Every fall, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) hosts its Semester Kickoff Party to welcome students back to campus and introduce them to the practice of constructive dialogue and deliberation. On Aug. 28, the DCI continued this tradition in the Alvarez Student Union’s 900 Room, bringing together Davidson students for active discussion, creative problem-solving, and pizza.
Designed as an engaging, low-stakes entry point for both newcomers and returning participants, the event offered attendees the chance to learn about upcoming DCI programming while putting deliberative principles directly into practice.
Deliberating about “The Best Democracy”
This year’s event featured the return of a hands-on activity: using Legos to “Build the Best Democracy”! Working in groups, students engaged in lively table discussions on the essential building blocks of a healthy democratic society. Groups debated how to prioritize key institutional elements of balancing executive authority, legislative representation, judicial power, economic rights, election models, and civil liberties, before translating those abstract concepts into physical Lego structures.
The resulting creations represented diverse, and creative, models of governance, illustrating how different combinations of rights, responsibilities, and institutional checks make for a responsive, resilient democratic republic.
Democracy in Action
In true democratic fashion, participants ended the night by voting on the creations. After evaluating the models at their individual tables, attendees cast votes for the best overall representation of democracy. Winning teams took home grand prizes and honorable mention awards, capping off a fun and thought-provoking evening.
The Semester Kickoff Party served as an energetic start to the academic year, reinforcing the DCI’s commitment to fostering respectful dialogue and deep civic engagement across campus, one Lego piece at a time.
Interested in joining the conversation this semester? Check out upcoming DCI D Teams, Deliberative Forums, and workshops to get involved!
