Programs

Democracy Lab

At the Democracy Lab, youth from inner city communities engage in a six-week civics intensive program that builds leadership and civic capacity through peer-to-peer and service learning.

The summer program was established in Boston, Massachusetts in 2003 on the premise that urban youth find few opportunities to learn about politics and explore how public policy impacts conditions in their community. Even fewer opportunities exist where youth in poor and under served neighborhoods engage with civic leaders, the justice system and institution heads across the city, the region and the state to explore questions of social justice and public policy.

Using a uniquely designed Civic Literacy Curriculum that emphasizes contemporary culture to explore such ideas as equality, liberty and freedom, youth are challenged to formulate richer understanding of what constitutes citizenship, their role as social actors and the complex nature of democracy and human rights.

More importantly, youth are guided and encouraged to conceptualize public policy responses to contemporary political problems.

For more information on Democracy lab, email us at: democracylab@newdemocracycoalition.org

The Freed People Project

The Freed People Project is an after school partnership that engages youth in character and community-building through the use and study of history. 

The objective of the program is to provide high school aged youth with an opportunity to build leadership and critical analysis skills through the study of recent history and social movements. Using dialogic and socratic methods of investigation and problem-solving, youth focus on freedom as a necessary political and social goal in construction and maintenance of local communities, nationally and across the globe. 

The project engages a small number of intellectually curious and socially conscious youth to study, discuss and debate aspects of local and national American history for the purposes of building their capacity to understand democracy and engage in social justice activities.  High schools students will engage the meaning of concepts such as justice, democracy, freedom, community development and civic participation.

For more information on the freed people project, contact us at freedpeopleproject@newdemocracycoalition.org

The New Commonwealth Civic Forum

The New Commonwealth Civic Forum is a civic literacy initiative established to promote the discussion and debate of ideas related to the promotion of public life.

Sponsored in collaboration with boston university and local and national non-profit organizations, the NCCF is invested in the belief that democratic life is diminished without public reflection on public policy, the administration of government and the impact of race, poverty and electoral politics.

National and local figures are invited to discussion issues of contemporary relevant.

Votecorps

The votecorps project is invested in the belief that electoral justice must be a real goal for all citizens at the polls on election day.  This project is designed to work collaboratively with local election departments to provide support to voters on election day.

While no election will be perfect, care should be taken to assure that they are as error-free as possible.  The votecorps project seeks to provide a needed service by bringing clarity and

Trained volunteers assist voters with information, election rights guides.  They function a group of concerned citizens who serve on the frontlines as democracy is in process.

The elderly, college students and selected youth serve as key votecorps volunteers.

Please become a votecorps member.  Sign-up at votecorps@newdemocracycoalition.org

New Democracy Service Awards

The New Democracy Service Awards recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to civic life through the personal, professional or volunteer efforts.

Created to highlight the public good produced by local, national and global citizens, the award recognizes the recipient's humanitarian spirit, their commitment to justice for the poor and vulnerable and their belief in the purposeful, positive and ever-expanding social possibility.

Past recipients of the new democracy service award include Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew J. Young, Marian Heard, Reverends C.T. Vivian and William Sinkford, and Senator Richard Moore.

Contribute to this effort by donating. Click here.

 The Democracy Museum

Imagine a place where local and global social and political history Converges to engage our civic imagination.  Imagine a place where the defining moments of our democracy is viewed and discussed and debated.  And imagine a place where global citizenship becomes a reality through a visual and archival portal available throughout the world. And them imagined it viewed in the convenience of the home, at school or in the workplace.  It is a place Where the phenomenon of history comes to life in movement and voice and in the rush of human events.  This place is the democracy museum…IN DEVELOPMENT

Civic Bank

The Civic Bank represents an effort to recruit and organize citizen volunteers for volunteer civic action. It seeks to allow citizens a mechanism to give to community efforts with their time and resources.

Read a book to kindergartens at a local elementary school and you can stir the imagination of a child for a life time. 

Volunteer on election day to ensure justice at the polls and you can ensure the democracy is protected for all.

Participate in a community clean-up or a community rally against drugs or violence and you can help development in at-risk communities.

These are the efforts of new democracy’s civic bank.

To become a volunteer, or to contribute capital for the support of the civic bank, please feel free to contact us at civicbank@newdemocracycoalition.org.