About the Forums on College Civic Learning for an Engaged Democracy

The CLDE Coalition and the UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy are convening a series of forums for educators and policy leaders to explore civic learning for an engaged democracy and make plans based on their institutions’ current civic learning strengths, challenges, and opportunities. The first forum—held December 13-14, 2022—showcased institutions that already involve all students in college civic learning and educator-policy alliances to accelerate the spread of civic and democratic inquiry in higher education. If you were not able to attend, session recordings are available.

Forum 2

Bridging the Divides, Including All College Students

Diversity, Equity, and High Impact Civic Learning Pathways

February 6-7, 2023

This Planning and Action Forum—the second in a year-long series sponsored by the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition and the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy—takes as a given that, for U.S. democracy to succeed, Americans must know how to work together across difficult differences—racial, ethnic, socio-economic, political—and collaboratively create real-world solutions to the deep seated problems that divide societies and threaten the planet.

Toward this end, the Forum examines a broad range of strategies that higher education is developing now to help college students:

  • probe democracy’s history, constitutional foundations, and possible futures;
  • gain the skills needed to bridge difficult difference; become collaborative problem-solvers; and
  • develop a strong sense of civic agency and responsibility.