More in Common and Democracy Notes, with support from New Pluralists, have launched a nine-month communications community of practice for professionals working across the pluralism ecosystem. Building on prior social media research and peer-learning cohorts, the program brings together a small cohort of communications practitioners for monthly facilitated sessions focused on practical skill-building, experimentation, and shared problem-solving around messaging for democratic renewal, bridge-building, and inclusive civic participation. Participants receive peer support, individualized coaching, and shared funds to test new approaches, with no cost to participate. Applications are due February 13, 2026, and the cohort will begin in late March.

James Madison University has received a $2.72 million U.S. Department of Education grant to expand its Better Conversations Together program nationally, bringing JMU’s total recent federal investment in civil discourse work to nearly $5 million and positioning it as a national leader in civic engagement. Selected as one of only 16 universities nationwide to receive this highly competitive funding, JMU will use the grant to reach 40 anchor institutions across at least 40 states, train faculty through a deliberative pedagogy fellows program, and serve an estimated 30,000 students. Managed by the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement, the initiative focuses on building students’ capacities for democratic participation through skills such as deep listening, intellectual humility, and constructive deliberation across differences, while supporting faculty with training, revised deliberative materials, and rigorous evaluation. Grounded in James Madison’s vision of deliberation as central to democratic self-governance, the program offers a scalable model for strengthening civic infrastructure and democratic practice across higher education.

The National Issues Forums Institute has appointed Dawn Harfmann as Program Coordinator, bringing more than a decade of experience in nonpartisan deliberation, civic learning, and community-centered problem solving to support NIFI’s national network. Having previously served as a Program Associate, Harfmann brings deep familiarity with NIFI’s programs and partners, along with a background that spans research, education, facilitation, and curriculum design across community, higher education, and K–12 settings. In her new role, she will coordinate program logistics and partnerships, support the planning and delivery of initiatives, and contribute to the development of deliberative resources that help communities engage complex public issues collaboratively. Her work in bridge-building, including co-founding a Braver Angels alliance and completing formal moderator training, reflects NIFI’s commitment to strengthening civic infrastructure through practitioners who combine analytical rigor with relational skill.

​The Blackbelt Voices podcast, hosted by Adena J. White, Kara Wilkins, and Katrina Dupins, amplifies Black Southern voices through first-person narratives and in-depth conversations that explore the lived experiences of Black Southerners reconciling with and celebrating the region they call home. By creating intimate spaces for authentic storytelling, the podcast challenges dominant narratives while documenting the richness of Black Southern culture and inviting listeners into deeper understanding across lines of difference. The work demonstrates how narrative-based dialogue builds empathy, shifts awareness, and opens pathways toward healing and solidarity, serving both as affirmation for Black Southern communities and as education for broader audiences. Through their commitment to centering marginalized voices and using storytelling as a tool for social transformation, Blackbelt Voices advances NCDD's mission of fostering dialogue, strengthening civic engagement, and building bridges across communities.

Campus Compact and New America’s Political Reform Program have launched a pilot initiative to bring civic assemblies to community colleges nationwide, adapting a deliberative democracy model typically used by governments to higher education settings. Using representative sampling, these assemblies convene students, faculty, staff, and community members to learn from experts, deliberate on shared challenges, and develop actionable, consensus-based recommendations. The program provides end-to-end support—from topic selection and process design to facilitation and implementation—offering colleges an inclusive alternative to traditional feedback mechanisms. By embedding these structured, equity-centered processes into campus governance, the initiative positions community colleges as vital civic infrastructure while helping leaders address policy, resource, and student needs through genuine co-creation and trust-building.

​Braver Angels’ Depolarizing Within workshop addresses political polarization by helping participants examine their “inner polarizer” and develop skills for engaging in constructive political conversations. The three-hour online program teaches participants to distinguish between thoughtful critique and condemnation, providing strategies for intervening when conversations become disrespectful and for maintaining critical perspectives while preserving civic relationships. By focusing on self-awareness and everyday conversation skills, the workshop creates opportunities for cultural shift within political communities and equips participants to contribute to healthier democratic norms. It's accessible, free, and emphasis on personal responsibility supports NCDD’s mission of strengthening civic engagement, fostering dialogue across difference, and building the foundation for collaborative democratic action.

​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) serves as the primary network connecting practitioners, researchers, and community leaders who advance democracy through meaningful conversation and collaborative problem-solving. NCDD brings together facilitators, mediators, educators, and civic innovators across sectors, fostering cross-pollination of diverse approaches to dialogue, deliberation, and participatory governance while providing practical tools and frameworks grounded in real-world experience. The organization supports practitioners in designing inclusive engagement processes that bridge big differences, reach traditionally excluded voices, and generate sustainable community solutions through collective action. By connecting practice with research and cultivating continuous learning across the dialogue and deliberation field, NCDD directly strengthens the capacity of communities and institutions to engage in the democratic renewal central to its mission.

​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.

​The Spring 2026 NCDD Intern Cohort offers students and emerging professionals a learning-centered, fully remote internship opportunity with applications due Friday, January 30, across roles in Communications, Democracy Engagement, Digital Systems, Grant Writing, Membership Engagement, and Program Development. The flexible program, requiring one to fifteen hours weekly, treats interns as collaborators on meaningful projects while providing hands-on nonprofit experience, mentorship from experienced practitioners, training in dialogue and facilitation, and professional networking opportunities in a culture that emphasizes transparency, sustainability, and meeting people where they are. Through a cohort model blending independent work with optional weekly calls and peer connection, participants gain clarity on how their interests intersect with community work and civic engagement while developing skills in collaborative leadership and democratic practice. By offering structured learning combined with genuine flexibility and care for interns' wellbeing, this opportunity directly supports NCDD's mission of developing the next generation of dialogue and deliberation practitioners.

​When the Map Is Useless, a multi-year initiative led by Simon Fraser University's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, strengthens public sense-making and civic discourse by cultivating capacities to navigate social, political, and ecological uncertainty. Through Conversations for a World in Transition—an interdisciplinary dialogue series exploring what is unfolding, how to understand it, and how to sustain ourselves through change—and Bridging the Political Divide—facilitated conversations among public leaders modeling rigorous yet respectful disagreement—the program creates reflective spaces for engaging complexity without resorting to simplification or despair. The initiative equips communities and leaders with practices for sustaining democratic relationships and collective decision-making amid polarization, demonstrating how dialogue can foster critical optimism and broader participation in public life. By bringing together diverse voices to make sense of profound transition, this work directly advances NCDD's commitment to strengthening democracy through meaningful conversation and collaborative engagement across difference.