The National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) will host online sessions at two upcoming national conferences. The conferences are 2022 Impact and Campus Compact 2022 National Conference.

At the 2022 Impact conference, NIFI will host a session on February 25, 2022 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. EST. The session is titled Deliberative Practice on Campuses, in Classrooms, and in Communities (In person and Online).

At the Campus Compact 2022 National Conference, NIFI will host a session on Thursday, March 31, 2022 from 2:45-3:35 p.m. EST. The session is titled Democratic Deliberation in Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement.

More details about the two conference sessions:

2022 Impact National Conference

Deliberative Practices on Campuses, in Classrooms, and in Communities (In person and online)
February 25, 2022, 3:30-4:45 PM EST. 
 
Are you interested in finding ways for people to talk and work together across divisions?  Are you looking for opportunities for people to understand different points of view, including those they disagree with? Deliberative discussions of issues that impact our lives make a profound contribution to our capacity to do just that. Join this workshop to learn more about how productive deliberative discussions about pressing public issues can inform and energize participants on campuses and in communities across the country. Discover a range of possibilities to convene and moderate discussions that connect those who are normally separated by geographic or other barriers.

Participants will learn about the concepts and practices of democratic deliberation and engage in a highly interactive National Issues Forum focusing on a newly-developed initiative entitled Policing: What Should We Do to Ensure Fair Treatment and Keep Neighborhoods Safe for Everyone?  The practices gleaned in this discussion are applicable to a wide range of current issues, such as voting, concerns about COVID, economic opportunities for young adults, free speech on college campuses, and many others.  Participants will explore the impact of deliberation on critical thinking and the capacity to set directions to address public problems together. They will learn about a wide range of complementary, nonpartisan discussion guides and other resources to support in-person and online forums. 
 

Campus Compact 2022 National Conference 

Democratic Deliberation in Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement
Thursday, March 31, 2022, 2:45 PM - 3:35 PM
 
This session highlights a key practice of democratic participation by engaging participants in a deliberative discussion based on the National Issues Forums discussion guide Youth and Opportunity: What should we do for future generations to thrive? In addition, participants will learn about a range of complimentary resources available for convening such deliberative discussions on their own campuses as well as micro grants available to support their civic work.

Learning outcomes:

• Educating for personal and civic responsibility.
• Developing understanding through listening, sharing personal stakes, and examining the perspectives of others.
• Increasing critical thinking through multi-perspective choice work by considering a wide range of potential actions and weighing trade-offs.