Recapping our national meeting

It’s been just over a month since Everyday Democracy hosted the “Making Every Voice Matter” national conference in Denver, Colo., and we’re still receiving emails from people commenting on their conference experience. Keep the emails coming!

So, what are people saying? What did they write in their conference evaluations? Here is a snap shot of what we’ve heard:

People liked…

• The variety of workshops
• The pace and format of the conference and workshops
• The “Making Democracy Real, Day to Day” opening panel discussion as well as the interactive plenary sessions
• The networking time
• The multiple showings of the “Mirrors of Privilege” film

People took away…

• The importance of addressing racism and white privilege in their dialogue-to-change work
• New tools and techniques for organizing dialogue for change efforts
• The value of storytelling

One attendee commented that his/her takeaway was “…a sense that the U.S. is on the verge of more democratic participation AND serious talk about race.”

As a result of the conference, people said that they want to learn more about:

• Dismantling structural racism
• Evaluating their dialogue-to-change program
• Engaging youth in dialogue for change

Everyday Democracy is currently reviewing and absorbing all of the feedback from the conference so that we can deliver more of what you want in our future events.

If you would like to revisit your conference experience or, if you couldn’t make it to Denver and want to see what all the fuss is about, go to the “Making Every Voice Matter” post-conference page on Everyday Democracy’s website. Check out our slideshow of conference photos; read commentary from DemocracySpace.org; and download workshop handouts, PowerPoint presentations and notes.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you at the next Everyday Democracy event!
Carrie