The workshop series
Four sessions, ninety minutes each, held weekly over Zoom from October through November 2026. The program is free, and participants receive Google Classroom materials and resources for each session.
Session 1
The first session introduces participants to what civic engagement looks like beyond voting, and builds the skill the rest of the program relies on most: active listening. Participants practice paraphrasing, asking follow-up questions, and staying present in a conversation, working in small groups alongside other youth.
Session 2
This session is about staying in a disagreement without it becoming personal. Participants practice steelmanning—restating the other side’s argument fairly before responding to it—while discussing real, moderately challenging local issues in small groups.
Session 3
Participants build practical tools for evaluating information online and offline, learning to spot bias and misinformation before it shapes their opinions. By the end of the session, small groups choose the local issue they will bring to the final dialogue day.
Session 4
The series concludes with a youth-led dialogue day. Participants lead their own roundtable conversations on the issues they chose, applying everything they practiced in the first three sessions, in front of peers and invited community guests. Participants who attend all four sessions receive a certificate of completion.
Attendance at individual sessions is welcome, but the program builds on itself, so attending all four provides the most benefit.
