Welcome to the 2026 Imagining Community Symposium: Civic Hope & Belonging
Welcome to the 2026 Imagining Community Symposium: Civic Hope & Belonging
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Registration for 2026 Imagining Community Symposium is now open!
Registration is now open!
Registration is now open!
The symposium is free and open to all. Please register by October 13, 2026.
Join the Conversation
Join the Conversation
How do we cultivate a future where everyone truly belongs?
How do we cultivate a future where everyone truly belongs?
In an era marked by polarization, displacement, and erosion of trust, the practices that sustain democratic life have never been more essential: hope, belonging, civic virtue, and the courage to act with and for one another. Join us for two days of dialogue, collaboration, and practical strategies focused on this year's theme of Civic Hope & Belonging.
Who should attend?
Who should attend?
The symposium is free and open to all. This includes:
Community members and organizers
Nonprofit practitioners
Faith leaders and spiritual practitioners
Artists, writers, musicians, and creatives
Public officials and civic leaders
Health & human service professionals
Faculty, staff, students, educators, and researchers
YOU!
Why should you attend?
Why should you attend?
Engage in transformative dialogue & workshops around the central themes of Civic Hope & Belonging, examining how communities build trust, purpose, and connection.
Learn actionable strategies from civic leaders, educators, nonprofit directors, and spiritual practitioners working directly on the ground.
Experience creative & narrative showcases demonstrating how storytelling and expressive arts cultivate shared identity.
Build lasting relationships with partners throughout the Dayton community dedicated to building inclusive, resilient communities.
2026 Keynote Speaker
2026 Keynote Speaker
Timothy J. Shaffer, PhD
Timothy J. Shaffer, PhD
Biography
Biography
As an interdisciplinary scholar and practitioner of deliberative democracy, civic education, and group communication, Dr. Timothy J. Shaffer focuses on the advancement of democratic practices by focusing on the role of civic professionals in institutional settings such as higher education, local government, and non-governmental organizations in relationship with diverse communities.
Dr. Shaffer is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse and director of the SNF Ithaca Initiative in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. He is also senior advisor with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. Shaffer is author or coeditor of seven books, including Deliberative Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning for Democratic Engagement, Creating Space for Democracy: A Primer on Dialogue and Deliberation in Higher Education, and the latest book, Teaching Public Affairs Students to Serve With the People: Findings and Reflections from Diverse Course Designs with Thomas Andrew Bryer from Routledge. He earned his PhD from Cornell University.
2026 Imagining Community Symposium Partners
2026 Imagining Community Symposium Partners
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