Democracy Talks and Vote PopUp

As of 2018, these programs moved to the Democratic Engagement Exchange at Ryerson University to ensure their continuity. Please visit the Exchange website to learn more.

Between 2013 and 2018, using research and working with community groups, the Samara Centre for Democracy set out to reinvent civic education beyond school walls. The result was Democracy Talks, a facilitated, activity-based discussion around issues that matter to society. A flexible yet structured approach to getting newcomers, youth, and other marginalized communities onto the first rung of the ladder of engagement, the program is now housed at the Democratic Engagement Exchange. Find out how the program was used to inspire citizen engagement in our Democracy Talks report.

As Canadians prepared for the 42nd federal election in 2015, community organizations and civic leaders were looking for creative and meaningful ways to engage their communities in the electoral process. In response, the Samara Centre for Democracy created Vote PopUp in partnership with Elections Canada. Designed to ignite interest in elections and demystify the voting process for first-time and infrequent voters, Vote PopUp is now housed at the Democratic Engagement Exchange. Find out how community groups ignited voter participation in the 42nd federal election in our Vote PopUp report.