The Daily Signal - Why Faith-Based Groups Are Better at Solving Social Challenges Than Government

Episode Date: September 30, 2024

Americans have a responsibility to be civically engaged in their communities and when it comes to solving social challenges, faith-based communities have the best track record, according to Stacy Blakeley, the CEO of The Policy Circle.  During a study examining the foster care and refugee crises today, The Policy Circle, a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging civic engagement, discovered that “faith-based groups [be they Christian, Jewish, or other] had a remarkable ability to solve for the social challenges in our communities,” Blakeley tells "The Daily Signal Podcast."  This begs the question, according to Blakeley, why are faith communities “so much more effective, for instance, than a government program?” That question led The Policy Circle to launch the Faith and Civic Life Initiative to explore the role religious organizations can, and should, play in addressing some of America’s greatest challenges.  The new initiatives kicks off Monday with an event at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.  Blakele joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share the unique mission and history of The Policy Circle and how Americans across the country can take part in the Faith and Civic Life Initiative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Monday, September 30th. I'm Virginia Allen. What role does faith play within the church and how involved should believers be in that aspect of policy issues and government? Well, that is a major question that so many Americans, especially today, are asking. And it's a question that honestly many Christians struggle and debate with. Well, there's a nonprofit organization called the Policy Circle and they have a new initiative that's really empowering Americans and people of faith to consider that question and how they can play a role within the civics and public policy space. The CEO of the Policy Circle, Stacey Blakely, joins us in just a moment to discuss this new initiative of faith and civics life.

Stay tuned after this. This is Rob Lewy from The Daily Signal. In today's media landscape, it's more important than ever to have a trusted source of news and conservative commentary. That's why we are asking for your support. Your donation helps us continue our mission of delivering accurate, factual reporting on the issues that matter most to you. Whether it's $5 or $500, every contribution makes a difference. Visit dailysignal.com slash donate to help us keep Americans informed and fight for conservative values. The Daily Signal is your voice for the truth. The CEO of Policy Circle, Stacey Blakely, joins us now.

Stacey, thank you so much for being here. Well, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having us on and giving us an opportunity to talk about something we're very passionate about. Absolutely. This is an exciting season for you all. You have a brand new initiative launching today. We're going to talk about that in just a second. But first, share a little bit about the history and mission of the Policy Circle.

Well, the Policy Circle was founded in 2015, and it really came about. Virginia because three women were attending a number of policy conferences and they really noticed a few things. One, they were not enough women on stage talking about public policy. Two, they weren't being given opportunities to discuss a wide range of issues. I think frequently and historically especially, it was like, oh, women want to talk about X or Y. And our three co-founders were like, well, we want to talk about the economic impact of policy. We want to talk about immigration and taxes. And so they started in three living rooms. And so, they started in three living rooms, two in Indiana and one just outside of Chicago, gathering some reliable materials and then

bringing people together to have a solutions-oriented conversation. So what started in three living rooms, we're now in 48 states. We have about 15,000 members, and our mission is to inform, equip, and connect those women so they can be really impactful local civic leaders. There's a lot of intentionality in your name and reference to a circle. Explain that. if you would. Thank you for that question. So what started in that living room was this really constructive conversation model. And one of our co-founder, Sylvie Lager, said, gosh, we need to make sure these are efficient circle conversations, roundtable conversations. And she had, I think, gone to a camp with her son and they had a talking stick. And she thought, oh, well, I'm not going to hand a stick around.

But what we end up doing is we have a two-minute timer. And so we use a discussion guide and all of our conversations are rooted in our policy circle briefs. And that's really important and we'll be part of our conversation today because it's so difficult for folks to have like civil discourse anymore because they don't trust one another's facts. Everybody's, they feel like everything is biased. It has an agenda. And so the policy circle has crafted these really carefully vetted resources so that when people come together and have a conversation using a discussion guide and the timer, they stay focus on the facts and the policy, not the politics. So they can figure out what actionable steps can I take to make a constructive difference. And so that circle really is not just about

convening, but really convening with intention and purpose so that everybody around the table, whether they agree or not, has a chance to weigh in to be heard, but also to listen and learn. So critical, especially today, to have those conversations, to have it be community-focused, Let's all share opinions, background. I love that. Well, let's take a minute to talk about what is happening today. You all have a huge event at the Museum of the Bible. Governor Glenn Yonkin, the governor of Virginia and his wife, are speaking at this event.

