Too busy, don’t care, or don’t feel you can make a difference? For some people, words like democracy and politics don’t mean a whole lot. So what would it take to feel engaged?
Samara Canada and the Nelson Public Library have teamed up to bring Democracy Talks to Nelson on Thursday, May 9th. Nelson and area citizens — in particular youth aged 18 to 25 and newcomers to Canada — are invited to register for a lively evening of discussion. It’s an opportunity to listen, compare notes, and speak out about democratic process.
Democracy Talks is a national outreach program designed to increase political engagement in Canada. The event explores the idea of healthy democracy and provides a chance to learn how to take political action. By discussing everyday experiences in politics, the event aims to break down barriers to political participation.
Comprised of two discussion groups of 8 to 10 people, the evening is limited to participants pre-registered by April 30 at 5 p.m. Email Lawrence at marissal@sfu.ca for more information or to register. For more information on Samara and Democracy Talks go to samaracanada.com.
The evening is facilitated by Nelson’s Bill Metcalfe and the B.C. Program Coordinator of Democracy Talks, Marissa Lawrence. This free event takes place at the Library, with refreshments provided by the Kootenay Country Store Cooperative.
Samara is a charitable organization working with Vancouver-based SFU Public Square. The Democracy Talks initiative will result in new research and resources designed to help community groups, political stakeholders and the media to better inform, engage and empower Canadians to become more active citizens in our democracy.