The Dialogue approach is based around the notion that unleashing the diversity of a community is the best way to solve tough problems. In the Dialogues, we gathered a small but representative group of a community to act on behalf of their friends and neighbors over multiple days of learning and discussion, through a process called the Citizens Jury. Participants in a Citizens Jury filter critical information to share with the rest of the community and develop recommendations to address top challenges and realize key opportunities. We also created opportunities for the rest of the community to learn from their peers, weigh in on recommendations, and take action themselves.
We worked with public agencies and other nonprofits to learn from the Dialogue communities. The creativity and innovation being pursued in our partner communities are inspiration for other communities facing similar challenges.
The Dialogues were driven by community members themselves, and weren’t geared towards creating specific policy outcomes. The Jefferson Center and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy were motivated by building a better democracy, where citizens are given the information and resources they need to produce effective, sensible, and popular recommendations for their community.
