Join Frontiers of Democracy 2025 "Listening and Leading": June 19-21

Don't miss the Frontiers of Democracy 2025 conference at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life from June 19-21, 2025 — a key gathering for democracy practitioners, scholars, and community leaders. This year’s theme, "Listening and Leading," emphasizes the power of dialogue in addressing division and polarization. With an extended May 2nd deadline for proposing interactive sessions and early bird registration open until April 11th, now is the perfect time to get involved. Join us in shaping the future of democratic practice! Read more in the blog post below.

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NCDD is proud to highlight this important upcoming event for democracy practitioners and scholars.

As democracy advocates, we know that creating spaces for meaningful dialogue and deliberation has never been more crucial. That's why we're excited to share information about the Frontiers of Democracy 2025 conference, hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University from June 19-21, 2025.

Why Attend Frontiers of Democracy?

At a time when democracies worldwide face unprecedented challenges, this annual gathering provides a vital opportunity for practitioners, scholars, leaders, and community members to convene, strategize, learn, and support one another. The NCDD community will find tremendous value in connecting with others working at the frontiers of democratic practice.

This year's theme— Listening and Leading — feels especially relevant to our work. As the conference organizers note, "the crisis of democracy involves division and polarization, and listening and dialogue are aspects of the solution." The conference will also welcome discussions on building robust, inclusive democracy for an increasingly multiracial society, continuing conversations from previous years on topics such as violence and nonviolence (2024) and religious pluralism and democracy (2023).

Participate and Engage

Beyond attending, we encourage NCDD members to consider proposing sessions for the conference. The deadline for session submissions has been extended to May 2nd, giving you more time to develop your ideas. Rather than traditional presentations or panels, the organizers prefer interactive formats such as:

• Moderated discussions
• Strategic planning meetings
• Training workshops
• Case study discussions
• Debates
• Other creative engagement formats
  

Important Details to Know

• Dates: Thursday, June 19 (5 PM) through Saturday, June 21 (1 PM), 2025
• Location: Tufts University, Medford Campus (177 College Avenue, Medford, MA)
• Registration: Early bird rates available until April 11th, with registration closing June 15th
• Refunds: Available upon request through June 15th
• Meals: Thursday evening reception, plus breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday
• Accessibility: The venue features accessible bathrooms and step-free entrances with button-operated doors. Contact [email protected] two weeks before the event with any accessibility questions or accommodation requests.

Connect with Fellow Democracy Advocates

Frontiers of Democracy consistently attracts engaged citizens, innovative facilitators, academic researchers, and community organizers from across the United States and beyond. For NCDD members, this represents a wonderful opportunity to share our approaches to dialogue and deliberation while learning from others working in adjacent spaces.

The full agenda, session descriptions, and speaker list will be updated on the conference site as the event develops. Keep an eye out for these details to plan your experience.

Conference Site: www.eventbrite.com/e/frontiers-of-democracy-conference-2025-tickets-1217993765139

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We hope to see many familiar NCDD faces at Frontiers of Democracy 2025 this June!
If you're planning to attend or present, let us know in the comments below.
​We'd love to coordinate meetups or collaborative session proposals from our community.