Hello neighbors! I'm excited to share this event that the organization I founded, Democracy Creative, is organizing on May 31st on the topic of citizens' assemblies.

Citizens' assemblies are a promising antidote to the polarization, short-term thinking, and partisan gridlock that have come to define electoral politics across the world.

They are panels of everyday people chosen by lottery to learn deeply about, thoroughly discuss, and finally offer policy recommendations to government on ways to address a public issue.

While still rare in the US, citizens' assemblies have been convened nearly 1,000 times globally over the past decade on a wide variety of topics such as climate adaptation, assisted dying, and the revival of dormant public spaces – offering a replicable model for overcoming the gridlock and division inherent to electoral politics.

Join us for a Citizens' Assembly public information session with Burlington's own Terry Bouricius, a globally known citizens' assembly theorist, and Alex Renirie, Program Co-Director at Healthy Democracy — one of the leading organizers of citizens' assemblies in the USA.

We'll kick it off with apple pie and short musical set from artist Hannah Hannah before hearing from Terry and Alex.

We hope this event leaves you feeling optimistic for once about the future of democracy in America. Can't wait to see you in City Hall on Wednesday, May 31st!

(In the meantime, you can watch a two-minute video explaining citizens' assemblies in more depth on our website at www.democracycreative.com)

May 16, 2024, 6:30 to 8:30 PM

May 16, 2024, 7 to 8:30 PM

May 19, 2024, 1 to 2 PM