Assemble is a tool that helps anyone understand how a citizens' assembly works, envision how it could impact their community, and finally advocate to make one a reality.
It reflects my belief in change by design: the idea that it is possible to reshape society through well-designed tools and systems that change people's behavior in ways that are inspiring, creative, and engaging, instead of antagonizing or coercive.
Assemble grew out of our own advocacy efforts at Democracy Creative. As we approached civic leaders to encourage them to implement citizens' assemblies, we quickly discovered a few questions that were hard for us to answer. How much would it cost? What are the range of options available? How would it impact our community?
I am currently working to bring Assemble completely to life with a working group of collaborators.
We are always looking for additional design and funding partners. If you are interested in helping us make Assemble a reality, please reach out to me.
A PLATFORM TO ACCELERATE CITIZENS' ASSEMBLY ADOPTION
The goal of Assemble is to catalyze the spread of citizens' assemblies, and help the world see how they are an important part of a modern, functional, and inclusive democracy.
LEARN THROUGH DESIGN
The primary functionality is an intuitive tool that helps users learn about citizens' assemblies through the process of designing one that would work for their city, state, or country.
TOOLS FOR A COLLABORATIVE MOVEMENT
The tool is designed to drive growth in both citizens' assembly awareness and implementation. One way it does this is by allowing users to create public pages of their assembly ideas that they can share with neighbors and civic leaders. These pages introduce the benefits of a citizens' assemblies to those new people in the context of a real, applicable problem in their community.
It also includes ways for anyone to see what proposals are being discussed in their community, and offer their support to the ones they would like to see, creating a positive and creative outlet for grassroots advocacy efforts.
