National Civic League

The latest thought-provoking piece out of the League's Center for Democracy Innovation argues that if we want mass deliberation to succeed, we can’t just design better forums, we have to build an economy and culture that supports participation.

Food for thought: 👀📰: https://ow.ly/jCNU50YhMkp

You asked. We listened. The updated Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map now includes:
🔎 Multi-sort organizations by state, issue area, and network membership
📄 View richer profiles with mission, website, and contact info

Explore the Map → https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/2024-healthy-democracy/

Big news from the League’s Civic Genius team 🚀
This spring, we’re launching a civic assembly in Snohomish County, WA—bringing residents together to help shape how AI can make county services more effective and efficient.
Learn more: https://ow.ly/nwIi50Y9jyP

📣 Civic Assembly Exploration Event for Community Colleges
🗓 Feb. 5, 2026 | ⏰ 3:00–4:00 pm ET

Campus Compact and New America’s Political Reform Program are hosting a Q&A for community college administrators and faculty interested in piloting civic assemblies.
👉 Register: https://ow.ly/JPtb50Y8QKh

The League’s latest newsletter is out 📬
It’s chock-full of organizational updates (👀 civic assembly spoiler alert!) and new resources from partners working to strengthen democracy.
Step out of the doom loop and into some real, working solutions—check it out.
https://conta.cc/4td49m4

Public meetings don’t have to feel chaotic, or contentious.

Join the League & #ICMA for a 4-part Better Public Meetings Training Series designed to help local government leaders plan, facilitate, and manage civil, inclusive, and effective public meetings.

👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/d6YvmbAb

Public meetings out of control? The Better Public Meetings Training from NCL & #ICMA helps local government leaders improve their public meetings by promoting civility and ensuring residents feel heard.
This 4-part workshop covers meeting design, facilitation & engagement.
🔗 lnkd.in/d6YvmbAb

National Forum on America's Deportation Policy A conversation on what America’s deportation policy should be

On February 6, #BraverAngels is hosting a National Forum on America’s deportation policy, bringing together experts who hold different views on immigration, but who are committed to grappling with the system’s failures and harms & to finding better ways forward.
Register: https://ow.ly/2KiY50Y3M4U

All-Party Primaries Can Release Us From Our Partisan Doom-Loop Trap Our republic is being destroyed by an electoral system that ignores the vast majority of the voting public

“If we’re the bear, our paw is caught in a trap.”

Danielle Allen’s latest essay explores how party primaries have warped our democracy, and how all-party primaries could help free us from the partisan doom loop. The UnPopulist
https://ow.ly/9TlN50Y0FmY

"Trust is like the air we breathe: when it's present, nobody really notices—but when it's absent, everyone notices." Right now, we’re suffocating.
How do we repair the fractures in our foundation? 🗳️ Take the 1st step by completing the survey on rebuilding trust: 👉 https://ow.ly/VvOv50XXfb2

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: LPL January Democracy Conversation . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Local governments are increasingly navigating heightened polarization, threats, and moments of democratic tension. What role can local leaders play in de-escalating conflict and preventing political violence in their communities? On January 22, Local Policy Lab will host a Democracy Conversation with Shannon Hiller, Executive Director of the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University, to explore research-backed, practical strategies local governments can use to reduce tensions, address threats and harassment, and foster safer, more resilient communities. This one-hour virtual...

#LocalPolicyLab is hosting a conversation in response to the heightened tension communities are experiencing right now.

This session will explore how local governments can help maintain calm, build trust, and support civic stability.

January 22 @ 12:00 PM ET🔗 Register: https://ow.ly/1A2r50XVFeu

Wisdom of the Crowds Explore how governments can successfully host and possibly institutionalize citizens assemblies through this panel followed by a reception.

🏛️ Citizens’ assemblies are proven tools for tackling complex public problems and rebuilding trust. Now we need to move from one-off pilots.

📅 Join us on January 15th for a panel on what it takes to make citizens’ assemblies a routine part of governance.

👉 Register: https://ow.ly/Y32250XT0ui

Last call for Letters of Intent to apply for the All-America City Award. Get those LOIs in by the end of the day to save $100 on your #AAC2026 application fee.

Will technology strengthen, or undermine, democracy? In this Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation discussion moderated by Danielle Allen, the co-authors of Rewiring Democracy unpack both the promise and the peril of tech in civic life.
https://ow.ly/zbeK50XLrth

This article reminds us that the next generation isn’t waiting their turn, they’re already leading. From teens mapping climate collapse, to high schoolers launching national voter registration movements, young people are rewiring what leadership looks like!
https://ow.ly/hC8450XKmQc

Matt Leighninger joined the Strong Cities Network #SixthGlobalSummit to explore social cohesion measurement. 🌍
370+ mayors, local leaders, national gov. reps, and CSOs gathered to share innovative solutions for more connected & thriving cities. https://ow.ly/AUZa50XJFlu

Democracy Playbook - Metgroup

A new national effort to strengthen democracy through evidence-based narrative strategies launched on December 8. The Pro-Democracy Narrative Playbook Initiative is providing open-source resources to help communities communicate about democratic values and civic space. https://ow.ly/3PGb50XFK4G

Shout out to everyone who joined us in Rochester, MN this week! The League’s Center for Democracy Innovation hosted a public forum with residents and local leaders on improving public meetings. Great crowd and great ideas, despite the chilly temps!

