Interview with John Hart - CEO and Founder of the American Democracy Institute

The American Democracy Institute (ADI) was				first generation, it has a long way to go to
founded in 2005 by CEO John Hart, with the vision				improve, but you know last time we were doing
that young people are a powerful force for social				this, people were ripping out pieces of paper and
change, and can strengthen American democracy.				writing down our e-mail. So we're hoping that
They seek to facilitate people committed to				people will report back in and tell us: this is what I
working for the common good and help them				committed to that day, this is what I did, this is
become leaders by working together to shape				what I found, here are some new opportunities.
the future of their community and their country.				This is what we did with the Voices of Uganda
They provide social action seminars (workshops)				people. They said it was great. You identify what
for young people: local leaders of progressive				you need because I bet there's a lawyer out
organizations lead hands-on sessions where				there that can help you incorporate, I bet there's
participants work on social skills, to help them				a financial person who can help you keep track of
become effective activists and organizers. ADI				the books. That's what everybody wants. Not
holds citizen summits around the country where				everyone can quit their job and go out and join
one can find high profile, national leaders from				the French Foreign Legion, but they can contribute
business, academia, nonprofit, government, politics				in their own time. And if they have a way to find
and other fields, helping to inspire and educate				other people who can contribute a bit of time and
young people by bringing them together with role				skill, then you have a really facilitating system.
models who share their world-view.				CZ: Can you tell us a bit about what someone
Founder John Hart has had a long career working				could expect to do after attending this Summit?
in social politics. Prior to founding the ADI, Hart				JH: There are a lot of people who have great
served as Director of Policy Implementation for				ideas about what to do, the way that we look at
the James B. Hunt Institute for Educational				it is: There are a lot of good people who have
Leadership and Policy at the University of North				ideas who are looking for people to support those
Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he managed operations				ideas, and there are countless people who are
and programs. Before that he served as Vice				looking to be inspired. People who don't necessarily
President for Strategic Initiatives and Government				wake up and say "I would like to make this world
Affairs for Ovations, a division of United Health				a cleaner environment", but would certainly
Group, focusing on improving public, private and				support that if someone got in front of them and
non-profit sector partnership in health care. He				made a supporting case. So we're trying to bring
was appointed as Principal Deputy Director at the				that - create a marketplace of ideas where
United States Department of Justice, and also				people can come and do that. We have no illusions
served four years at the White House as Deputy				that 2,000 plus people who will come and
Assistant to President Clinton, and Deputy				participate will then go out and found organizations.
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Clinton's				But we have found that in the past, there is a
representative to state and local elected officials				group of leaders that start to do more things
on federal-state policy.				effectively through the workshops; and then
I had the chance to meet Hart the day before				there are new people who come into it. There's
the Empower Change Summit this last Saturday.				this new woman from Chicago who is almost like
He is an incredibly focused man, very intent on				an ADI groupie, she came and told us she had
stressing the non-partisan approach of his				been at our first summit in Chicago and had
organization. The aim of the American Democracy				continued on with us to DC. She told us that she
Institute is not to tell people what to do, not to				would like to see more women leaders. She had
tell people who is right, but to empower them to				been inspired by Hilary Clinton speaking at that
be involved and to represent the issues that				summit, then went on to the workshop on
matter most to them and their communities. Here				'Taking an Idea to Reality'; found experts at
is a bit of our conversation:				raising money for non-profits and people happy to
CityZine: You have been running the American				help her. She then went to a corporation and got
Democracy Institute for 2 years now, what has				$40,000 to start a women's leadership forum on
that been like?				campus. We haven't been able to keep up with it!
John Hart: We learn each time we do this. The				But thats the kind of stuff that is happening from
first time we did it, it was great. We literally had a				people, you just don't know what to expect!
couple hundred people, we sent post cards that				CZ: Say for instance that someone was
said, "Listen to Me". 4000 people showed up (in				interested in how they could take a part in
Chicago) at 8:00 in the morning, and we were like				democracy by utilizing their power as a consumer,
"wooo." We took some time to capture what just				how would you advise them?
happened there. We always ask certain questions				JH: I think what we're looking to do is not tell
in our surveys, that help us pinpoint the interest.				people what to do, we're looking for them to tell
Then we did it again in Philadelphia. We tweaked it				us what to do. So I think that's a great question
a little bit and did it a little differently just to see				and I hope it's discussed in the panels. I think
how it worked, because it was so successful in				there are effective ways of aligning, and of
the first one, we were convinced they were just				recognizing that we are in a capitalist society and
coming for the speaker. So in the second one, we				that you can leverage your role as a consumer,
invited everyone to stay for the workshops, and				as an individual and more collectively on behalf of
we found that roughly a little more that a third				a cause to effect outcomes. There is one panel
want to participate in an active and engaging way.				that is getting at that called E3, and it's a group of
That's a lot of people. There we had a theme				students that came to us and said "This is an
around the Constitution - "How is the Constitution				issue in California, we want to do that kind of
Relevant in our Democracy?" - We did it at the				consumer based approach with Universities to
National Constitution Center. We had a lot of really				improve the ecology, the environment and the
(this sounds like an oxymoron) interesting lawyers				energy we use". There is a whole discussion that I
talking about issues in very accessible ways, with				am not the best person for, but who are literally
people who don't normally get to talk about that				going to talk about how to do that.
stuff with lawyers. It made for a really engaging				CZ: It's an amazing opportunity to hear President
conversation. The relevancy of that was, we				Clinton speak; can you talk a bit about why he
were talking about the 4th amendment, and why				was chosen?
it matters in our life, and eavesdropping and				JH: With Bill Clinton, you have someone who is
privacy. Then BOOM, two months later, there's a				living a life of empowering ordinary citizens to do
big controversy about the NSA working with				extraordinary things; what he's done as President
phone and other communication companies to				speaks to that, and what he did as Governor of
have access to lists and whether or not that is an				Arkansas as well. But I think most profoundly,
intrusion. So we find that, on the idea side, a lot				what he's doing now with the Clinton Global
of people get bits and pieces and what they want				Initiative really represents the kind of person we
is a framing, a context for it. They have a big				want to put in front of people at our events.
"what does this all mean" in their minds and this is				What he's trying to do is bring people together
a place where you can get that framing. Then we				and empower them to do great things. So, for
ask them what workshops they would like to				example, in Africa, he saw a situation where there
continue, or if anyone has something that we				was a supply of vaccines that would prevent the
didn't think of that you would want to start and				spread of AIDs in Africa, but there was no
we will provide a classroom for that. A lot will say				market for the private sector to go in there and
that they would have liked to go to more than				do it, so they studied the problems and started a
one workshop (all workshops are usually run				non-profit that basically created a market for it. A
simultaneously); so we will repeat some. The main				private company couldn't do that, and yet a
key for us to is make sure it's free so that				non-profit couldn't produce or effectively distribute
anyone who wants to access it can, and to keep				the vaccine, so it's a collaboration of private and
it accessible to a broader section of our society.				public in a way that at the end of the day is far
CZ: If someone wanted to be involved in a				more sophisticated than anything we're doing. But
Summit, but was unable to get to it, is there any				at it's root it's the same thing, its about
other way that they could take advantage of the				empowerment.
network that you have created?				For more information on American Democracy
JH: What's exciting is that now we've created a				Institute events, check out their website and
platform, EmpowerChange.org, where people can				empowerchange.org and learn how you can get
come to connect, learn, and collaborate. It's in its				involved.