About

The authors of this guide aim to offer a practical plan for strengthening American democracy, specifically by modernizing First Amendment duties of assembly and petition. We do this while also introducing new methods for community informed lawmaking. This opportunity exists because, in 2019, the House of Representatives began its own modernization efforts. For a workplace devoted to centuries old traditions like pen and paper, this decision to join the contemporary world was a significant turning point. 

This guide focuses on strengthening Congress' representative capacity as an institution—rather than advancing any political party—and outlines how to implement reforms based on a bipartisan effort that produced 202 recommendations.  Congress has already invited help from civil society to support its reform and renewal.  Civil Society Field Hearings present a timely opportunity to respond to the invitation and move these efforts forward.

We hope this information will inspire a truly American journey–devolving power outward and to the People, decentralized but also connected through values and action. We aim for this guide to be adapted, improved, and expanded into a pro democracy movement--one that includes our governing institutions. 

Please send a note letting us know if you used this resource to organize a Civil Society Field Hearing.   We would be glad to hear about lessons learned, comments, and suggestions for other civic curricula. Contact us at Contact@ConstitutionalDefense.us.

Lorelei Kelly authored this guide with help from dedicated friends of the Constitution and the US Congress. She has led the Congressional Modernization portfolio on the research faculty at Georgetown University since 2015.  

This publication is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. Please cite as: Kelly, Lorelei  2025, From Resistance to Resilience: A Guide for Organizing Civil Society Field Hearings, Center for Emergent Diplomacy, Santa Fe, New Mexico.