After the massive effort to get out the vote at WashU, the Gephardt Institute’s efforts to instill civic engagement interest and skills in students are still going strong.
Civic Café is a new weekly event held in Stix House on Tuesdays, in which the WashU community is invited to discuss a civic issue or develop a new civic skill with a local expert—over dinner from St. Louis restaurants. While only five weeks old, Civic Café is beginning to draw regulars.
“This is what I want college to be like,” said a student at a recent Civic Café.
On Wednesdays, the WashU community is invited to join Food for Thought—an afternoon pop-up event series that occurs in different locations each week. Students, staff and faculty can drop in for casual-but-insightful conversations around the day’s theme, like mobility and access, voter turnout, and building community. To-go snacks from local vendors are provided.
Finally, Graduate Impact Forums are open to all graduate and professional students who are interested in civic dialogue and learning more about issues facing the St. Louis community. The most recent event was held on Nov. 14, and focused on supporting St. Louis’ unhoused population and understanding the impact of a new Missouri bill that outlaws sleeping on state land.
Further details on weekly themes can be found on Instagram or our Events page. RSVP’s are encouraged for the Civic Café and Graduate Impact Forums.
