February 2024 Newsletter

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News and updates from the
dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement field
NCDD Newsletter
February 2024

This newsletter holds the latest information from around the dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement community, including current opportunities and upcoming events.

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Happy Leap Day!

Today is a unique day that only comes every four years - I hope you make this most of it. 

At NCDD, we are more than just a network – we are a movement. We serve as a vibrant nexus, a beacon of hope, and a catalyst for transformation. Our mission is clear: to bring people together across all boundaries – political, social, and cultural – to engage in dialogue, deliberate thoughtfully, and forge solutions that work for all.

I’m writing today with one final ask from the NCDD Board of Directors match challenge - we are just $500 away from reaching our goal of raising $2024 by end of today. The Board is matching every dollar - please give a gift today!

These funds help us to put on more programs, such as our amazing webinars, and launch our new working groups and exchanges. We held our first Higher Ed Exchange yesterday and it was so energizing to see everyone sharing resources, talking about their experiences on and off campus, and discussing how we can make this space meaningful to them. 

This quick match campaign will help give us a lift as we move into March, and we have a lot in store. NCDD has kicked off 2024 with lots of activity:

• We recently hosted our first skill-building event of the year, and are working to announce a variety of webinars and skill-building sessions -  see ncdd.org/events for the latest.
• We announced brand-new Working Groups and Exchanges! These will bring us together to tackle challenges for NCDD and our field, and explore our work. The Media Collaborative and the Higher Ed Exchange are already underway, and the Emerging Leaders and the Fundraising and Philanthropy working groups are starting next week! Read all about the groups and how to get involved here.
• We started another year of Monthly Member Calls! These informal networking events are open to active members only, so join or renew your membership to participate!
• Our staff are continuing our work with library systems and the American Library Association, supporting library staff in working on accessibility projects, and addressing tensions in the library.
• We’re meeting with people working in spaces including journalism, education, democracy building, and more to make new connections and strengthen our network.

Can you chip in a few dollars today to help us reach our goal? This is our last chance to match your contributions! Your gifts are hugely helpful and greatly appreciated. You are what makes NCDD so vibrant!

Best,
Courtney Breese
NCDD Executive Director

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From the NCDD Blog... 

• Become a Certified Collaborative Discussion Coach
• Kettering Names Four Additional Senior Fellows
• Wabash College Offers Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Dialogue and Deliberation
• NCA Public Dialogue and Deliberation Division 2024 Call for Submissions

Read more D&D centered information on the NCDD Blog at: www.ncdd.org/news

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Announcements From NCDD Member Calls
Several NCDD members shared updates with us during the monthly NCDD member calls, which are held on Zoom the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific. 

Want to join these opportunities? Join NCDD as a member! Current members will receive invitations to each meeting via the NCDD-MEMBERLIST listserv. If you are unsure about your membership status, please check with our office manager, Joy, at [email protected]. 

• The Public Square Academy: 
  • Offering a 75% discount on their updated interactive program design and delivery course to NCDD members. Starts March 19 at 10 - 11:30am PST. Enter code IPDnD75 - https://publicsquareacademy.com/programs/workshops/interactive-program-design-delivery/ 
  • Looking for organizational partners to develop education programs and events, particularly pro-democracy courses, workshops and groups. Contact Michael Freedman at [email protected] to learn more.
  • Join a demo of The Public Square Academy Platform tomorrow  - Friday, March 1st at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern. Only a few slots available - register here.
• Democracy Resource Hub: Give feedback on the Democracy Resource Hub - How would you improve this? What resources should be included? What information would help you get more involved in healing democracy? Send comments to Duncan Autrey at [email protected]. 
• Voice of the People: Have some great materials for issue-focused conversations with briefings and arguments pro and con vetted by experts on both sides. Explore their policymaking simulations at: https://vop.org/policymaking-simulations/. (At the end you have a chance to send your informed policy preferences to your elected officials!) 

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Upcoming Events:
Below are a few upcoming conferences and events. You can also check out the NCDD Community Event Calendar for more: ncdd.org/community-events.html
 
Want to add something to the calendar? Reach out to [email protected].

• March 1: NCDD Media Collaborative Working Group meeting 
  from 1:00 - 2:30pm ET, 10:00 - 11:30am PT
• March 15: NCDD Media Collaborative Working Group meeting 
  from 1:00 - 2:30pm ET, 10:00 - 11:30am PT
• March 20: NCDD member call 
  from 2:00 - 3:00pm ET, 11:00am - 12:00pm PT
• March 27: NCDD Higher Education Exchange meeting 
• from 3:00 - 4:00pm ET, 12:00 - 1:00pm PT

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Ways to Get Involved with NCDD?

Join the NCDD Network and participate in monthly member calls! Being a member of the NCDD network is making a commitment to be in community together and to explore the next steps we can take to continue to broaden the reach of dialogue & deliberation practices. One of the ways we create community is by hosting monthly Member Calls on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific. These calls are meant to provide an opportunity for members to come together and share exciting announcements with one another, as well as give us as a community additional opportunities to connect, explore best practices, discuss challenges, and collaborate. ​
 
Want to join these opportunities? Join NCDD as a member to get access to these calls and more! If you are not sure about your membership status, please check with our office manager, Joy, at [email protected]. 

Got News to Share? Submit it to the NCDD Blog! NCDD has been blogging for the dialogue and deliberation community since 2004 about job and funding opportunities, training and conferences, national projects and media coverage, and NCDD’s own programs and events.  We also use the blog to share thoughtful opinion pieces by NCDD members and leaders, and to propose new ideas. Do you have an announcement or opinion piece to share? Submit it now!

New Book or materials? Share them in the NCDD Resource Center! The NCDD Resource Center is a clearinghouse of top-notch resources that help people facilitate, teach, plan, evaluate and study dialogue and deliberation. We aim to present each resource in a useful, practical way (not too puff piece-y, jargony or generic), and link directly to the resource so people can get to what they need quickly. Submit your resource here. 

Want to share news in the next NCDD monthly newsletter? Send an email to: [email protected]

join ncdd

donate to ncdd

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