This is the launch of your faith and civic life initiative. What is that? So the faith and civic life initiative came about because we did last year a brief on foster care. And then we also did a brief on the refugee crises. And really, we started drafting this after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. And then, of course, Ukraine came about while we were drafting this brief. And so suddenly we're examining this refugee crisis issue. And as we identify partners and we look for groups that are doing great work that we see the results are there. And what we found in both foster care and in the refugee topic as well is that these, faith-based groups, or at least they started as faith-based groups, had a remarkable ability to solve for these social challenges in our communities. And then we started unpacking that a little bit. Well, why are they so much more effective, for instance, in a government program? And why do they seem to have that traction at the local level? And that opened up a whole other conversation for us

of really, is there a clear understanding of religious freedom in this country? How does that factor into all these issues that we're talking about because, as you know, policy doesn't happen in a vacuum. These are all interconnected. And then as we examined education, we noticed there were question marks in that arena about funding, but then there were also some tremendously positive results of religious schools. And so we thought, you know what, let's just dive in. Let's unpack the history, the context, let's understand what the constitutional issues are. And then let's look at the power of faith-based institutions. And then importantly, how does all of this intersect so that we can be more effective in our civic life, understanding that these religious communities, these mediating

institutions, they're a vital part of our fabric as a country, but they're really important to the success of any initiative you undertake in your community. Wow. Okay. So then with this launch, with this big event, what are you hoping to do in-communities? across America? What's what's kind of the takeaway for individuals who will be attending that event, who might be gleaning some of those resources or talking to folks after? What do you want the fruit to be? Well, it's so good you use fruit that really applies to this conversation. I think one of the things that we want to accomplish with both the brief and the events and the virtual events we're doing is to build out some clarity. Like clarity about the role of government,

the role of religion, the role of faith-based institutions, but really importantly, for citizens to come away feeling really empowered. Like I understand how I land on my particular value set, how I want to incorporate my religious values, or even, you know, if people just want to land on, like, this is what matters to me in terms of character and value set for leaders and community. So more clarity around what's legal, what's appropriate, and what's effective. And then I really feel like the other is we need to bring into our policy and local solutions oriented conversations. How can faith-based groups tackle these issues and really understanding that the faith-based or religious institutions, they have a lot of social capital. And frequently, that just gets bypassed. Like,

let's just throw more money at the problem or let's just do another study. And we really want people to understand there is tremendous power, resources, and track records. with these faith-based groups. And so we want people to become more aware. So they start surveying the landscape and think, okay, who should the stakeholders be around this table as we tackle the housing crisis, homelessness, addiction? We want that to be part of people's just go-to. Top of mind, we need to be bringing in the faith-based communities and the organizations that know what they're doing. And I would say really the last piece of this is we want to equip individual leaders. We have a program called the Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap.

This is a three-month virtual, national, nonpartisan program, and we would love to see more women that are faith leaders or active in their faith communities going through our clear program for short so that they are better equipped to step into the Civic Square and hopefully influence public policy and local level solutions that are consistent with their values, but also starts bringing a new community of the conversation. Yeah. Speak a little bit more to that if you would because I think some people hear that and they sort of like, oh, should the church be involved at all in the policy space? And it's almost interesting how we draw these lines in our mind of like, okay, well, maybe on an issue of foster care because it's protecting kids, like that's okay for the church to be involved. But when it gets into maybe some of these other things like education or even health care policy, is that really the role of believers or the church? church to be engaging on those areas. How would you answer that question? Well, I would say part of the reason we've developed these resources is so that you can examine the constitutional issues here, the history, the founding principles, but also for you to take a good look, we're going to be examining, for instance, at the event today, we're going to be talking about a myriad of cases and including Supreme Court cases that are really shaping the legal construct in terms of what is appropriate, what is allowed. But I don't think at the end of the day, the policy circles trying

to take a stance on when and where religion is appropriate. I think what we're trying to do is illuminate the context, the history, the legal principles, and understanding how that social capital moves so that you can make a decision as a citizen about what you think is appropriate. But I do think that if we start to have these policy conversations in a vacuum, we really start to miss an opportunity to have all the different voices at the table. And you cannot discount the voice of the faith-based organizations or religious institutions. In spite of the decline in religious engagement in our country, it is still a tremendous force in culture. is still a tremendous force as a voting block. Like you cannot ignore that fact.

