The Democracy Promise Unconference is an event where people come together to have the conversations that are most important to them. Here are some of the topics submitted to fill the breakout sessions. Participants will vote when arriving at the conference to set the final agenda for the day.
Register now to submit your topic. Check back to see topics others want to talk about this year.
- How do you counter the many attempts to suppress voting rights ?
- What kind of community do we want to be? Do we support racial equity? Do we want diversity? Do we want stable and safe housing for everyone including folks in entry level and service positions that are responsible for all of our day-to-day needs (grocery works, child care etc.). What are you willing to sacrifice in order to make sure everyone in our community has what they need?
- Please address the climate crisis in a way that people realize how serious it is, and will begin to take action on an individual basis.
- How do we have meaningful conversations with people of differing views?
- Why are Americans using woke as a negative connotation?
- Can Electoral College be abolished so every vote actually matters?
- How do you protect your rights(freedom of speech) without offending others
- How do we make legislative change with a hostile legislature in place?
- emphasize the importance of local elections
- How might laws relating to bodily autonomy, particularly those on abortion, have a different impact among individuals of different socioeconomic groups?
- How do we increase gender inclusion & representation in politics & go forward, not backward?
- What are some changes we need to make in policy concerning Human Trafficking (sex/labor)? Who in congress should we address for policy change that has experience or advocates for human trafficking victims, survivors, and thrives?
- Who’s got next?: Grassroots leadership development
- So-called “Parents rights movement” legislation in Ohio
- How can a real conversation about reparation initiatives impact a true American democracy?
- Equity for Restored Citizens
- How to lead with nonpartisanship in partisan times.
- How do we still believe in democracy when the values of the country are evidently and agrresively divided? What are we supposed to hold on to from now until Nov. 7 ’24?
- How can we help social workers have true empathy after years on of social work? In American democracy when been spoon fed that the people we serve are helpless and they want to live this way. I believe we need to do more when we are working with client to say I see you and I believe in. There is this underline thought in our work that is the way it is. NO it is not. We need to give hope..
- How can we progress wage to cost of living so they equate each other? What conversation do we need to have to move this forward
- How do you promote a democratic education in our school systems that respects the guidance of educational professionals yet also meets the needs of each individual community?
- Gerrymandering
- How can we better deliver on voter preference?
- Tips for not becoming burnout/discouraged when doing this type of work?
- How do we continue to work while we are under attack?
- “How can we get others to vote ?
- How engaged are we with voting ?”
- How can we help young people view themselves as voters?
- Should voter photo ID be a requirement to vote?
- How do we ensure everyone knows their rights pertaining to barriers to voting?
- How do we make access easier for those with a disability status?
- How to center basic human needs during a time of deep divison.
- How do we teach that democracy is important to everyone in our country?
- What resources do voters need to feel informed before voting?
- How do we find out more information on when it’s time to vote on different types of issues
- How do we educate people about what it really means to lose our democracy?
- How do we save the environment from ourselves?
- How can we encourage an open minded conversation regarding issues within the US?
- How to engage constructively across deep division and fear?
- How do we create safe and brave spaces for everyone to share and connect in community?
- How do we get civility in campaigning?
- How do we have productive conversations with those who disagree with us?
- How can we rescue & rebuild the ability to have bipartisan conversations?
- Positive impact of navigating all of nation’s history
- How do we stop gridlock to make any progress on any issue
- How can we soften the extreme political binary that seems to have taken over?
- How do we engage across the great divide of left and right ? Where is the middle ground?
- How to engage constructively with social workers who have varying opinions?
- How do we regroup and unite?
- How do we BEGIN to reconnect Americans who have extremely polarized views from one another around the issue of “what does it mean to be a patriot”? How do we get back to respecting different belief’s, when we hold opposing viewpoints. .
- How do we communicate with people who are radicalized and believe lies?
- The electoral college.
- How do we protect voting? How do we ensure fair congressional maps? How do we protect freedom of expression amid calls to ban books?
- How do we protect the lived experiences of marginalized folks while still allowing for freedom of speech/expression when what is being expressed is in direct conflict with someone’s identity?
- In what ways can we ensure that freedom is kept for all people?
- Advocacy
- How to effectively and efficiently hold elected officials accountable after they are elected?
- How can we better advocate for equity (especially in policy) in a conservative (state) environment?
- How do we encourage participation in local government?
- How to effectively navigate the emotional saliency of political beliefs in a nonpartisan context?
- What is the role and opportunities for nonprofits in the political process?
- Helping disenfranchised people vote
- Voting rights for homeless citizens
- How can we convince individuals in poverty/low income areas to get out and vote? Let them know their voice matters
- How do we maintain our energy and faith in the face of repeated autocratic actions (regarding redistricting) by those in power?
- “Let’s talk about independent redistricting commissions!
- What do we need to do to achieve 100% voter participation in elections?
- “
- How do we draw voting districts that are best for all?
- How do we address systemic issues in a progressive manner and timeframe?
- What can we do to hold our representatives more responsive to what the majority want? Examples: majority of Americans want reasonable gun laws to protect the public or a majority believe in climate change and are willing to make sacrifices to clean up the environment.
- How can we expand upon a two-party system?
- In the words of Mariame Kaba “hope is a discipline”. How do we remain hopeful about the effectiveness of American democracy?
- How to engage clients safely and appropriately amidst the rise of fascism in the United States.
- When did each of us first understand the importance of our democracy and what was the state of our country at that time?
- How do we protect the American democracy?
- How do we protect more people surrounding American democracy?
- Can we keep democracy strong?
- How do we empower voters, in simple and efficient ways, so they’re compelled to vote?
- How do we convince the community to get involved and to vote?
- How do we engage the citizens in the importance of voting.?
- How do we get more people to vote and be invested in the things they are voting on?
- What are the consequences of not voting?
- “Why voting matters
- How do we engage unengaged voters?
- How do we combat citizen apathy when it comes to participating in American Democracy (ie – voting, advocacy, running for office)?
- How to re-engage individuals who don’t trust the electoral process.
- How can younger people get more involved?
- What can we do to ensure/protect the rights/abilities of our youth who will be eligible to vote for the first time in the 2024 elections within the divisive political environment? The rules keep changing, it will be very easy for them to disengage, which is exactly what the oppressors want.
- Maximizing Voting Rights for all; How to attract the young adult vote?
- How do we get more young people to vote?
- What is the best way to get younger minorities out to vote?
- How can we restore hope in the democratic process so that young people believe that a strong Ohio is still worth fighting for?
- I’m a first time voter in 2024. How can I help engage my peers to vote while learning about the process at the same time? So many of us don’t know about how voting works, or what’s on the ballots. Why should we be motivated to vote, what’s in voting for us if nothing has changed so far?