Democracy Resource Hub Learning Series
The Democracy Resource Hub (DRH) is a project of the SHIFT Action Lab that connects people and projects working to renew democracy.
Over the past year, we spoke with dozens of practitioners across the democracy movement to understand what's needed most. This Learning Series is our response: a suite of practical skills and approaches that help people work better together across differences to take action for a future where we all Thrive Together.
Each session shares tested tools from the fields of organizing, bridge-building, and collaborative governance. You can join one or many. Every workshop is a chance to learn with others and build the civic muscle we need for the long term.
Learn. Connect. Strengthen Democracy.
Participatory Governance
Skills for deliberation and decision-making at scale
Bridge Building
Skills for connecting across political differences
Organizing
Skills for uniting people to take action.
Facilitation Skills for Deliberative Democracy
November 6, 2025
Citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, and other deliberative models are giving communities new ways to solve problems together. This session introduces the core principles of participatory democracy and the facilitation skills that make it work. Participants explore real examples and meet practitioners leading this fast-growing global movement. Learn how your facilitation practice can open pathways to shared decision-making and civic renewal.
Facilitation 101: Introduction to Dialogue & Deliberation
December 16, 2025
How can facilitators design and guide conversations that help diverse groups learn, build trust, and move toward shared purpose?
This introductory session covers the essential building blocks of community facilitation: how to create a supportive container, ask strong generative questions, balance participation, and design simple processes that help people think and talk together across differences. Participants will learn the core foundations of dialogue and deliberation at the 101 level: how to surface values, structure a useful conversation, and choose the right kind of process for the goals at hand. The session focuses on practical, repeatable skills for local leaders, hub builders, and anyone hosting civic conversations in their community, with clear next steps for deeper learning in future DRH sessions.
Bridging Across Political Differences
January 9, 2026
How can we depolarize ourselves and communicate more effectively across divides?
This session offers a practical tour of proven approaches to depolarization and dialogue from leading bridge-builders. Participants explore how to stay grounded, curious, and connected when tensions rise, using story-sharing and language awareness to build empathy and trust.
Who should participate?
Local democracy builders, facilitators, organizers who want to learn how to expand and unite
Using Civic Technology for Meaningful Engagement
January 22
How can digital tools help us bring dialogue and deliberation to scale while keeping human connection and trust at the center?
This session introduces platforms that make it possible for thousands to participate in meaningful public dialogue. Participants explore hybrid approaches where online tools complement in-person facilitation to create more inclusive, transparent, and democratic processes.
Who should participate?
Local democracy builders, facilitators
Facilitating Sensemaking in Complexity
February 3, 2026
How can facilitators help communities reason together when facts are contested and expertise is uneven?
Participants learn to integrate expert input without losing community voice—keeping citizens at the center of decision-making. The session focuses on methods for weighing evidence, surfacing assumptions, and building shared understanding that is “true enough to act on together.”
Who should participate?
Local democracy builders, facilitators
Choosing a Focus a Community Can Carry
February 11
How do communities decide what to work on together when people care about different things?
This session explores how local civic leaders move from many concerns to a shared focus that fits their capacity and feels legitimate across differences — creating a strong foundation for later deliberation.
Who should participate?
On-the-ground civic practitioners and hub builders.
Participation is by invitation or partner referral.
Listening as the Invitation
February 18
How do you invite people into a civic process when outcomes are uncertain and trust is fragile?
This session reframes recruitment as a listening practice, using one-on-one conversations to surface what people care about and build trust in the process itself.
Who should participate?
On-the-ground civic practitioners and hub builders.
Participation is by invitation or partner referral.
Identifying the Strategic Local Partners for Civic Renewal
February 25
How do groups understand who needs to be involved for civic work to be legitimate and durable?
This session focuses on identifying key stakeholders, informal influence, and strategic relationships — helping groups avoid blind spots before deliberation begins.
Who should participate?
On-the-ground civic practitioners and hub builders.
Participation is by invitation or partner referral.
Democracy Under Pressure
A Reflective Dialogue for Organizers
February 2026
How do movements and coalitions make democratic decisions when urgency is high and stakes feel existential?
This participatory convening invites participants into a live, facilitated experience that surfaces how urgency shapes power, dissent, and legitimacy — and then creates space to reflect together on what principled, pluralist decision-making requires under pressure. The session emphasizes collective sensemaking over debate or training, offering a shared experience that helps participants think more clearly about practicing democracy while defending it.
Explore more at
democracyresourcehub.org