On June 30th, Dr. Danielle Allen, co-chair of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship and Dr. Norman Ornstein, Commission member provided a briefing on Our Common Purpose to 30 staffers from 15 different Congressional offices on the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The briefing covered discussion of Our Common Purpose recommendations, including enlarging the size of the House of Representatives, implementing ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts, imposing term limits on Supreme Court Justices, reforming social media, creating an expectation of a year of paid national service, and investing in efforts to connect people across differences at the community level. The Commission will continue to engage the Caucus and other members of Congress on both sides of the aisle in discussions around challenges facing our democracy. |
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Unfinished Salon
In our digital age, technology is interwoven in the very fabric of our society—our work, our play, and increasingly our communities and social lives. How can technology be a force for good and bring out the best in humanity? How does it help or hinder our efforts toward building a thriving multiracial democracy? Speakers include: Claudia Peña, Executive Director of For Freedoms, Prakash Janakiraman, Co-Founder and Chief Architect of Nextdoor, Pia Mancini, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Collective, and Deepti Doshi, Co-Director of New_ Public.
Unfinished Salons are an ongoing series of thought-provoking events held through 2022. Each Salon focuses on a single animating question that connects to Unfinished’s mission of building a just digital future. Charting the path toward this future requires a bold imagining of how technology, governance, and culture can create a thriving multiracial democracy and a just economy, and the Salons dive into the fundamental questions that get us there.
July 13, 2022 from 2 – 3 PM Eastern Time | Register here
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Youth, News, and the Midterms: How the Media Can Grow Voters in 2022 and Beyond
CIRCLE, the nation’s leading youth civic engagement research institution, invites you to join a panel of media leaders and explore how journalists can strengthen democracy and their own audiences by transforming their relationships with young people. This virtual panel will unpack new research and recommendations about the role of media in youth civic engagement and discuss how newsrooms can lean into their role as civic institutions by adopting norms and practices that approach young people as both a key audience and as potential co-creators.
Featured speakers include: Allegra Kirkland, Politics Director, Teen Vogue, Rachel Janfaza, Associate Writer, CNN Politics, Amanda Vigil, Youth Media Manager, KQED Education, Roxanne Patel Shepelavy, Executive Editor, The Philadelphia Citizen, and Irene Franco Rubio, Student, University of Southern California.
July 18, 2022 from 2 - 3 PM Eastern Time | Register here
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Rec. 1.8: 18-Year Terms for SCOTUS Justices
James Fallows, contributing writer at The Atlantic and Academy member, recently discussed the Our Common Purpose recommendation for introducing 18-year term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices on MSNBC 's Morning Joe. The OCP team has recently launched a working group to further explore the implementation of this recommendation. Check out the interview below.
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The Big and Beautiful Idea Behind America That We're Forgetting - Public Square Magazine
On this Fourth of July week, check out this article by Liz Joyner, Founder and CEO of The Village Square, an Our Common Purpose champion. The Village Square is dedicated to reviving civic connections across divisions inside American communities, reminds us what makes the United States unique, and leaves us with an important message as we anticipate the anniversary of its birth.
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Civics Secures Democracy Act Re-Introduced
In June, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced legislation to expand access to civic education with a $1 billion investment across K-12 and higher education. The Civics Secures Democracy Act will expand educational programming in history and civics, addressing Recommendation 6.5 of Our Common Purpose, which calls for investing in civic education. Read more about the Civics Secures Democracy Act here. |
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Legislation to Reduce Polarization and Support Community Bridgebuilding
U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) recently announced they would introduce a Senate companion to the Building Civic Bridges Act in the coming days. This bipartisan legislation would empower communities to assist local civic and community organizations with ongoing efforts to address contentious civic issues and reduce polarization at the local level. The House companion bill was introduced by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA-6) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-6) in February, and addresses Strategy 4 of Our Common Purpose that calls for dramatically expanding civic bridging capacity. Read more about the bill here.
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New Report on Youth Civic Engagement
The CIRCLE Growing Voters report introduces and details a paradigm-shifting framework for developing the next generation of voters. Based on rigorous, comprehensive research, including findings from an exclusive survey of teens, it serves as a guide for every institution and community to play a role in this work. The report includes actionable recommendations for educators, organizers, policymakers, journalists, funders, families, young leaders, and more. Only by working together can we close voting gaps, expand the electorate, and support a more equitable and representative American democracy. Check out the full report here. |
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Recap: Bridging Divides in America
On May 17th, the Academy convened a distinguished panel including members of Congress, leaders in national security, and experts in bridging divides to explore the stakes in and share promising solutions to bring Americans together to solve problems and strengthen our nation. You can watch a recording of this conversation below.
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