###### tags: `US strategy`

# US: 2023 Planning and objectives

## 10 Year Objective
To embed and institutionalize a citizen-led, deliberative paradigm at the center of US democracy.

## Alternative takes:
* Bring the deliberative wave to the US, adapted to local circumstances and opportunities.
* Catalyze the ecosystem of deliberative democracy, across decision-makers and practitioners
* Should this be broader? “Next Democratic Paradigm”
* Advance and evolve deliberative democracy, tailored to the opportunities in the US (digital integrations, formats, broad public engagement)

# Strategies

### 1. Build Awareness & Demand [High-Level Advocacy]
* Connect directly to Mayors and high ranking civil servants through our influence network
* Offer presentations/workshops to large gatherings of electeds & civil servants
* National League of Cities, Engaging Local Government Leaders, Resilient Cities Catalyst network, US Conference of Mayors, Local Policy Lab network of 10 cities planning democratic innovations
* Participate in “Democracy Schools” targeted at public officials and civil servants (Partnership with Hannah Arendt Center)
* Partnerships with civic engagement orgs with existing city/state networks (e.g. CivicGenius)
* Cultivate Press & Media
* TBD strategy
* ... Rockefeller team PR resources
* Explore DC lobbying opportunities
* Federal funding streams or other ideas
* Plan a DemNext US launch event for autumn 2023
* What might the topic of the launch be? What are we launching?
* (See US task force below)

### 2. Develop Initial Demonstration Cases of major US citizens’ assemblies and institutionalization
* Engage 3-5 “Lead” cities/counties/states
* Conversations/leads ongoing in:
* Bend, OR;
* Seattle, WA;
* Boston & Cambridge, MA;
* Tempe, AZ and the larger state of Arizona;
* NYC
* Ideally a mix of blue, purple, red (and not just blue)
* Good matches includes: divisive politics/motivation for new approaches, intractable challenges, leaders (mayors, governors) open to innovation, existing bridging pillar organizations / civic ecosystem, strong local media)
* Long-term goal of 5-15 assemblies in these pioneer areas with pathway to institutionalization over ~5 years
* Intention to create high profile media engagements around a few headline cases, a la abortion in Ireland or Climate Convention in France

### 3. Establish DemNext as a point of expertise, innovation & upholding of standards in the US
* Organize US Task Force for Catalyzing Citizens' Asemblies
* Will support:
* The launch event, our US strategy, brand and narrative development
* Identifying "Lead" cities/counties/states
* Membership could include:
* Key public figures that expand credbility of this work across the political spectrum (i.e. Van Jones, Megan McCain, Schwarzenegger)
* Partner organizations from the broader field, including the bridging and civic engagement ecosystems (i.e. Braver Angels, GenerationCivic, PBProject?)

### 4. Community, Field building & Partnership Development with US “next democracy” organizations so that DemNext is positioned as a collaborator and influencer of emerging cases outside of our own activities
* This could include hosting quarterly calls with a cohort similar to what Claudia did at the OECD
* Advance a field level strategy for what is needed to bring institutionalized DD to life (demand building, local capacity, )
* Develop additional allies/messengers that represent the diversity of the US
* This could tie directly into the Task Force?
* [Note Laurie Drake – fellow for community building]

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### OPEN QUESTIONS
* What is our relationship to grass roots advocates?
* If there are people interested in getting involved in cities on the ground, where do we direct them to go? Do we make referrals to local groups like Public Democracy LA?
* Does DemocracyNext have a view of what civics education looks like?
* What is our relationship to the work that's needed to make gov't more effective in bringing policy to life? (i.e. Mischa Chellum et al)
* We could see this as a positive signal in a civic ecosystem if such an actor exists
* How can we support the funding of the other orgs in the ecosystem that we see as important in the US? --> Healthy Democracy
* Clarification of the role that DemocracyNext is going to play as a field builder
* What do we need to do as a US field to be successful in the coming 10 years?

### IDEA PARKING
* Podcast