Frontiers of Democracy II Agenda

Frontiers of Democracy II:
Innovations in Civic Practice, Theory, and Education

July 19-21, 2012, Boston, MA

Watch the live feed
and join the conversation using the hashtag #demfront.

Thursday, July 19

8:30am to 5:00pm   Registration and two pre-conference sessions

  1. Planning for Stronger Local Democracy (9 am to 5 pm) on comprehensive, long-term, sustainable forms of public engagement.
  2. Pedagogies of the Street – In the Classroom (8:30am to 4 pm) on promising curricula and pedagogies for democratic education and engagement.

5:00   Reception

5:30   Welcome and Opening Remarks – Watch the live feed

Note: The “sessions” described below are not conventional conference panels. They are sets of provocative 10-minute presentations by invited speakers, some live and some via videos pre-recorded for this event. The speakers’ topics will be diverse. Instead of following their presentations with Q&A and plenary discussion, we will go directly into small-group conversations that will be generally inspired by the speakers but not limited to their remarks.

Session I – Watch the live feed

  • Kristen Cambell, National Conference on Citizenship
  • Jamila Raqib, Albert Einstein Institution
  • Amii Omara Otunnu, UNESCO Human Rights Chair

Small-group conversation:

  • Is there a global civic awakening?
  • How can we advance cross-national learning to contribute to this awakening?

7:30   Adjourn

Friday, July 20

8:00   Registration opens and breakfast available

9:00   Opening Plenary

9:45    Session II – Watch the live feed

  • Brad Lander, New York City Council
  • Valerie Lemmie, former city manager of Cincinnati, Ohio, and current district director for U.S. Rep. Mike Turner
  • Meira Levinson, Harvard Graduate School of Education

10:15    Break

10:30    Small-group conversation:

  • What is the role(s) of public officials in new forms of democracy?
  • How should we measure the value and progress of new kinds of engagement?
  • How are online tools being used for engagement, and what are the most promising avenues for innovation?

12:00    Lunch

12:45    Session III – Watch the live feed

  • Cecilia Orphan, University of Pennsylvania
  • Peter Kiang, University of Massachusetts – Boston
  • Archon Fung, Harvard/Kennedy School of Government

Small-group conversation:

  • What are the essential components of civic education today?
  • How do we increase civic agency for all people?
  • Do equitable processes lead to equitable outcomes?

2:15      Break

2:30    Forum

Shaping Our Future: How Should Higher Education Help Us Create the Society We Want?
(This is a project of the American Commonwealth Partnership and National Issues Forums, and we will use this issue guide for the discussion.)

4:00    Open Space meetings
Breakout meetings on topics suggested by participants

5:00    Closing Remarks
Including highlights of Twitter discussion

5:30    Adjourn for the day
(participants on their own for dinner)

Saturday, July 21

8:00    Breakfast

9:00     Session IV -Watch the live feed

  • Eric Gordon, Engagement Game Lab
  • Lew Friedland, University of Wisconsin

Small-group conversation:

  •  What are the most constructive roles for the ‘media’ (new, old, or in-between) to play in public life?
  • At the 2009 No Better Time conference, a younger participant asked “Why is ‘politics’ a dirty word?” – has ‘politics’ become a dirty word again?

10:00    Break

10:15    Session V – Watch the live feed

  • Martha McCoy, Everyday Democracy
  • Luz Santana, Right Question Project
  • Eric Liu, Guiding Lights Network

Small-group conversation:

  • Is it possible and productive to introduce democratic practices into undemocratic forms of governance?
  • What are the prospects for injecting truly democratic practices into the 2012 election cycle?

11:30     Closing plenary – Watch the live feed

12:30    Adjourn