​The Interactivity Foundation has released a three-part facilitation plan series on shaping towns and cities, providing structured guides for community conversations about urban design, civic identity, and the relationship between place and democratic life. Each discussion plan includes carefully sequenced questions that move participants from personal stories about places they have lived to collective exploration of sustainability, inclusivity in design decisions, and reimagining the American Dream beyond financial success to include green space, cultural vitality, and thriving community life. The series employs dialogue methodology emphasizing generosity, connection, and collaborative exploration to examine who gets input into urban planning decisions, how design choices affect different populations, and pathways toward creating sustainable cities that support human flourishing. This free resource advances NCDD's mission by equipping facilitators with practical tools to foster civic engagement on urban governance issues and build capacity for communities to participate meaningfully in shaping the physical and social environments that structure democratic possibility.

​The Interactivity Foundation has released a three-part facilitation plan series on promoting good mental health, providing structured guides for community conversations about anxiety, depression, loneliness, and mental wellness challenges facing American society. Each discussion plan includes carefully sequenced questions that move participants from personal experience to policy exploration, examining topics including social isolation's impact on health, responsibility for mental wellness, technology's influence on relationships, and future approaches that prioritize prevention and wellness over reactive treatment. The series employs dialogue methodology emphasizing generosity, connection, and collaborative exploration to create safe spaces where communities can address stigmatized topics and develop a shared understanding of complex health challenges. This free resource advances NCDD's mission by equipping facilitators with practical tools to foster constructive civic discourse on mental health as a democratic issue requiring collective problem-solving and community-level engagement.

​The classic American Dream promised home ownership, salaried jobs that enabled prosperity, the ability to provide for family, savings for retirement, and access to quality goods and services like healthcare and transportation. This three-part discussion series invites participants to examine whether that vision still exists and to collectively imagine what a New American Dream might look like for contemporary society. The series explores the relationship between personal finances, economic systems, and democratic health, addressing questions about who benefits from current structures, how rising inequality affects communities, and what values should guide efforts to create economic opportunity accessible to all.

​This four-part curriculum prepares individuals to resist political polarization and engage constructively across differences during the 2024 election cycle and beyond. Political polarization—the tendency for people to sort into opposing sides, erase complexity, and treat one another less humanely—intensifies during presidential elections, turning democracy into political sport where only one side can win. This curriculum develops internal capacities, skills, and confidence needed to become a positive force in conversations about the election in community settings. The following sections explain the curriculum structure and why these skills matter for democratic health.

The Reflective Structured Dialogue format addresses a common challenge in public discourse: many issues have become too complex for most people to fully understand without expertise, yet simply providing more facts rarely resolves disagreements about what those facts mean or how to respond. This 90-minute dialogue process integrates expert knowledge with participant reflection, allowing people to hear from a topic expert while bringing their own life experiences, values, and identities into the conversation. The format balances information-sharing with structured dialogue, helping participants develop greater clarity about their own beliefs and understand perspectives different from their own.

This resource reviews 50 digital tools designed to support sensemaking and deliberation processes in organizations and communities. Sensemaking involves interpreting complex data and transforming it into actionable insights, while deliberation ensures diverse perspectives are considered in decision-making, promoting inclusivity and balanced outcomes. As organizations face increasing data volumes and complexity, selecting appropriate tools becomes essential for achieving clarity and fostering productive dialogue. The following sections explain the tool landscape and why these capabilities matter for effective organizational decision-making.

Step Inside This House is a reflective classroom exercise designed to help students explore the cultural influences that have shaped their identities, values, and beliefs. The exercise uses the metaphor of a house containing three rooms—one for important people, one for meaningful traditions or customs, and one for significant objects—to guide students through structured reflection about what matters most to them. By identifying and sharing these formative elements, students introduce themselves to classmates in ways that reveal personal stories and invite deeper understanding. The following sections explain how the exercise works and why this approach supports constructive dialogue across differences.

​This community dialogue guide addresses how systems and policies that center whiteness create barriers to racial equity and collective well-being in America. PolicyLink designed this resource to facilitate structured conversations that move beyond analysis of racial problems toward collaborative action and systemic change. The guide provides facilitators with tools to lead participants through reflections on how centering Blackness—intentionally designing policies and practices that lift up and protect Black people—can promote healing and better outcomes for people of all races. The following sections explain the dialogue approach, key concepts, and why this work matters for advancing equity.

​Living Room Conversations provides a structured dialogue format that brings people together across differences to discuss civic engagement and community participation. This conversation guide focuses on civic renewal—the ways people connect, contribute, and belong within their communities—and addresses challenges like partisan division and declining civic participation. The guide offers a 90-minute framework for 4-7 participants to share personal experiences, explore what civic life means to them, and identify opportunities to strengthen community engagement. The following sections explain the conversation structure and why this approach matters for building a healthier civic culture.

​This resource from Essential Partners explains how debate, discussion, and dialogue are three distinct classroom conversation modes with different goals and outcomes: debate builds analytical and persuasive skills through structured argumentation, discussion supports collaborative problem-solving and information sharing, and dialogue centers on self-awareness, empathy, and relationship-building through reflective, equitable small-group conversations. The framework and classroom exercise help educators intentionally choose the right mode for their learning objectives, showing how dialogue in particular fosters inclusion, social-emotional learning, deeper engagement, and stronger classroom culture by connecting academic content to students’ lived experiences and values.

​Understanding the "Three Ds" of public discourse—dialogue, debate, and deliberation—is essential for fostering meaningful community engagement. Dialogue builds mutual understanding without aiming for specific outcomes. Debate highlights opposing viewpoints with the goal of persuasion and clarity. Deliberation focuses on informed decision-making for the public good. Each plays a unique role in how communities communicate, solve problems, and shape policy. Mastering these forms of discourse leads to more inclusive and effective public participation. Read more in the resource center post below.

​Who are We The People–and Who is Being Pushed Out? is a three-part discussion series designed to spark deep reflection on inclusion and exclusion in democracy. Moving beyond voting rights, it challenges participants to consider who truly belongs in a democratic society and what structural, cultural, and systemic barriers limit full participation. Through guided conversations, the series explores who is included, who is excluded, and what it would take to build a democracy where everyone can belong as free and equal participants.  Read more in the resource center post below.

​The Civil Rights Discussion Series by the Interactivity Foundation is a three-part facilitation resource designed to help communities explore how civil rights shape and evolve within American democracy. Covering foundational concepts, real-world applications, and future challenges—such as technology and privacy—the series provides ready-to-use discussion plans ideal for civic groups, classrooms, public forums, and more. With structured guidance and inclusive prompts, it encourages thoughtful, forward-looking dialogue on one of democracy’s most vital pillars. Read more in the resource center post below.

Interactivity Foundation's "Who Are We The People? Who Belongs?" explores democratic inclusion through a structured three-part facilitation guide. Participants engage in round-robin discussions, open dialogue, and collaborative wrap-ups to examine which voices are heard in our democracy and which are excluded. By the end, participants gain insights into building more inclusive democratic systems and develop skills for constructive engagement across different perspectives. Feedback opportunities are available to continue improving this vital conversation. Read more in the post below.