The American Conversation Project (ACP) is a national effort to get people talking — and listening — in their communities. As we continue to reflect on the path for our nation after the 250th anniversary, these conversations create space to share stories, listen deeply, and strengthen the bonds that hold communities together. With consent, conversations are recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to surface insights across all the conversations happening nationwide. Meaning, what is shared in one living room becomes part of a larger, national picture of how people are actually thinking and feeling about their communities.
We are thrilled to announce our new Youth Track, which trains young people (ages 13–25) to lead small-group conversations about what participants love about their community, the challenges they see, what they long for, and what actions they want to take toward the future they want. No facilitation experience is required.
If you work with, mentor, teach, or otherwise know young people who care about their communities, share this opportunity with them today! Here’s how it works for a youth host:
Get certified from your phone. Eight self-paced modules, under an hour total, no live sessions required.
Pull together a small group of friends, neighbors, or classmates; intergenerational conversations are encouraged!
Lead and record at least 3 conversations. Our toolkit makes logistics easy. After recordings are uploaded, we take it from there, integrating the recordings into the national civic listening research effort.
Earn a certified ACP host credential and named credit in our national synthesis, shared through partners including local and national media organizations.
We’re launching in cities across the country, and thanks to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we’re offering stipends to the first 100 hosts in 26 Knight communities. We also couldn’t do this without our partners at C&S, who’ve helped bring this effort to life by connecting us with Carnegie Young Leaders and civic-minded young leaders across the country.
So much of what young people think today lives in group chats, comment sections, or in their own heads. This is a chance to bring it into a room with real people. Participants don’t need to follow the headlines, just show up willing to stretch that civic muscle and practice dialogue with people in their community.
If you know a young person (or a dozen) who’d be a great fit, please share this post so they can apply, either generally or as a Knight City host. And if you’d like to help spread the word more broadly through your networks, programs, or newsletters, reach out to ACP Youth Engagement Program Lead Kate Barranco at kate@ncoc.org.
