OGDEN — Weber State University, city officials and local businesses are teaming up to engage the community in civility-based behavior with a weeklong Civility Quest Challenge.
The challenge will kick off at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 6, at WSU's Stewart Bell Tower, with another event at 6 p.m. in conjunction with the First Friday Art Stroll on Ogden's Historic 25th Street.
Participants in the challenge can collect and complete Civility Quest Challenge cards from local businesses around Ogden, download them online at weber.edu/ccel/civilityquest.html or follow @wsuccel on social media for daily updates.
Each card — available in both English and Spanish — will have a challenge designed to encourage the participant to get involved with the people, animals and environment around them. After completing each quest, participants hand off their cards to somebody else — literally passing on the challenge to spread civility and kindness. Participants can share their experiences on social media using hashtags #CivilityIs and #WSUCivilityQuest.
"We're really looking forward to the Civility Quest, and hope it helps start a dialogue on what civility is and ways we can better engage with those around us," Kim Bowsher, director of the Ogden Downtown Alliance, said in a statement. "It's awesome Weber State is asking us, as community members, to participate."
Some of the Civility Quest challenges include picking up litter, going 24 hours without complaining, planting flowers at home or in a community garden, visiting local businesses and nonprofits, lending a helping hand to someone in need and appreciating silence in a community area. Challenges can be completed alone or with a group.
Though there is no prize for completing the cards. Instead, organizers say participants will come away from the experience with a deeper appreciation for their communities and with better ideas about how to uplift those around them.
The challenge will conclude on Thursday, April 12 — World Civility Day — with a free celebration at the Ogden City Amphitheater. The event, which is open to all, starts at 6 p.m. and will include games, music, vendors, stories and more, all tied to the theme of civility in Ogden.