Some commentators, including a New York Times columnist, say that attention to equity, diversity and inclusion is waning. The same writer, though, notes that some EDI policies have become “entrenched,” which it says better equips us for the next cycle of progress. While we may be facing a pendulum swing, the recent upswing has embedded structural measures to advance equity, lifting the pendulum one rung higher on the ladder of justice.  

Innovating Public Meetings through Asynchronous Online Engagement

Want To Be a 2024 All-America City? Check Out All the Info!

Matt Leighninger on Public Engagement and Artificial Intelligence

The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass might be a curious place to think about democratic participation but the theme of time vanishing by chasing a rabbit down a rabbit hole is something that most people are all too familiar with. Read more.

Last month's promising practices webinar focused on the 2024 All-America City Award theme, Strengthening Democracy through Local Action and Innovation. Watch the recording to hear about this year’s theme, criteria, important dates, and suggested areas of focus. Watch here.

Colleen Hardwick of Place Speak sat down with Matt Leighninger, Director of the League’s Center for Democracy Innovation to talk about innovative public engagement, artificial intelligence, and the potential of local online networks.

Read the interview here.

Climate Progress Depends on Local Democracy

Democracy Innovations for Better Public Meetings

Senior Fellows Enhance League's Expertise

“Forget the national level, forget the state level; if you really want to make a difference on climate change, focus on the local level,” said Rocky Piro, a former local planning director in Colorado at a conference sponsored by the Climate Democracy Initiative.

The Climate Democracy Initiative (CDI) held its second annual conference in Denver last month to discuss strategies for addressing climate change and public engagement. Get Started. 

Local democratic meetings are facing significant challenges. Some of these challenges include poor or limited attendance, polarized atmospheres that consist of division between members of a community and between members of the public and official staff. The mixture of limited attendance and volatile public settings impacts the quality of discourse and safety for those present in the room, and this tends to trickle into the community more broadly. Read more.

National Civic League is home to 10 senior fellows with diverse expertise who are available to contract with your community, city, business, or organization to bring you to that next level. We leverage our senior fellows along with our staff to inspire, support, and celebrate civic engagement in America’s communities. The League’s senior fellows have decades of expertise in helping communities. 

 Read more.