CTZN: The Power of Social Capital
Breckenridge, CO
A weekend gathering of ten leaders from around the country to dialogue and build relationships grounded in a shared belief in America's democratic experiment.
In October 2024 at my ten year Naval Academy reunion I walked through the Rotunda of Bancroft Hall with two friends. We stopped to read the inscription embossed in gold lettering on a large plaque: the Mission of the United States Naval Academy, which ends with the expectation that Midshipmen are ready and able to assume “the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.”
Command, sure. Government? Yes. But it struck me then that no one ever teaches us how to assume the highest responsibilities of citizenship. So how do we get there? And what does citizenship actually mean?
CTZN brought together ten people I deeply admire — with the intent of exploring the question “What does it mean to be a citizen?”. Together we explored new ideas, improved on old ones, built meaningful relationships, and began to work out what it means to be a civic leader and a citizen in 21st century America.