Real-world examples of transformative community dialogue and engagement
These examples reflect work led by members of our team across prior roles, partner organizations, and collaborative engagements. Many of us worked together as part of AmericaSpeaks (a pioneering nonpartisan nonprofit active from 1995-2014 that brought hundreds of thousands of people together for large-scale citizen deliberation) and other civic engagement initiatives. Each case demonstrates the power of well-designed processes to build trust, surface collective wisdom, and deliver actionable results.
AmericaSpeaks convened over 1,000 people in 15 cities across the country to help a coalition of advocacy groups prioritize strategies for addressing policy issues to better serve the needs of adults living with Autism. The goal was to improve the lives of American adults living with autism, with a focus on housing, employment, and community life.
Families of and adults living with autism, service providers, advocates, elected officials and other concerned community members in 15 cities convened in person and virtually to discuss, rate, and prioritize strategies to address policy issues. Approximately 950 participants in 16 cities and 50 participating online simultaneously engaged in a linked, facilitated, deliberative process aimed at identifying priorities for a congressional briefing and future action.
As part of its Racial Equity Initiative, the California State Water Resources Control Boards sought to gain employee input on their perspectives of racial equity from a cross-section of its thousands of statewide staff. Ferdman Consulting's team of five consultants, led by Dr. Bernardo Ferdman, designed and facilitated a series of 12 listening sessions with over 370 employees to discuss racial equity, both in terms of their own internal experiences as employees, as well as their approach to serving the residents of California.
The sessions were held via Zoom, and participants were engaged via:
The process created safe spaces for employees to share their experiences and perspectives on racial equity both internally within the organization and in their service to California residents.
The City of Culver City, California partnered with the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) to meaningfully engage Fox Hills, a historically underrepresented, diverse, and densely-populated neighborhood facing development pressure. As part of NICD's Revive Civility and Respect Cities initiative, the goal was to enhance engagement between citizens and elected officials, rebuild trust with Fox Hills residents, and use structured civil discourse to address concerns about future development while preserving the neighborhood's unique character.
Two three-hour Community Conversations engaged 80 residents and stakeholders in structured dialogue about the future of Fox Hills. The process included:
This was a listening session convened by the Executive Director and Board Chair of an LGBTQ+ organization embroiled in controversy because they did not fire someone over a harassment claim. The organization was facing significant community tension and needed a structured way to hear from stakeholders.
Starting in 1999, DC Mayor Anthony Williams made a commitment to move beyond traditional budget hearings to genuinely engage thousands of residents in shaping municipal priorities and budget allocations.
Large-scale citizen summits brought together 2,000-3,000 residents, community leaders, and government officials in structured dialogue about city vision and budget priorities. The day-long process included:
West Palm Beach faced the challenge of meaningfully engaging its diverse community to identify racial and ethnic inequalities and develop actionable policy recommendations. The city needed a structured, inclusive process that would generate legitimate community input while avoiding the disruption and grandstanding common in traditional public meetings.
Our team partnered with Justice and Sustainability Associates to design and facilitate two large-scale Action Summits using our Collaborative Community Conversation technology:
"This type of open communication with the government is 100% effective and respected by residents within the community. Great summit truly appreciated."
"These topics are a clear indication that the right conversations are being had during your collaborative meetings. As a native of West Palm Beach, I appreciate these types of forums and look forward to doing my part to support the development of my city."
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