What can democracy look like, and what strategies can we use to shape it together?
Join Tisch College’s Associate Dean Peter Levine and Associate Director of Civic Studies Sam Fried for the opening Civic Life Lunch of 2026. This participatory conversation will examine how power operates
in different contexts, across different spaces and relationships. Using scholar and grassroots organizer John Gaventa's power cube, participants will learn one tested method for understanding the many facets of power, and how to work toward more desirable political outcomes.
This session will establish shared language and questions we’ll return to throughout the year as we explore everyday democracy.
This event is part of the 2026 Civic Life Lunch series, Everyday Democracy: Explore. Engage. Empower., a program dedicated to examining the functioning of democracy in everyday life and the role of participation in shaping civic outcomes.