KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

The North Shore Civic Club kickstarts conversations.

According to philosopher William James, a country’s fortune is directly tied to the level of civic discourse between its citizens. “The nation blessed above all nations,” he wrote, “is she in whom the civic genius of the people does the saving day by day … by good temper between parties.” Through forums and events that create a culture of curiosity and bring thoughtful conversations into our daily lives, the North Shore Civic Club is heeding these words on a local level.

Established in 2023 by biochemist Yvonne Bruce, media executive Don Adams, and conservationist Mary Galea, the Club is founded on, as Bruce explains, “the old-fashioned idea of slowing down, getting together, and engaging in civil discourse that leads to thoughtful, constructive solutions.” Bruce, the organization’s president, is driven “by a passion to be positive amid polarization, to helping each other out, crowdsourcing great people with fantastic skills, and getting in a room to pull on threads of curiosity and get a discussion going. With my training as a biochemist, I never deviate from facts. I like to get multi-modal evidence before I reach a conclusion. My most favorite thing in the world is to face a convincing argument because that means I’m growing.”

The Club launched its forum-based programming at Lake Forest’s The Gorton Center with “The State of the Great Lakes,” featuring guest speakers University of Michigan economist John Austin, The Nature Conservancy scientist Scott Sowa, and Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for Great Lakes. As other freshwater sources begin to dry up, the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 48 million people, are being eyed by others. “We thought we’d see what people’s appetite is for knowing what’s going on in our own backyard,” says Bruce. “We had allotted half an hour for questions afterward, but an hour in there were still things people wanted to know.”

Committed to presenting four panel discussions annually, the Club followed the debut with a roster that included “The Future of Energy,” “Inspiring Entrepreneurship,” and most recently, partnering with Lake Forest College for “Bridging the Impasse: 21st Century Practice for a Stronger Democracy,” with classicist and political scientist, Dr. Danielle Allen, the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard. With each offering, the goal “is to get beyond the headlines served up by media and news platforms,” Bruce shares.

In addition to its forums, the Club offers a book club where the selections marry with the panel discussions. Recent selections included Dan Egan’s The Death and Life of the Great Lakes and Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by etymologist and wildlife ecologist, Douglas W. Tallamy, and Democracy in One Book or Less by David Litt. These expert-led book discussions have proven so popular that the club created a subcommittee led by board member Tina-Dann Fenwick.

At 200 members and growing, Bruce dreams of the North Shore Civic Club becoming the local equivalent of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “We are working hard to attract informed, civically engaged people who would like to get together and make a difference.”

For more information, visit northshorecivicclub.org or email [email protected].