"What's Next, America?" Invites Communities Across the Country into Deliberative Conversation

What's Next, America?, a nationwide initiative of the National Issues Forums Institute, invites communities across the country to engage in structured deliberative conversations centered on three questions: where are we now, where do we want to go, and how will we get there — framed around the nation's 250th anniversary as an opportunity for democratic renewal at the local level. The program provides a free Forum Discussion Guide with a three-part deliberative discussion framework that moves participants from community assessment through priority deliberation to action planning, and NIFI supports conveners with webinars, coaching, and a growing national community of practice. With resources designed for any setting — from neighborhoods to campuses to faith communities — the initiative makes deliberation accessible to participants at any level of experience. This work directly embodies NCDD's mission by equipping everyday Americans to use deliberation as a tool for civic engagement, community problem-solving, and democratic participation.

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As the United States marks its 250th year, the National Issues Forums Institute is launching one of the most ambitious community dialogue initiatives in recent memory. What's Next, America? is a nationwide program inviting neighbors, campus communities, faith groups, and civic organizations to come together in structured deliberative conversations about the challenges and possibilities facing their communities. Built on four decades of deliberative practice and grounded in the proven model of NIFI's National Issues Forums, the initiative asks a deceptively simple set of questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? And how will we get there? Those three questions anchor a three-part discussion framework that moves participants from honest reflection on local conditions to collective direction-setting to concrete action planning.

What distinguishes What's Next, America? from ordinary civic conversation is its intentional structure. The initiative's Forum Discussion Guide, developed by Betty Knighton, Dawn Harfmann, and Cristin Brawner and freely available to download, walks participants through a sequential process of community assessment, priority deliberation, and action planning — including tools like a community roadmap and an Action Summit model for translating discussion into organized local effort. Conversations are designed to be hosted in any setting — libraries, schools, faith communities, neighborhoods — with an explicit commitment to reaching people who are not already civically engaged. NIFI supports conveners through webinars, team coaching, drop-in hours, and a growing community of practice, making the initiative accessible to first-time facilitators and seasoned practitioners alike.

​What's Next, America? is precisely the kind of initiative the NCDD network exists to amplify. It demonstrates that deliberation is not a specialized professional practice reserved for experts — it is something that communities can do together, in their own settings, about the things that matter most to them. For dialogue and deliberation practitioners looking for a ready-made framework to deploy in their communities, a national network of peers to learn from, and a civic context that makes engagement feel urgent and meaningful, this initiative offers all three. Download the What's Next, America? Participant Guide and explore NIFI's collaborative offerings and calendar of events — including weekly workshops — at https://whatsnextamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WNA-Participant-Guide.pdf and https://whatsnextamerica.com.