NCDD friends, The National Civic League, recently published the Winter Edition of the National Civic Review which explores civic engagement and democracy’s role in community well-being, spotlighting citizen-led innovations in public safety and homelessness. It delves into participatory governance and creativity’s vital contribution to human flourishing. Available open-access online, it’s a key read on civic progress. Read more in the blog post below.

We are sharing an invitation to participate in a research study on hybrid public deliberation and dialogue processes, which combine in-person and online participants. The study seeks individuals who have organized, facilitated, or provided technology for at least four hybrid dialogues. Participants will be interviewed about their practices, technology, challenges, and the future of hybrid processes. Each interview will take around 45 minutes, and participants will receive a $50 Visa gift card. Participation is voluntary, confidential, and can be withdrawn at any time. For more details, visit the consent form link provided. Read more in the blog post below!

The National Issues Forum Institute (NIFI) has launched the Deliberative Democracy Fellowship in 2024 to support the development of new Issue Guides for public deliberation and decision-making. The fellowship is open to individuals with experience in deliberative practices, offering a $5,000 stipend and additional support funds. NIFI is also hiring a Deliberative Fellowship Coordinator to oversee the program, assist fellows, and ensure the quality and relevance of the Issue Guides. The Coordinator role is a 12-month contract with a stipend of $13,500. Applications are due by August 28, 2024. Read more in the blog post below and find additional information here.

Noemi Vega Quiñones, PhD, has been awarded the prestigious Louisville Institute Dissertation Fellowship for her project on migrant women's agencies in predominantly Spanish-speaking communities of California's Central Coast. Her dissertation, based on the lived stories of fifty Spanish-speaking migrant women, explores their ethical choices amid violent and exploitative systems through interviews and Reflective Structured Dialogue. Quiñones aims to create safe spaces for vulnerable sharing, contributing to more ethical migration policies and theologies of migration. Read the blog post below and learn more here. 

​Josh Lerner, Co-Executive Director of People Powered, has released a white paper titled From Waves to Ecosystems: The Next Stage of Democratic Innovation, commissioned by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation's Ithaca Initiative. The paper argues for a shift from isolated democratic innovations to integrating diverse democratic practices into cohesive ecosystems to address global democratic crises. It proposes expanding our understanding of democracy by revisiting its historical diversity, building balanced democratic ecosystems rather than competing waves, and supporting a just transition by overcoming current unhealthy practices. The paper was launched on June 26th with a discussion featuring global democracy experts. Read more in the blog post below and find the paper here!

NCDD friends, Social Pinpoint, announced a 12-day survey aimed at identifying challenges and successful practices for engaging underrepresented community members. The survey seeks to gather diverse opinions to address equity with innovative solutions. Participants' anonymous insights will contribute to a report on inclusive engagement practices and be presented at the TRB's 2nd Conference on Advancing Transportation Equity. The survey closes on Monday, July 8th, and participants will receive a copy of the final report. Read the blog post below and take the survey here. 

Weave's Social Trust Index and Map show how different neighborhood traits are linked to social trust. They look at behaviors, intentions, and spaces separately but recognize how they all work together. The data, updated annually from sources like Esri and SafeGraph, is collected locally to be specific and timely. Experts chose data linked to social trust, and Datastory analyzed it into easy-to-understand scores. The Index covers community engagement, intentions, and social spaces to help neighbors connect. Check out the blog post below, read the article, and explore the Social Trust Index Map here.