CARMEL — A new effort in Carmel is encouraging neighbors, leaders and lawmakers to embrace civility in conversations at a time when public discourse often feels divided.
“Be civil” signs have popped up around Hamilton County as part of Project Civility, a nationwide initiative founded by Carmel City Council member Jeff Worrell.
“We wanted to have a call to action, and 'Be Civil' is just what rose to the surface,” Worrell said about the sign's design.
Worrell, a Republican, said the idea grew from his 2023 re-election campaign, where he noticed interactions had become harsher than in previous races.
“There were just some things that I didn’t think were very civil that happened that I wasn’t used to in the previous campaigns that I ran,” Worrell said.
After the election, Worrell invited an author to speak on civility at the local library, expecting a small turnout. Instead, hundreds showed up.
“I set up 35 chairs for your typical author event — and 300 people showed up,” Worrell said. “There is this assumption that we must do something, that we’ve got to get more serious about.”
Since then, Project Civility has worked with leaders to soften the tone of public dialogue through videos, community discussions and events. This month, the group is hosting a national summit in Carmel.
“Talking about civility, writing columns, doing videos, talking to great people like you, it was — we’ve been trying to keep the idea alive and things are beginning to change,” Worrell said.
State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn, a Democrat representing District 32, is among those joining the summit. She said her participation is a reminder that civility should transcend party affiliation.
“Civility is a call for discourse in a respectful manner and recognizing the humanness in another person,” Wilburn said.
“I think we’ve begun something very dangerous when we look at people with differing opinions as villains. I think that lawmakers need to be an example and that we need to bring decorum back to our discussions.”
For Worrell, civility begins with small gestures in our neighborhoods.
“If it’s your neighbor next door and you haven’t talked to them for months because of the sign out in their front yard that you happen to disagree with, go over there and try to be neighborly,” he said.
“It is that simple.”
Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is one of the speakers signed up for the summit. More information on how to attend the conference is available on the Project Civility website.
