Building Democratic Leadership Through Local Action: The Nevins Fellows Program

​The Nevins Fellows program at Penn State's McCourtney Institute for Democracy addresses civic disengagement by offering students eight-week paid internships at organizations that bring people together to solve community problems, beginning with a Democratic Leadership course that reframes democracy as collaborative practice rather than electoral politics. The program intentionally recruits students from diverse fields, including engineering, sciences, and business, demonstrating that democratic renewal requires all citizens' skills while teaching facilitation techniques and connecting participants to hyper-local problem-solving work that restores individual agency and proves meaningful change is achievable. With a vision to create a collaborative national network of similar campus programs, the initiative counters isolation and cynicism by showing that small local actions contribute to broader democratic renewal, supported by funding that removes financial barriers to participation. By shifting focus from abstract despair to concrete action and affirming the necessity of engagement itself, this work directly supports NCDD's mission of strengthening democracy through inclusive dialogue, developing civic leadership capacity, and fostering collaborative community problem-solving across diverse populations.

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Hopelessness has become the ambient noise of modern politics, fed by sprawling debates that feel disconnected from daily life and leave many believing their participation simply doesn't matter. Yet the Nevins Fellows program at Penn State's McCourtney Institute for Democracy offers a hands-on answer to civic disengagement—one built not on theory alone, but on direct experience that restores students' faith in democracy's potential for change.
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The program allows students to complete eight-week paid internships at organizations that bring people together to solve common problems. Students begin by taking a Democratic Leadership class that introduces them to a different side of democracy—one focused not on campaigns and elections, but on facilitating conversations about community issues and working collaboratively on shared challenges.

Learning Democracy as Practice, Not Politics

The Democratic Leadership course shifts students' understanding of what democratic engagement means. Rather than treating politics as an insular, professionalized field reserved for certain majors or career paths, the program demonstrates that functioning democracy requires the skills of all citizens. Partner organizations intentionally seek diversity of students beyond the traditional liberal arts pipeline, actively recruiting from fields like engineering, sciences, and business.

This approach dismantles the perception that civic work belongs only to political science students. By inviting diverse mindsets to the table, the program sends a clear message: your skills are valuable, and you have a role to play. Students develop facilitation skills, learn about organizations doing collaborative problem-solving work, and discover how their unique expertise can contribute to the public good. For many, seeing this connection becomes a transformational experience that inspires them to go further in civic engagement.
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At the end of the course, students interested in fellowships complete an application. The McCourtney Institute selects ten students who best demonstrate the skills and maturity necessary to meet the program's challenges. Each receives up to $5,000 to cover living expenses, travel, and lodging during their internship—removing financial barriers that might otherwise prevent participation.

From Abstract Issues to Tangible Impact

The program teaches students a vital lesson: there is more than one way to get involved in politics. Through their internships, fellows discover that the most impactful work often happens on the ground, addressing specific local needs rather than broad national issues.

One student's internship centered on a civic ambassadors program designed to empower ordinary people within their communities to be leaders who focus on solving specific problems affecting local residents. This hyper-local focus restores individual agency by reframing politics away from abstract, paralyzing culture wars and toward tangible, solvable community problems—improving parks, supporting local services, or strengthening neighborhood bonds.
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By demonstrating that meaningful change is achievable on a scale where participants can see results, this approach provides a pathway out of feeling overwhelmed. It proves that making a difference is within everyone's reach and that local action generates the kind of hope that abstract national debates often extinguish.

Building a Collaborative Movement

While the Nevins Fellows program's methods are local, its vision is national. From the start, the intention has been to create a model program that can inspire other campuses and cultivate a network of similar initiatives around the country that not only coexist but actively collaborate.

This vision directly counters the isolation that fuels cynicism. It assures participants that their local efforts are not happening in a vacuum but are part of an interconnected, nationwide movement of young people learning to rebuild democracy from the ground up. This sense of shared purpose and collective action becomes a profound source of hope, demonstrating that small, local actions can add up to powerful national force.
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The program is supported by David Nevins, founder and president of Nevins Real Estate Management and current president and co-director of the Bridge Alliance, a coalition of more than 80 organizations committed to revitalizing democratic practice in America. His support enables the McCourtney Institute to cover all fellowship costs, ensuring accessibility for students regardless of financial circumstances.

Certainty in Engagement Itself

Despite optimism about the program's impact, organizers acknowledge that the future is never guaranteed. Yet they express one thing with complete certainty: if no one tries, if no one gets involved, change will never happen. The most powerful takeaway from the Nevins Fellows program is not a promise of success, but an affirmation of the profound necessity of engagement itself.

The program offers a compelling blueprint for rebuilding civic hope through three transformative insights: engaging diverse minds from all fields, focusing on tangible local problems to restore agency, and building collaborative networks to combat isolation. It shifts focus from abstract despair to concrete action, demonstrating that democracy's renewal depends on citizens who are willing to try.

Organizations interested in hosting Nevins Fellows for the 2026 summer program can learn more and submit applications by February 16th at https://democracy.psu.edu/education/nevins-fellows/