The National Institute for Civil Discourse was founded after the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Giffords and is based at the University of Arizona. Next Generation is a program under the auspices of NICD that will focus on state legislators and provide them with resources and skills to resolve their differences in a civil manner. The launch for the Next Generation National Network took place on August 2.
It was a privilege to be part of the group and to work on plans that will help produce an environment that is conducive to good governance. I am hopeful that this organization will provide the platform to encourage positive behavior of all elected officials.
In the evening, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly presented the inaugural Gabrielle Giffords Award for Civility in State Governance to Washington State Representatives Hans Zeiger and Sam Hunt. Representative Hunt was part of the team that met with Minnesota legislators this past January in St. Paul to provide background on the civil discourse program. He mentioned the extreme weather conditions that day during his acceptance speech.
For more information on the National Institute for Civil Discourse and Next Generation, please visit the website: www.nicd.arizona.edu.