Wesleyan Students Join Democracy’s Front Lines

Wesleyan University’s tradition of practical idealism has long connected rigorous learning with public action. Now, with a $250,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wesleyan is furthering this effort by expanding its national, nonpartisan initiative, Democracy250, preparing undergraduate students to do the practical work of democracy by supporting the systems that make free and fair elections possible.

“Wesleyan University is promoting civic participation at a time of increasing disengagement and barriers to access. Democracy250 encourages our students to protect our democracy by participating in it,” said President Michael S. Roth ’78. “The initiative is at the center of our mission to provide a pragmatic liberal education that empowers graduates to help shape a rapidly changing world."

Supported by Wesleyan’s Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, students will join national cohorts drawn from diverse institutions across the country. They will collaborate with election offices, civic organizations, and other public partners on projects related to leadership development, voter education and access, election security, public communications, research, policy, and data support.

“This investment from the MacArthur Foundation is a powerful affirmation that the future of our democracy depends on preparing young people not simply to inherit democratic institutions, but to help strengthen and sustain them,” said Khalilah Brown-Dean, Allbritton’s executive director and the Rob Rosenthal Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement. “Through partnerships with groups like Vot-ER and Democracy House we hope to build a civic fabric that endures beyond elections.”

Through partnerships, students will engage in nonpartisan training focused on civic leadership, election systems, community engagement, and ethical public service while participating in collaborative learning, mentorship, and reflection with peers across the country.

Democracy250 is the inaugural action of Renewing Democracy’s Promise, Wesleyan’s broader civic initiative focused on making democratic participation more accessible, relevant, and hopeful. The initiative will bring together campuses, organizations, educators, artists, journalists, students, and communities working across traditional lines of division around one shared idea: Democracy belongs to all of us.

Learn more about Democracy250 and Wesleyan’s broader efforts in Renewing Democracy’s Promise.