Democracy House Project is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 founded by Professor Jeffrey Nielsen

Jeffrey Nielsen

Jeffrey Nielsen is founder of the Democracy House Project, and a published author. He is also a philosophy instructor at Westminster College, Salt Lake City; and Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah. But he is perhaps best known for being both a supporter of gay marriage and a practicing...

 of Westminster College

Westminster College, Salt Lake City

Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...

, Salt Lake City and Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah

Orem, Utah

Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...

.

The Project is an educational initiative using his peer-based model to teach political literacy

Political literacy

Political literacy is a set of abilities considered necessary for citizens to participate in a society's government.It includes an understanding of how government works and of the important issues facing society, as well as the critical thinking skills to evaluate different points of view. Many...

 in communities, adult education

Adult education

Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...

 programs, and schools in order to recreate and rejuvenate democracy one person, one household, and one issue at a time. The Democracy House Projects also assists local government

Local government

Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...

s in organizing and training citizen councils to serve as audit and advisory bodies on public policy issues.

Objectives

The stated aim of DHP is to transform the political culture of democratic countries. DHP accomplishes this transformation by training citizens in political literacy. DHP also convenes issue groups of randomly selected citizens to consider reasonable and ethical solutions to the problems facing our country through the peer deliberation process. The Democracy House Project states it is seeking to help realize the Jeffersonian ideal of experiencing public freedom and public happiness through genuine participation with one another in our democracy as peers.

Professor Nielsen has defined political literacy as citizens being able to understand and discuss intelligently the following:

1. The meaning and origin of democracy
   Democracy
   Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
   
    – especially the moral meaning and foundations of democracy.
2. The nature of the authority to govern in a democracy (sovereignty of the people as mediated through the rule of law
   Rule of law
   The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
   
   ), and the regulative ideals of democracy; namely: liberty, equality, rights, and justice.
3. The basic forms of democratic government: direct democracy
   Direct democracy
   Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
   
    and indirect democracy (or representative democracy): president
   President
   A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
   
   ial/congress
   Congress
   A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
   
    and parliament
   Parliament
   A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
   
   arian, along with an understanding of the nature and functions of the separate branches of government; such as, executive, legislative, and judicial.
4. The levels of government from the local community level all the way up to the federal level and how law and regulation are made, and how together they form the public policy of the various governing institutions; and how to be engaged as a citizen lobbyist to demand real participation in the creation of public policy.
5. Basic critical thinking skills – how to evaluate arguments, evidence, and information sources including the media.
6. Basic communication skills – both speaking well and listening sincerely to different viewpoints, along with conflict resolution skills.
7. Peer-based deliberation skills to be able to form consensus in groups and arrive at well-reasoned decisions.
8. The diversity of cultural, religious, and ethnic traditions present in the community.
9. How to network and get involved with local community groups in order to participate actively in public life and find new ways to be engaged at the grassroots level.
10. A basic understanding of – or how to get information on – the important issues facing our common lives as we live together in a genuine democracy.