Common Thread
Visual Storytelling
The Civic Thread Project develops visual civic education projects designed to make democratic institutions and civic systems easier to understand.
These projects—collectively called Common Thread Stories—use visual storytelling to translate complex civic ideas into clear, accessible learning experiences. Through diagrams, narrative graphics, visual essays, short videos, and guided prompts, these series help people explore how democratic institutions function and how civic life unfolds beyond election cycles.
Unlike workshops, which are interactive events, Common Thread Stories are self-guided civic education series designed for reading, viewing, discussion, and reflection. They can be used individually or in group settings such as classrooms, libraries, reading circles, and civic organizations.
The aim is not to reduce civic life to slogans or partisan commentary. Instead, these visual projects help readers and viewers orient themselves within the institutional structures that shape democratic participation.
Between Elections: A Civic Education Booklet Series
Between Elections is a visual civic education booklet series that explores how democracy functions—and sometimes erodes—during the long periods between major political moments.
Public attention often focuses on elections, but democratic institutions operate continuously. Laws are interpreted, policies are implemented, administrative rules are written, and institutional norms evolve. Many of the most consequential developments in democratic life occur quietly through these ongoing processes.
The Between Elections series examines these institutional dynamics through visual explanations and structured reflection.
Each booklet includes:
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visual diagrams explaining institutional frameworks
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short narrative essays that frame key civic concepts
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reflection questions designed to encourage deeper engagement
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discussion prompts that support group learning and conversation
The booklets are designed for use by reading circles, classrooms, civic organizations, and community discussion groups, offering an accessible way to explore how democratic institutions operate in everyday practice.
Between Elections
Between Elections is a visual civic education series exploring how democratic institutions function in the quiet periods beyond the ballot box. Through narrative graphics and guided prompts, we invite you to look past the campaign cycle and engage with the institutional norms that shape our daily lives—reclaiming democracy as a continuous, vital practice.
Civic Explainer Series
The Civic Thread Project also produces a series of visual civic explainers that translate institutional complexity into clear, accessible learning tools.
These visual essays examine how democratic systems function by focusing on specific institutions, legal structures, and civic mechanisms. Each explainer combines narrative explanation with diagrams or visual storytelling to help readers understand systems that are often discussed but rarely explained clearly.
Topics explored in the series include:
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What Congress Actually Does
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Constitutional Oversight and Institutional Authority
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The Administrative State and the Separation of Powers
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Media Ecosystems and Democratic Stability
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The Structure and Jurisprudence of the Supreme Court
The goal of these explainers is to provide readers with a clearer picture of how democratic institutions operate and how authority moves through the constitutional system.
Portfolio
Our work
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Civics in a Minute: Short Video Explainers
Civics in a Minute is a short-form video series designed to introduce key civic concepts in clear, accessible one-minute segments.
Each video focuses on a single idea, institution, or civic mechanism and explains it concisely using visual storytelling and plain language. Topics may include the roles of major democratic institutions, the mechanics of specific governmental processes, or foundational civic concepts that often appear in public debate.
The purpose of the series is to provide quick orientation—helping viewers understand important civic ideas that are frequently referenced but rarely explained clearly.
These videos are designed to be easily shared and can also serve as:
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introductions to civic topics
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discussion starters for classrooms or civic groups
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supplemental material for workshops and educational programs
A Different Approach to Civic Learning
Many forms of civic content today emphasize speed, outrage, or partisan interpretation.
The Civic Thread Project takes a different approach. Common Thread Stories aim to provide orientation rather than reaction. By helping people understand the institutional frameworks that structure democratic life, these visual projects invite viewers and readers to engage with civic questions more thoughtfully.
Through visual explanation, narrative clarity, and structured reflection, the Civic Thread Project seeks to make democratic systems more visible—and therefore more understandable—to the communities they serve.