Citizens Project

Citizens Project Co-hosting Sheriff Forum

12th July, 2010

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Creating Community Breakfast

7th May, 2010

Save the date and join Citizens Project at the 6th annual Creating Community Breakfast!  This fun and free fundraising breakfast will feature speakers, musical entertainment and a few surprises. 

Thursday, June 3, 2010
7:30 – 8:30am (check-in begins at 7:00am)
Bigg City Event Center, 5825 Mark Dabling Blvd (south entrance)

View the invitation

Learn more about the work Citizens Project is doing in the Pikes Peak region to promote equal rights, diversity, religious freedom through separation of church and state and civic engagement, and learn how you can help! RSVP now to reserve your seat.

Join Citizens Project & Join the Conversation!

19th April, 2010

Please join Citizens Project at a community gathering and join the conversation!

Come meet your neighbors for informal discussions about how we can work together to make our community a better place. Citizens Project invites you to join us in creating a louder voice for inclusion, diversity and equal rights. We want to hear your stories and create conversations that lead to bridging cultural divides in our community.

Community Conversations

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Panera Bread, 7344 North Academy Shops, 80920 (map)

Saturday, May 8, 2010
10:00 – 11:00 am
Panera Bread, 3120 New Center Point, 80922 (map)

Thursday, May 13, 2010
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Panera Bread, 1832 Southgate Road, 80906 (map) 

Please join us at one or all of these community conversations, and invite your friends and colleagues!

Create Isolation? Not us!

26th March, 2010

Now we invite you to join us to make our community a better place. We are creating a louder voice for inclusion, diversity and equal rights by collecting stories, creating conversations, and telling a new, powerful story of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region.

Today, we want to hear more about you.

Tell us your story. Tell us about your personal experiences of diversity, discrimination, inclusion, or isolation. Tell us about a time you felt unwelcome or devalued in our community, and tell us about a time you felt included and respected. Tell us what you wish for Colorado Springs and our region, and how you think Citizens Project can help residents make a difference.

• Make your voice heard – leave a comment below
• Connect with us on Facebook
• Send us an email

We look forward to hearing from you!

Citizens Project in the news!

25th March, 2010

You’ve seen the billboards, the print ads, the bus sides and the websites. Church Equals State, Freedom From Expression, Create Isolation, Celebrate Conformity. And now you know that Citizens Project was the organization behind this provocative campaign.

Learn more about what the campaign is all about by checking out Citizens Project’s recent media coverage and stay tuned to learn how you can join the conversation!

• Check out the Gazette article by Mark Barna: Springs nonprofit hopes billboards spark diversity dialogue
• Read a story by Anthony Lane on the Colorado Springs Independent blog: Church equals state? Huh?
• Also, watch for Citizens Project on KRDO Channel 13 news this evening, when Executive Director Barb Van Hoy talks about the awareness campaign

If you haven’t already, please join our email list for opportunities to get involved!

Vote for Art Creates Community Project Funding

24th February, 2010

We like anything that creates community in the Pikes Peak region, and here’s one:

Who is Simply Divine? John Weiss, of course!

23rd February, 2010

Nearly 150 community members came out to support John Weiss, the 2010 Divine Award recipient on February 18, 2010. Watch it here, and check out the photos below, courtesy of Rob Larimer.

Religious tolerance and public space: Jesus is Alive?

10th February, 2010

When local controversy erupts, we don’t have to take our cues from the partisan, uncivil tone dominating national policy debates. After all, Colorado Springs has learned a thing or two from Amendment 2, the Moo campaign, and the Ted Haggard scandal to name a few. We’ve learned that calling other people intolerant does not “Create Community”.

The “Jesus is Alive!” banners on city-owned light poles in downtown Colorado Springs raise high emotions among residents, whether Christian, Jewish or Atheist.   Some people see them as just another example of the city thumbing its nose at anyone who does not subscribe to the majority religion. Others view any objection to the banners as liberal intolerance of a positive Christian message. Are either of these really true? Rather than hunker down into our comfortable, adversarial positions, Citizens Project says let’s focus on finding our common ground. After all, our nation really is the global beacon of religious freedom, so let’s reach for our highest selves.

Surely, you may ask, doesn’t our community have more important issues to tackle right now, such as homelessness and drastic budget cuts? It’s a reasonable question, but don’t forget we are talking about the First Amendment; how our diverse residents share the public space together. And more practically, our city’s land use division is required to adopt a code to define who gets banners in the public right of way, since none currently exists.

As a dedicated local watchdog for religious freedom and separation of church and state, Citizens Project wants to lead the way in working with community members to find our common ground. We are reaching out to leaders representing diverse perspectives. Let’s listen respectfully to each others’ point of view, and try to put aside our preconceptions of each others’ motives. We may still disagree in the end, but we’ll understand one another more, and hopefully create real community. Who knows, we might even become a national model for how to have civil debate on core community values. Let’s bring together our Christian, Jewish, Atheist, and other faith communities to build bridges, and bury our national reputation as the “Gettysburg of the culture wars”.

We welcome your ideas! Please comment here or send an email to Citizens Project’s Executive Director Barb Van Hoy. Let the conversation begin.

And the Divine Award goes to…

8th January, 2010

Citizens Project is delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2010 Divine Award is John Weiss!

Photo by Cayton Photography

Please join us as we celebrate John’s contributions to the Colorado Springs community at our sixth annual Divine Award event!

Thursday, February 18, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The Warehouse, 25 W. Cimarron St.,
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Open to the public, $10 suggested donation

Please RSVP by February 12 to: kristy@citizensproject.org or (719) 520-9899

View the electronic invitation

About the Divine Award: Citizens Project’s Divine Award is given annually to an individual in the Pikes Peak region who has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant democracy in which equal rights are protected and differences are respected. The award simultaneously recognizes the accomplishments of its recipient and honors the legacy of Amy Divine, the founder of Citizens Project, who dedicated her energy to championing traditional American values of equal rights, individual freedoms, separation of church and state, civic engagement and respect for diversity. This year’s recipient is activist John Weiss, founder and publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent. Previous recipients are Mary Lou Makepeace, Dr. Jim White, Pam Jones and Juliet Draper (shared award), Lorne Kramer, and Richard Skorman.

Photo by Catyon Photography

About John Weiss: John Weiss is a visionary entrepreneur, collaborator, and community activist whose leadership has created a more diverse, progressive and green Colorado Springs over the last 27 years.

As founder and publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, John oversees the region’s only free weekly alternative newspaper, which reaches more than 100,000 readers in the region with local news, diverse thought and untold stories. Through this platform, Mr. Weiss has brought nationally renowned creative thinkers to Colorado Springs to build alliances and elevate discourse, co-sponsored more than 50 civic events annually to promote a vibrant democracy, and organized coalitions to bring positive change to the region.

John is an advocate for environmental sustainability who led successful initiatives to increase funding for open space and establish recycling programs. He has organized and supported campaigns to increase City Council pay, extend health benefits to domestic partners of municipal employees, and reform local tax policy. John recently launched the Independent’s Give! initiative which raised more than $150,000 for local nonprofits, and he produces the annual Fort Carson Town Hall meetings. In his spare time, John can be found volunteering at his sons’ schools, hiking with his dog, and vanquishing reptilian invaders when innocents are threatened.