And at the end of the day, the studies that we've published in our brief also show a really strong correlation between folks that are engaged in their religious communities have higher satisfaction with their community. They're more engaged civically. And so I think it's a conversation about the health of our communities and overall the health of our nation. And that I think if we overlook the faith component of this, we're missing. out on a tremendous enhancing factor, if you will, of faith communities. But to your point,

people get nervous. They say, what are the lines and how do we draw them? And part of our goal is for people to really understand where those lines are. And the challenge, as you well know, is school choice getting passed in particular states. There's immediately litigation. That litigation is working its way. And there is ambiguity there. And so we'll be exploring those court cases today to really get a better sense of, okay, what has been established and where do we see all of this going, especially when it relates to public dollars, going to parents and the parents choosing to put that money into a religious education. Well, on that education issue is obviously one that is near and dear to the heart of Governor Glenn Yonkin. That was such a critical part of his campaign when he ran for

governor in Virginia. And many people point to that is really the issue that he won on, that People were watching what was happening in Loudoun County and so outraged by the transgender push in schools and gender ideology being pushed on kids. And that's an issue that really extends, I think, across party lines in so many ways. What is the message that you expect Governor Glenn Yonkin to be bringing? And how does it kind of reflect the core values that you all are promoting here through this new initiative? I think Governor Yonkin touched on a nerve, to your point. And that was this mentality of the status quo as we know better than parents. And I think we can all appreciate that especially after COVID, the eyes were opened.

And you had parents, perhaps many for the first time, oh, is this what my children are being taught? Is this the quality of the educational experience? Or does this even fit my child's learning style? And, you know, the policy circle is nonpartisan. but we have a point of view. And that's innovation and personal responsibility and really entrepreneurial values should fuel policy solutions. And I don't know what's more entrepreneurial than offering parents a choice and offering them avenues to explore what works best. So I have a feeling that Governor Yonken has not deviated. We've seen that in his policies, but really

trying to identify a way that you can empower parents and give them access. to high quality education without abandoning the very necessary important role that public school plays in our country and in our communities. And so I am excited to hear from him on what he thinks is next and how we build on the momentum because, you know, there's pushback at every turn. And so I think for us as an organization, we are delighted to feature the Youngkins too, because faith has been at very much the core of their identity as leaders and the things they've chosen to support and the areas that they've had to focus both personally and professionally and civically. And so I think when we find people that have done a good job integrating those things,

I think it's encouraging and helpful for the rest of us to hear about the challenges and then the success stories they've had as well. So I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, it's critical. So for those who are listening who think, well, you know, I would love to be even a little bit more involved in what's just what's happening in my community and have that civic engagement and I'm a person of faith, but I'm not a Glenn Youngman that's going to run for public office, but I'm interested in just being more involved. What can they expect? If they were to get connected with one of the policy circles and actually jump in, what is expected of them if they, are jumping in and are utilizing your resources? Is there a certain commitment to action steps that

they need to take? What would be the experience they would have? Well, what I love to say about the policy circle is that we meet you right where you are. And so if you're an active community leader, but you want more support and resources and you're interested in boosting your skills, we have our civic leadership program. We put on a lot of programming around practical leadership. skills, but we also have a tremendous network. And I think we're all so much better when we leverage the strengths and the learnings of those around us. And so we're building out a really intentional network. And one of the things for the folks that do want to step into more leadership roles that we just launched is a program we call ASAP and it's all state

appointments project. And because there are so many women, Virginia, that they want to serve, but they don't take their family through the political machine, which we, know can be brutal. There are thousands of roles at that state and county and city level where you can get appointed, you can serve on a task force or a commission. So we're really tackling that opportunity with intention and helping women find those opportunities to serve and then to step in to those gaps with their skills and experience. I'd say for someone just dipping their toe in, one thing I want to say is don't be intimidated by the word policy. When we talk about policy, it's really about about your business. It's about your neighborhood. It's about your schools, your church, your parks.

