LINKS TO USEFUL WEBSITES

This page offers brief descriptions and links to selected helpful websites for education, dialogue and research.  Feel free to suggest other websites we should list at email@learninglife.info.

Democracy

The Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC) is an alliance of leading organizations and scholars working in the field of public engagement, participation, and deliberation. While the DDC’s primary arena of action is in North America, they are part of a global learning community dedicated to the same fundamental values and goals. 

The Global Democracy Coalition was formed in October of 2021, convened by International IDEA and other democracy and democracy organizations from around the world. The Global Democracy Coalition is a multi-stakeholder alliance of more than 90 democracy organizations committed to advancing and protecting democracy worldwide and to influence the Summits for Democracy and the Year of Action.

The Kettering Foundation is a nonprofit operating foundation rooted in the American tradition of cooperative research. Kettering’s primary research question is: what does it take to make democracy work as it should?  Kettering’s research is distinctive because it is conducted from the perspective of citizens and focuses on what people can do collectively to address problems affecting their lives, their communities, and their nation.

People Powered is a global hub for participatory democracy – the direct participation of community members in making the policy decisions that affect their lives. The organization builds the power and impact of organizations and leaders around the world who are building a more participatory democracy, through programs such as participatory budgeting, participatory policy-making, participatory planning, and citizen assemblies. 

The Sortition Foundation promotes and institutes sortition in empowered assemblies, and envisions a world free from partisan politicking, where groups of everyday people, selected by democratic lottery, make the decisions. 

Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) provides a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that reflects the complexity of the concept of democracy as a system of rule that goes beyond the simple presence of elections. V-Dem distinguishes between five high-level principles of democracy — electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian — and collects data to measure these principles.

Diplomacy

Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI) is a program and network of Learning Life, a Washington DC-based nonprofit devoted to developing innovative learning communities in order to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy.  CDI convenes diplomacy scholars, students, professionals, and volunteers every three months online via Zoom for 1.5 hours to share news and presentations on CD research and practice, local to global, with an eye to building a vibrant global CD sector for a more participatory, equitable and sustainable world.

Diplo is as Swiss-Maltese non-governmental organisation that specialises on capacity development in the field of internet governance and digital policy. Established in 2002, Diplo, among other things, works to improve the role of small and developing states in global diplomacy. Diplo constantly researches and analyses digital policy developments, and shares their findings with the world through reports, events, webinars, videos, and Al-driven tools. 

The Future of Diplomacy Project is dedicated to promoting the study and understanding of diplomacy, negotiation and statecraft in international politics today. The Project aims to build Harvard Kennedy School’s ability to teach in this area, to support research in modern diplomatic practice and to build public understanding of diplomacy’s indispensable role in an increasingly complex and globalized world by engaging with leading practitioners who use innovative means of conflict prevention and resolution at the negotiation table and beyond. 

Global Diplomacy Lab is a platform for exploring a new and more inclusive diplomacy which goes beyond traditional politics. 

The Public Diplomacy Council of America is a nonprofit association of practitioners and scholars that promotes excellence in the professional practice, academic study, and advocacy for public diplomacy. The PDCA enables its members to connect with each other and keep current with issues and new developments in global communication, promotes public understanding of the increasingly important ‘public dimension’ of statecraft, and advocates for public diplomacy in U.S. statecraft and for new initiatives. 

The European Academy of Diplomacy (EAD) is the first non-governmental, non-for-profit diplomatic academy in Europe, with a mission of shaping, sharpening and inspiring a new generation of enlightened international leaders. Renowed for its teaching methods, international faculty, and distinguished speakers, the EAD prepares diplomats, civil servants, political and social leaders, as well as representatives of businesses, academia, and the non-governmental sector for the challenges of a globalizing and ever changing world. 

Education

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has helped grow social and emotional learning (SEL) from a promising theory to an essential part of education. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan SEL leader, CASEL evaluates programming, curates research, informs legislation, and partners on implementation. All of CASEL’s efforts are unified by a commitment to evidence-based SEL to support all students’ learning and development.

The Connected Learning Alliance envisions a world where all young people have access to participatory, interest-driven learning that connects to educational, civic and career opportunities. The Alliance was catalyzed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Initiative that launched in 2005.  The Alliance has since expanded to include a wide-ranging network of researchers, educators, innovators and funders.

iEARN-USA (the International Education & Resource Network) is the world’s largest, most experienced online K-12 non-profit network that enables educators & young people to participate in global virtual exchange through collaboration. iEARN develops and empowers an inclusive global community of students and educators who bridge cultural divides and work together to make a meaningful difference in the world.   

Shared Studios has built a global network of immersive Portals across 25+ countries in educational institutions, museums, parks and corporations connecting 500,000+ people across distance and difference. Shared Studios now have two main products: immersive Portals that connect people as if in the same room, and global programming that fosters conversations between people with different lived experiences to unlock transformative insights.

Soliya is a leader in the field that is now called “virtual exchange” — high impact inter- and cross-cultural education facilitated through digital technology. Everyone’s story deserves to be told — and heard. That is why Soliya connects people in conversation, enabling them to share their personal journeys and engage with and across difference. Soliya exists to eliminate the idea of ‘the other’ so that we can all thrive in this 21st Century society — together.

Youth Power believes that young people are at the heart of solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. That’s why they are dedicated to strengthening systems in communities to achieve sustainable outcomes in health, education, and political and economic empowerment. By helping young people pursue their aspirations, Youth Power empowers them to contribute to, and benefit from, the creation of more peaceful and prosperous communities.