NCDD2018: Connecting and Strengthening Civic Innovators

So much of our political environment is rife with partisan rancor. Our communities are struggling with crisis after crisis. These and other factors have people across the country yearning for the ability to listen to one another with more understanding and civility, to work more effectively across differences, and to improve how we make decisions together and engage in our democracy.

Just what our field specializes in.

So for the 2018 conference, we are making space to dig deep into what we know about helping and healing democracy. Now is the time to bring the work of the dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement field into greater visibility and use. There are so many valuable processes and resources that our extended community of practice offers, and we’d like to explore ways to make this work spread. Join us to cultivate its widespread practice in our communities.

At NCDD 2018, we will explore bringing dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement to the forefront by:

• Cultivating new partnerships and connections with other fields utilizing these approaches, including government, libraries, and journalism;
• Developing our skills, and building our toolkits to address the emerging needs in the communities we work with and live in;
• Making the case for public engagement, by elevating the stories of how people are coming together across divides, making decisions and taking action together, as well as demonstrating the value and impact of this work;
• Growing the skills of D&D in our young people, and cultivating leaders who are drawn to D&D;
• Building the skills and capacities of others in our communities to do this work;
• Reaching out to and engaging with those less drawn to D&D, including conservatives, activists, and others;
• Highlighting the ways D&D can be fun, and exploring innovative methods for public engagement – including the arts.