It's the things that make up our community live. They're all rooted in one policy or another. And so you know more than you think you know and you can do more probably than you think you can do. So when you come into our community, the first thing is you can read some of our briefs. You could host a circle, get a few friends together, read the brief, use the conversation model. We can find, help you find a circle in your area so you can get involved. with things we're already doing in your community. And if you love what we do, what our hope is, is that you'll join our community. It's $10 a month. I always say for the price of two lattes, you can get really educated and enjoy an amazing group of women. And then as people find that this is

something that resonates with them, one of the other things I encourage folks to do is if you're in a community group, if you're in junior league or a professional association or whatever that may be, the policy circle is a great programming tool and something that you can bring to your organization and people want to talk about civic life right now. They want to find a new path so that we can actually talk to each other instead of just scream at each other or type in all caps. And so the policy circle is a great first step if you care about civic engagement, but more importantly, you care about the future of this country and how we can rebuild trust and civil discourse as the foundational elements of a thriving country.

And how many circles do you all now have meeting across the country? We have about 400 circles right now, and we are building some new tools and resources and hope to grow that number exponentially because people are hungry for person-to-person, you know, in-person convening and engagement. We want to make sure we have this to offer. Anywhere anybody wants to meet, we want to fire this up

so they have the resources and they can start building a really intentional local circle to make sure that they're implementing those solutions in their own neighborhood. Stacey, what was your own journey of realizing I need to be involved in this space? And I want to be active on this kind of policy and civic life front. Do you know what's so interesting to me is that I started my career as a little staffer on the hill in D.C. I'm going to age myself. It was during the contract with America. America. And so, you know, I was there in the day like Bob Dole, you know, introduced his candidacy. And so I had a real hunger for being involved. I was really involved in college in my early 20s. And then I really, after I left D.C. and I went to law school. I was so focused on my career and raising kids. But I still always just hungry for information. And when I found out about the policy circle, I was like, I was a little convicted, honestly. Like, I've really been abdicating my role as an active citizen in my own community. And I think this is a real issue.

I think we have a lot of people that care, but in the back of their mind, they're thinking, someone else will do this. Someone else will step in. And we had Barry Weiss speak at our summit last year. And I keep borrowing this line from her. But we were about a month out from the October 7th attack on Israel. So, you know, emotions are running high in that room. And And she said, look around. No one else is coming. It's you. Wow.

This is your time. And if you aren't willing to step up and step in, no one else is coming. And I thought, oh, it was this powerful moment for us. And I'll tell you, that's what the policy circle has made me realize is that if we don't as individuals step up and take that sense of responsibility back, like civic duty, no one wants to talk about duty, right? It's like being in church. No one wants to talk about sin. Well, no one wants to talk about duty anymore either, but we do have one. And I feel like that just was awakened in me when I got around the policy circle because I realized you don't have to take it all on at once. You can incrementally baby step your way into this and you'll be shocked

at the ripple effect of each step you take. And soon enough, you can have a tremendous impact that way. So how can people get involved? How do they find their work? How do they find out if there's a circle near them? So go to the policy circle.org. You can have a, you can subscribe to our newsletter, like no commitment. Just get a newsletter. We'll tell you what we have going on. You can follow us on social media. And if this is something that folks want to engage with us and they think, hey, I want to be part of this community. Of course, we would love to have you join. There's more information about that on our website and social media. And at the end of the day, if someone thinks, hey, this isn't for me, but I want to support the work they're doing. We are a 501c3. We're always looking for people that want to just support our work and help us continue in this movement to empower more informed civil discourse and then more solutions-oriented action at that local level.

Excellent. Stacey Blakely, the CEO of the Policy Circle, Stacey, thank you so much for your time. Thank you for having us. Well, with that, we're going to leave it there for today's show. don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss out on new shows from The Daily Signal Podcast. And if you would, take a minute to leave us a five-star rating and review. We will see you all right back here around 5 p.m. for our Top News Edition. The Daily Signal podcast is made possible because of listeners like you. Executive producers are Rob Louis and Katrina Trinko.

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