Democracy360 Working Sessions
As part of Democracy360, the Karsh Institute is hosting a series of focused working sessions on the University of Virginia’s Grounds. These small, topic-driven conversations will bring together students, leaders, practitioners, and scholars to confront some of the most urgent challenges facing democracy—and to imagine bold, future-oriented solutions.
Grounded in the Karsh Institute’s ongoing work, each session is designed to spark collaboration, generate actionable ideas, and lay the foundation for continued efforts with partners well beyond the event. Participation is coordinated in advance by session organizers to ensure a mix of relevant experience and perspectives.
While these sessions are not open to the public, they reflect a key aim of Democracy360: to create space for thinkers and doers to make tangible progress.
Cultivating America's Civic Renewal
A group of civic leaders is joining forces to build the missing connective tissue within American communities: a self-governing, locally rooted, and nationally connected network of practitioners who can power the emergent, generational work of civic renewal. The original network was formed in Charlottesville, VA, in April 2025, and is gathering again at Democracy360 to build on the momentum, determining how to grow the group and how to develop a renewed vision of American civic life.
This working session is hosted by the Karsh Institute of Democracy in partnership with the Mott Foundation.
Declaration Next
In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, “Declaration Next” brings together students from colleges and universities across Virginia. This highly participatory convening provides students with the historical context needed to examine the nation’s founding ideals and imagine the next 250 years of American democracy. Over a day and a half, invited students will experience the power of place at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, engage with historical experts, develop foundational skills for democracy, and draft a “Declaration for the Future of American Democracy.” This working session helps shape future efforts to expand student-led civic learning and engagement in high schools, community colleges, and intergenerational settings across the country.
This working session is hosted by the Karsh Institute of Democracy in partnership with Monticello and More Perfect, and supported by Lumina Foundation.
Free Speech on College Campuses
As part of the new Campus Discourse Project (CDP), this working session convenes national leaders to discuss free speech on college campuses. A new national organization started by UVA’s Think Again initiative, CDP is dedicated to fostering meaningful dialogue and engagement across university communities to strengthen democratic participation and civic understanding—especially through student-facing events. The goal is to encourage college students across the country to put down their cell phones and engage in meaningful conversations that include a diversity of viewpoints.
This working session is hosted by Think Again at UVA and the Campus Discourse Project.
Higher Education Democracy Exchange (HEDx)
The Higher Education Democracy Exchange (HEDx)—a collaborative initiative of Campus Compact, AAC&U, More Perfect, and the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy—brings together HEDx advisors and key stakeholders for structured, workshop-style engagement to advance core components of the HEDx platform. Designed to expand and streamline democracy-building efforts across higher education, HEDx aims to aggregate civic data dashboards, civic credentials, and resources for scaling innovative practices, as well as establish a civic experts’ network to leverage strengths that lead toward field-building for advancing democratic goals.
This working session is hosted by Campus Compact and AAC&U in partnership with the Karsh Institute of Democracy and More Perfect.
Optimizing American Democratic Capitalism for the 21st Century
Even amid deep political polarization in the United States, many on both sides of the aisle agree that democratic capitalism is failing to serve most Americans—and that revitalizing it is essential for both national and global stability. Participants in this working session will explore what changes are needed to strengthen democratic capitalism for the 21st century, focusing on how it can better support American interests at home and abroad. The session will culminate in the publication of a policy playbook detailing specific strategies for optimizing American democratic capitalism.
This working session is hosted by the Karsh Institute’s Democracy and Capitalism Lab.