Guidebook for Deliberative Engagement: Key Features and Practical Insights

The Guidebook for Deliberative Engagement from the University of Canberra breaks down what makes community deliberation effective, with practical steps, real-world examples, and design principles you can use in your own processes.
🔗 https://ow.ly/F1Cn50XA7hv

Architecture of Democracy: The Role of Think Tanks and Civic Engagement | Law-Order During an event at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Atharv Singh, a young civic leader, learned about the importance of institutions such as think tanks in democratic governance. These organisations provide evidence-based policy options, bridging the gap between expert analyses and actionable governance. Singh highlights the need to strengthen India's civic ecosystem.

Think tanks aren’t just research hubs, they shape how communities understand issues and participate in democracy.
This piece explores how civic engagement + evidence-based policy together strengthen democratic decision making. https://ow.ly/wlUg50XA4Ip

An Inside Look: Can Audrey Tang’s vision for technology save democracy? - Right Livelihood

Can technology strengthen democracy?
This visual story on Audrey Tang shows how open-source tools, transparency, and collective intelligence can counter polarization and build trust.
🔗 Read more: https://ow.ly/aX2g50XA4wE

The screen, the table, and us - Civic Nebraska A quiet moment in A Man on the Inside – a mother questioning her son’s digital friendship – reveals the complexity of civic life in 2025.

Civic Nebraska's new “Screen / Table / Us” project digs into how Americans see each other — and how face-to-face conversations can reconnect us across divides.

Important, insightful work. Read more → https://civicnebraska.org/20251124-screen-table-us/

Notre Dame partners with Harvard, UC Riverside to improve civics education The University of Notre Dame will partner with the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and Harvard University to improve civics education in U.S. ...

A major new partnership between University of Notre Dame, Harvard University and UC Riverside aims to transform civics education through hands-on, community-based learning.

A win for students, educators, and democracy. https://ow.ly/KUVx50Xy9b7

Restoring civic discourse in an age of polarization - CommonWealth Beacon On this week’s episode of The Codcast, Jim Peyser, who served as secretary of education under Gov. Charlie Baker, talks with CommonWealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas about the yearlong series of essays he wrote for CommonWealth Beacon on the need for civil discussion of often controversial issues in an era of polarized debate. Peyser says a healthy democracy depends on our ability to move past the current moment, where opponents are often characterized not as adversaries but enemies, and complex issues, which often involve difficult trade-offs and not just matters of right and...

How do we rebuild space for civil, nuanced public dialogue?

Jim Peyser joins The Codcast to discuss polarization, democratic health, and why complex issues deserve better than strident slogans.

https://ow.ly/Vo1z50Xy987

“The generation we’re in needs a Declaration of Interdependence, in which we’re all working together to build connections and achieve the American dream.” —Maury Giles, CEO of Braver Angels, at League board meeting.

Experiential Civic Learning for American Democracy – Ash Center A new report provides a clear, actionable framework for effective experiential civic learning—what it is, why it matters, and how to do it well.

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation: a framework for Experiential Civic Learning.
At a moment of democratic strain, this highlights how hands-on, practiced civic learning can strengthen participation without politicization. Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
https://ow.ly/Akgn50XvKcf

Healthy Democracy Map The Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map is the first comprehensive look at the universe of organizations promoting healthy democracy in America.

Big milestone for the Healthy Democracy Map!
We’ve passed 12,000 organizations mapped nationwide — from local newsrooms to youth groups, civic tech, voting rights advocates, and more.
Every pin shows people strengthening democracy.
Explore → https://ow.ly/jzbv50Xu2Ui

Expanding Youth Civic Engagement Strategies - National Civic League Although negative stereotypes about young people persist, their “non-expert expertise” is irreplaceable. This article highlights promising practices and examples, drawn from the author’s two decades of work supporting aspiring teen problem solvers in the public policy arena.

“Negative stereotypes about young people persist—but their ‘non-expert expertise’ is irreplaceable.” In National Civic Review, Wendy Schaetzel Lesko shares two decades of lessons on empowering teens as public-policy problem solvers. https://ow.ly/JS9X50Xn2f7

How We, the People, Can Be a Better “Board of Directors” - National Civic League A business must be efficient to drive profits. Government, however, is more like a nonprofit organization. It exists to provide the services we collectively agree are needed. As citizens, it is our responsibility to ensure those services are delivered effectively and at reasonable cost.

Citizens are the “board of directors” of democracy.
In National Civic Review, Steven Borne argues that our role isn’t to demand profits but to ensure government delivers the services we collectively need, effectively and responsibly. https://ow.ly/jcOa50Xn2b0

The city of Raleigh is contacting 10,000 residents. Some of them will get $1,000. The city is looking for residents to help shape the future of Raleigh.

Excited to be working with the City of Raleigh Government on an upcoming civic assembly! The News & Observer covered the city’s innovative civic lottery and what’s ahead for residents helping shape Raleigh’s future. https://ow.ly/4NNx50XrEXA