At this week's Round Table, Emily, Inyoo, and Hannah are joined by Jillian Youngblood, the executive director of Civic Genius. Jillian has nearly 20 years of experience in politics, government, and strategic communications with a focus on deliberative democracy and solutions-oriented public engagement. On Capitol Hill, she was a lead staffer for the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and worked on issues related to health care, urban planning, and appropriations. Previously, she managed New York City’s federal and state legislative portfolios on public health under the Bloomberg Administration, and was a consultant to numerous nonprofit and corporate clients across a range of public policy issues.
In our wide ranging conversations, we talk about what’s wrong with the way we get public input into policy today. We also dive into discussion of what deliberation–a core strategy of Next Generation Politics– is, what it looks like in practice, and how it can improve civic life. We speak about how extreme polarization complicates this and about how, as youth, we can take ownership of our own discussions and experiences to ensure that we are contributing to solutions that lead to greater equity for everyone rather than into the toxic divides that have broken this country apart. Thank you for listening!
