favorite gift you’ve ever received?
12 Name three things we appear to have in common.
13 Take two minutes and tell the story of where you live in as much detail as possible.
14 What is your favorite time of day in your neighborhood?
15 What is the best thing I can eat in your neighborhood?
16 Are there things you wanted to study, but didn’t?
17 In what way did another person make your childhood/teenage years easier? Harder?
18 What neighborhood sound brings you comfort? What sound stokes fear?
19 Who in your neighborhood are you most curious about?
20 Who is the unsung hero of your neighborhood?
21 Have you turned to your neighbors for help? Why? Why not?
22 How would you describe your neighborhood’s attitude toward education?
23 If you could change anything about where you grew up, what would it be?
24 Were you raised to talk about mental health?
25 Have you lived in a place long enough to see it change? What did the change look like?
26 Which of your life skills would you pass to younger generations?
27 Would you discipline a neighbor’s child?
28 What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
29 Do you step in when you overhear a domestic argument?
30 What are you most ashamed of?
31 Under what circumstances would you call the police on a neighbor?
32 What conditions would need to change in your community in order for police to become obsolete?
33 What law would you change for the betterment of your community?
34 How would you allocate resources differently in your community?
35 What privilege do you know you have? Are you willing to give it up?
36 Tell me what surprised you about me; be very honest, saying things that you might not say if we had just met.
Read the full report
picture by me