Why Consensus Isn't Always Democratic (And What to Do Instead)
The pursuit of perfect agreement often silences the voices democracy most needs to hear
The Facilitator's Secret Weapon: Productive Conflict
Why the best facilitators don't avoid disagreement—they serve it coffee and ask questions
The Art of the Living Room Conversation
How coffee-table conversations are quietly healing what public politics cannot
Making Peace with Process: Why Good Democracy Takes Time
The frustrating pace of democratic process isn't a bug—it's building something decisions alone can't create
Turning NIMBYs into YIMBYs: The Participation Cure
How early, meaningful engagement transforms community opposition into collaborative project design
Community Organizing 2.0: Beyond Petitions and Protests
Why lasting community power comes from deep relationships and smart structure-building, not viral moments or signature counts
The Block Party Revolution: Micro-Democracy in Action
How organizing your street builds the skills, relationships, and power networks that transform neighborhoods into civic forces
The Participation Illusion: Spotting Fake Engagement
Learn to distinguish genuine civic engagement from democratic theater and redirect your energy where it actually matters
Youth Councils That Aren't Just Photo Ops
How to build youth councils where teenagers make real decisions instead of just appearing in newsletters
The Five-Minute Fix That Makes Public Comments Actually Useful
Three simple structural changes turn rambling public comment sessions into actionable community intelligence that officials actually use.
Participatory Budgeting: Letting Citizens Decide Where Money Goes
How cities worldwide are discovering that ordinary residents make surprisingly wise decisions about public spending
How to Stop the Loudest Voice from Dominating Every Meeting
Three proven facilitation techniques that create space for every voice without awkward confrontations or rigid rules
The Democracy Gym: Building Civic Muscles Through Practice
Democratic participation is a skill, not a talent—here's how to train for citizenship in the spaces you already occupy.
Breaking the Nonprofit Silo: When Collaboration Actually Works
Discover why nonprofit partnerships fail and learn the three structural changes that transform competition into genuine collective impact
The Coffee Shop Consensus: Informal Spaces That Build Democracy
Discover how everyday gathering spots teach democratic skills better than any civics class ever could
Why Your Community Survey Is Lying to You
Discover how flawed survey methods create false consensus and learn practical techniques for gathering authentic community input that includes all voices
The Engagement Ladder: From Clicktivist to Community Leader
Transform casual supporters into civic champions by designing engagement pathways that build skills, confidence, and ownership progressively
The Secret to Getting Neighbors to Actually Show Up
Discover why successful communities triple participation by making meetings convenient, personally relevant, and surprisingly social
Citizen Juries: The Democratic Innovation You've Never Heard Of
Discover how randomly selected citizens are solving problems that politicians can't touch and transforming democratic decision-making worldwide
The Participation Paradox: Why More Voices Sometimes Make Worse Decisions
Discover why twelve random citizens often make better decisions than three hundred passionate activists, and how to design participation that actually works
Digital Democracy That Doesn't Suck: Beyond Online Polls
Discover how innovative platforms transform civic engagement from clickable polls into genuine democratic dialogue that builds consensus
Why Your Town Hall Meeting Feels Like Theater (And How to Make It Real)
Transform boring civic theater into genuine community problem-solving with simple meeting redesigns that actually get people talking and solutions flowing.