Are you interested in learning how to build community and create space for deliberative democracy and open dialogue? Do you aspire to work with community partners to enhance their understanding of local concerns and engage in more participatory decision-making? Want to gain practical skills in designing public engagement, guiding conversations, and running meetings?
Selected students will have the opportunity to attend a 3 day facilitator training workshop prior to the start of the spring semester. Training will focus on deliberative dialogue, citizenship and civic engagement theory, and practical training in facilitation and meeting design. The training is open to all class years and will be held on campus from Saturday, January 17 through Monday, January 19.
Students who attend the training will have the opportunity to apply to the Community Conversations Project, an on-campus paid opportunity. Over the course of the spring semester, student facilitators commit an average of 5 hours per week to the project, which may be spent working with community or college partners to identify and design conversations, developing outreach and background materials as needed; or facilitating, preparing summaries of, and debriefing conversations. We hope to design and deliver at least two conversations requested by off-campus partners in the Utica-Clinton areas or by on-campus partners and four Community Conversation lunches on issues chosen by student facilitators. Students also design and facilitate lunch-time dialogues on on- or off-campus issues of interest to students and likely to divide opinions.
Training for the Community Conversations Project will be led by Professor Alma Lowry. Alma Lowry’s work focuses on public participation, participatory democracy and environmental justice policy. In addition to her academic work, Lowry has practiced environmental law for more than 20 years, primarily representing low-income communities and communities of color. Currently she represents the Onondaga Nation on environmental and cultural resource issues. Lowry holds a law degree and a master’s degree in environmental policy from the University of Michigan and a doctorate in social sciences from Syracuse University.
The Levitt Community Conversations Project is open to all Hamilton students regardless of concentration, career interest, or class year. Students new to the Project must be able to attend the in-person training on campus Saturday, January 17th through Monday, January 19th, 2026.
Please fill out the following application and upload documents as requested. Upon clicking "Apply Now", you will be prompted to create a free account with Interfolio. If you already have an Interfolio account, you should sign in. If you don't already have an Interfolio account, click on the "Sign up" button (NOT the "sign in through partner institution link).
