Around the world, citizens are increasingly disillusioned with government. Many see public institutions as increasingly disconnected from and/or unresponsive to their needs. And many are increasingly discontent with traditional channels of state-defined “civic engagement” to raise and respond to their frustrations. So they are taking matters into their own hands.
2020 has seen an upswell of community organizing, mutual aid networks, protest movements, and creative new forms of bottom-up power-building. Citizens are demanding greater justice, equity, and accountability. But these are, in fact, what many in government want as well. So why is it so difficult to move forward, and to reconcile these conversations?
This session explores what new forms of citizen organizing are revealing about the nature of our fragile democracies, and what governments can do to harness community energy and to work with coalitions of diverse actors—including artists, activists, and the private sector—to co-create active and just democracies.
Join the session here: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/2065136524?pwd=ZHNkWGErdStPeTVBRlh6LzU5cTYyZz09