About
It All Began with a Simple Idea.
The America I Want grew from a simple conviction: the way we work through our differences is through human conversation. Not only conversation with people who think as we do, but with people who think differently, live in different places, and have different experiences of America.
But those voices need a place to come together. We set out to create that place.
We looked to several traditions and experiences that helped shape what The America I Want would become.
The Talking Circle:Everyone Has a Voice
In First Nations Talking Circle practices, people take turns speaking while others listen without interruption, sometimes passing a talking stick or another meaningful object. Related approaches appear in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander yarning circles, Pacific talanoa, Māori hui, Botswana’s kgotla, Gulf majlis, and Quaker listening meetings. Each has its own history and customs, but all make space for people to hear one another. For The America I Want, the lesson is simple: every voice deserves attention, and understanding begins with listening.
First Nations’ Leaders
Hear from Indigenous leaders
Chief Dr. Bobby Joseph
Hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation in Western Canada, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada
Dr. Michael DeGagne
President and CEO of Indspire
Chief Don Stevens
Chief of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk - Abenaki Nation
Francine C. Gachupin
PhD, MPH, A Pueblo of Jemez tribal member, An Associate Professor - College of Medicine - University of Arizona-Tucson, Epidemiologist
Jim Enote
CEO at Colorado Plateau Foundation - Colorado
Vermont Town Meeting:Democracy Depends on Participation.
Vermont’s long tradition of Town Meeting brings citizens together to discuss the affairs of their communities and participate directly in local democracy. As a Vermont nonprofit, Linley Foundation saw in this tradition something fundamental to The America I Want: democracy is not only something we study. It is something we practice.
The Brazil I Want:One Question Reached an Entire Country.
In 2018, TV Globo asked: “What Brazil do you want for the future?” More than 50,000 phone videos arrived from 99.5% of Brazil’s municipalities. Education came first, followed by ending corruption.
Editors chose which voices aired. Neither presidential runoff campaign made education, health, or safety a leading theme in its TV ads. People answered; what was missing was a way to count every response and bring those priorities to decision-makers.
That’s what The America I Want is built to do.
These Ideas Became The America I Want.
The discipline of listening.
The practice of democracy.
The power of one question.
What began with these influences has become a digital civic platform, a place where voices from different communities can come together, be heard, and begin a national conversation.
Reflections on our democracy
Watch on Vimeo ↗
A Word From Linley Foundation
“The "America I Want" civics initiative derives its strength from its community focus and the ability to facilitate statewide, regional, and national comparisons. Our goal is to spark a nationwide conversation starting in our schools. At Linley, we are proud to support this timely initiative.”