As part of AASLH’s new History & Democracy Initiative and on the eve of the U.S. 250th anniversary, we want to hear about your community’s values and vision for the future. As trusted community conveners, your institution’s input offers an important portrait of your local needs and interests during this once-in-a-lifetime anniversary.

Starting May 13, we will work with NxtLevel to host weekly facilitated conversations in Telegraph, our online discussion space, where participants can respond to open-ended questions and reflect on the challenges and opportunities that will shape the next 250 years of our shared history. This effort will help connect nationwide history practitioners with one another while amplifying the expertise they offer that is rooted in deep knowledge of local communities.

How does it work?  
From May 13 until June 3 (and potentially until June 10), NxtLevel facilitators will post questions weekly in Telegraph for participants to respond to. NxtLevel will facilitate the chat thread throughout the day to ensure maximum support and engagement for participants.

At the end of the discussion period, NxtLevel will gather the threads’ content, synthesize the answers, and identify key takeaways. To conclude, NxtLevel and AASLH will co-host an open Zoom call for participants to reflect on the experience and discuss the implications of any findings. Anonymized analysis of the Telegraph discussions may also be shared with funders, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders.

How can I participate?  
All you need to do is join Telegraph and log on each Wednesday to see the posted questions. Then, join the conversation! (If you’re already a member of Telegraph, just keep an eye out for the posted questions.)

Tell me more about this NxtLevel partnership. 
As the 250th approaches, AASLH has collaborated with NxtLevel to help ensure that history and history organizations remain a central part of public discourse and that the conversations we have about the past—and its ties to present and future—are nuanced, community-driven, and reflective of the full American experience. This Telegraph discussion series builds on an in-person pilot program we previously ran with NxtLevel. Like that pilot, this series can help leverage the vital role of history organizations in civic life while also contributing to qualitative data that may inform the work of key decision-makers.

We hope to see you on Telegraph! Questions? Contact Madeleine Rosenberg at [email protected].