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Greetings!
This year marks the 250th anniversary of our nation—and a moment of real contradiction. While we reflect on the long arc of progress, we are also witnessing civil rights rolled back in courts and states across the country.
At Everyday Democracy, we’re meeting this moment with focus and resolve. We are being relentlessly local—investing in the people, relationships, and spaces where democracy is practiced every day.
Across North America, we’re training librarians to facilitate community conversations that build trust, address local challenges, and support collective problem-solving—laying the groundwork for meaningful civic action. In our Arts, Culture, and Democracy Labs, young people are connecting their daily experiences to civic life, using civic imagination to see themselves as agents of change—planning next steps and committing to civic action. And with our new OurNext250 Toolkit, neighbors everywhere are gaining the tools to host conversations that strengthen community and put democratic values into action.
I’m continually inspired by people come together, to build a more inclusive and just democracy.
I invite you to read on—and to see what democracy looks like in practice.
In solidarity,
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Merle McGee, President & CEO
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A blank canvas. A looming question. “What future do you imagine for DC?” Amid a swirl of markers, music, and big ideas, DC teens gathered around a table at the Public Library—sketching, debating, and imagining the future they want for their city. In Everyday Democracy’s Arts, Culture, and Democracy Lab with the DC Public Library Teen Council, young people explored history, music, and identity—then connected those insights to their own lives. Across five weeks, participants built confidence, facilitated conversations, and discovered a sense of belonging. By the end, they weren’t just reflecting on the world—they were imagining how to shape it.
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At a time when town halls and public forums too often devolve into shouting matches, local librarians are creating something different. Across North America, libraries are bringing neighbors together to listen deeply, share personal stories, and connect across difference. Through a partnership with the Urban Libraries Council, Everyday Democracy is training library staff in multipartial facilitation—equipping them to lead conversations with balance and care. In San Diego, one librarian transformed a potentially tense author talk into a space of shared storytelling; in Austin, gatherings took on the feel of community celebration. Across the cohort, libraries are building trust, strengthening relationships, and creating spaces where communities can engage honestly with difficult issues.
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We’re proud to release our OurNext250 Gathering Toolkit—full of practical information, inspiring visuals, and engaging activities that spark connection, imagination, and action. Designed for flexibility, the toolkit offers step-by-step guidance, a complete facilitation plan, customizable outreach materials, and ready-to-use exercises that help people come together, share stories, and move toward collective action.
Whether you’re hosting a gathering in a library, classroom, or living room, the toolkit makes it easy to create a space where people can connect and shape a shared vision for the future. No prior facilitation experience is needed.
We also hosted a 45-minute webinar—now available as a recording—that walks through the toolkit and shows how to bring it to life.
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Facilitation Workshop for Educators at Rhode Island Civic Learning Week
In March, we led a workshop for educators on multipartial facilitation—sharing practical tools to guide challenging classroom conversations, encourage inclusive participation, and help students think critically, engage across differences, and stay meaningfully involved through tension and disagreement.
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Leadership Workshop at Queens Public Library
In April, we facilitated a hands-on session on collective leadership at Queens Public Library’s Civic Engagement Conference. Drawing from our Everyday Leaders Training, participants learned the foundations of collective leadership and practical strategies to share power, strengthen collaboration, and lead more inclusive, accountable efforts in their communities.
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OurNext250 Workshop at the YWCA of the City of New York
This month, during the YWCA’s Girls Symposium, we launched our 2026 series of OurNext250 Gatherings, which will continue through Civic Season from Juneteenth to July 4 and beyond. The event guided teens through dialogue, future visioning, story sharing, and action planning around the 250th anniversary of the U.S.
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OurNext250 Mural at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Everyday Democracy teamed up with Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and The Met to present an OurNext250 Arts & Democracy Lab at the annual Teens Take the Met! celebration in May. Led by BPL teens trained by Everyday Democracy, the Lab merged exhibition conversations, art making, and civic action to spark civic imagination and amplify young voices in local decision-making. The collective mural will be exhibited at BPL.
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Cultivate Joy: Build Community Through Music
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Music has a unique power to bring people together, spark collective memory, and create moments of belonging—all essential ingredients for a healthy democracy. Music can strengthen relationships and remind us that civic life is rooted in connection, and collective joy helps our communities stay resilient, hopeful, and engaged. Research shows that music engages multiple parts of the brain, improving our cognitive and emotional well-being.
Here are a few ways to cultivate collective joy through music:
- Create a shared playlist where community members can add songs that inspire hope, comfort, or celebration.
- Use collaborative Spotify or YouTube playlists to stay connected across distance.
- Bring music into gatherings, meetings, or community events to create space for reflection, energy, and togetherness.
Joy is not separate from civic life—it helps fuel the relationships and resilience democracy depends on.
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Support a Culture of Democracy
Everyday Democracy is powered by everyday people – like you. Your contribution today helps equip the next generation with skills, knowledge, and connections to uphold democratic values.
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Everyday Democracy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to build power with individuals and groups advancing multiracial democracies in their local communities.
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