By The People
BY THE PEOPLE: MAIN
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What's Next California?
Project
Dialogues in Democracy:
Local Communities Host Citizen Deliberations

In 11 communities around the nation this fall, By the People’s Dialogues in Democracy brought together more than 1,100 randomly selected citizens to deliberate about some of the most contentious issues facing the country. Through the prism of local topics, these dialogues examined the rights and responsibilities of citizens as we move into the 21st century.

A By The People Special: Prescription for Change” aired live on LPB on October 13th from 6: 00 PM to 7:00 PM.Albuquerque, NM: On October 20th, KNME and Youth Development, Inc., convened New Mexicans to address universal healthcare coverage for their state.

Baton Rogue, LA: On October 13th, Louisiana Public Broadcasting gathered citizens to deliberate on the state of their healthcare system, focusing on differing approaches to reform.

Bowling Green and Cleveland, OH: On October 20th, WBGU-PBS and Bowling Green State University hosted Ohioans in Bowling Green, while across the state in Cleveland, WVIZ PBS / Ideastream and Kent State University hosted another group. These two linked dialogues addressed the purpose of a public university.

Denver, CO: On October 20th, Regis University’s Institute on the Common Good, Colorado State University’s Center for Public Deliberation, the Civic Canopy and Rocky Mountain PBS brought together approximately100 Colorado residents to discuss the purpose of public education, focusing on what can be done to improve state high school graduation rates.

Houston, TX: On November 3rd, KUHT-TV and the Houston Public Library convened Texans to discuss air quality in Houston and the surrounding area.

Kansas City, MO: On October 20th, KCPT Public Television and Consensus hosted residents of surrounding counties in Missouri and Kansas to deliberate on the state of their regional transportation network.

New Haven, CT: On October 20th, CPTV and Gateway Community College brought together community members to deliberate on challenges of, proposed strategies for and impact of immigration on the New Haven area.

Omaha, NE: On October 14th, NET Television, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center convened a dialogue to discuss immigration in Nebraska. They held a series of small group discussions and a plenary panel featuring a variety of Nebraska lawmakers, as they examined immigration’s impact on social services, equity and the community.

Rochester, NY: On October 20th, WXXI Public Broadcasting and the Rochester Institute of Technology assembled residents of the greater Rochester area to address cost, quality and access to healthcare in their community.

Seattle, WA: On October 20th, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington partnered with KCTS Television to congregate residents from the Seattle area to discuss how issues of cost and availability affect the dream of home ownership.











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