Lessons from Bend, Ore. Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness
Event
DemocracyNext and New America invite you to a briefing on best practices and key insights from the Deschutes County Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness. As we close out the 2024 election season, it’s a timely reminder that democracy isn’t confined to Election Day—it thrives through continuous civic engagement. This transformative experiment in citizen-led democracy offers rich lessons for practitioners and scholars interested in the growing movement of citizens’ assemblies in the United States, as well as the role that digital tools can play in fostering collaboration and deliberation.
The Deschutes County Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness took place in Bend, Oregon on September 14-15 and October 4-6. The 25 assembly members experienced hands-on democracy and conducted over 30 hours of deliberations, which were livestreamed and can be viewed here.
Please join us for a thought-provoking discussion featuring on-the-ground experts and leaders who were instrumental to the process in Bend:
Claudia Chwalisz - Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext
Josh Burgess - Executive Director of the Central Oregon Civic Action Project
Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou - Head of Translational Research, MIT
Tammy Baney - Executive Director, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
The discussion will be moderated by Hollie Russon Gilman, Senior Fellow at the Political Reform Program.