Everyday Democracy, an NCDD member org, announced they are hosting a Joy of Voting Youth Video Challenge and submissions are being accepted until Friday, October 23rd. This contest is an opportunity for youth, ages 14-25, to submit a short video on the importance of voting, and which issues being voted on during Election Day, are the most impactful for their communities and our democracy. Please note, that submissions are limited to residents of Connecticut or those students enrolled at a Connecticut school. Read more about the […] (continue)

The Professional Certificate Leading Smart Communities will be hosted online this fall by our friends at NCDD member org, the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civil Leadership! The intersection of government and technology has drastically changed in the past few years, and these changes are even more drastic with the health precautions needed due to COVID-19. Learn essential skills from leaders in government technology on how to better utilize #govtech, and impact of technology in the future. Don’t miss out on this training series – program […] (continue)

ICYMI –  The McCourtney Institute for Democracy  an NCDD member org, is hosting their next virtual book club event TODAY, featuring the book, Beyond Civility: The Competing Obligations of Citizenship. Come share a discussion with the authors, William Keith and Robert Danisch, on civility in democracy and public discourse. You can purchase the book through Penn State University Press, and receive a 30% discount when you use the promo code “NR20”! The event is via zoom at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific; reading of the book […] (continue)

We want to take a moment to recognize exceptional individuals in our field by extending this invitation from NCDD member org, National Issues Forums Institute, to submit your applications for the Elizabeth “Libby” Kingseed Teaching with Deliberation Memorial Award Libby’s commitment to civic education and deliberation continue to be an inspiration; and it is in this spirit that NIFI has created this award to grant $500 to any K-12 teacher working to implement deliberation or deliberative pedagogy in the classroom. Applications will be accepted until […] (continue)

NCDD is proud to be a partner of the Online Facilitation Unconference 2020 (#OFU2020), hosted by the Center for Applied Community Engagement LLC! Mark your calendars for October 19-25th, to join the 7th annual OFU event where attendees will have the opportunity to strengthen their virtual facilitation skills. FYI NCDD members can receive a 20% discount on tickets (see below for promo code)! We encourage you to read more about #OFU2020 in the post below and register here. In addition, you can get a teaser […] (continue)

Exciting news! Our friends and member organization, the Bridge Alliance and Bridge Alliance Education Fund are pleased to welcome the addition of Reverend F. Willis Johnson as Vice President, Maria Yuan CEO of IssueVoter and Manu Meel CEO of BridgeUSA, as crucial parts of their board. NCDD is looking forward to continuing to support all the important work Bridge Alliance accomplishes with the updates in staff and structure. This announcement was sent to the NCDD team via the BA Updates newsletter, which you can sign […] (continue)

On August 27th we held our August Confab, which served as the launch of the With the People Initiative. Thanks to everyone who attended and explored the ways they can get involved! A special thanks to Betty Knighton, Darla Minnich, Kara Lindaman, and Kara Dillard for sharing with us the resources, tools, and opportunities available to those who wish to take part! And thanks to the many national partners of this initiative for supporting it so far: All In Campus Democracy Challenge | Civic Nation […] (continue)

In this article, Essential Partners, an NCDD sponsor organization, explores the challenges of adapting to the shift to online engagement, both creatively and effectively!  As we continue to rely on virtual spaces to convene due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we may have felt the limitations of online conferencing as a work alternative or for keeping up with loved ones.  Most of us find, that it simply does not capture the presence, nor the energy that meeting in real life does. EP finds that placing purpose […] (continue)

Please join NCDD and the National Issues Forums on Thursday, August 27 at 1:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM Pacific for the August Confab and launch of With the People, a national initiative that supports deliberative discussions of issues that impact our nation.  With the People is launching in time for Constitution Week but will be available on an ongoing basis! With the People is based on the idea that democracy is strengthened when citizens, institutions, and governments find ways to talk and work with each other. […] (continue)

ICYMI NCDDer, the Participatory Budget Project, recently celebrated over a decade of service and earlier this year, Shari Davis, assumed the role as their new executive director! The release of their 2019 Impact Report is now available and provides a full view of their initiatives. Highlights of their incredible journey, in addition to processes and projects underway this current year, can be found in the article below or in the original post here. Our Impact: Real Money, Real Power 2019 marked a monumental year for […] (continue)