Data for Democracy
Session Schedule
Keynote
Opening Keynote: Dr. Ismar Volić, Professor of Mathematics and the Director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy at Wellesley College
At a time when many Americans feel that democracy is failing them, and citizens believe their voices don’t matter and their votes don’t count, there is an urgent need for new approaches to strengthen our democratic systems. Join us for a discussion with Dr. Ismar Volić, who will share his unique expertise in applying mathematics and data science to civic challenges. As a mathematician studying the geometry of data and its applications to issues such as gerrymandering, electoral representation, and participatory governance, Dr. Volić illustrates how quantitative analysis can provide common ground for rebuilding trust in democratic processes.
Data Tools for Everyone 101
Data visualization is a powerful skill to foster change and innovation. In this session, we will show you how to go from raw data to impactful visualizations using accessible, easy-to-use tools including Excel, Alteryx, Datawrapper, and Canva. Join us to expand your data toolkit and connect with like-minded professionals! This session is intended for participants who have beginner to intermediate data skills.
Data Tools for Everyone 201
Ready to bring your data skills to the next level? This session will introduce advanced tools for working with U.S. Census Bureau data, including how to use R's tidycensus package to analyze American Community Survey (ACS) data. You'll learn how to create custom data tables using ACS microdata to answer questions that go beyond what's available in standard public data tables. We'll also cover topics such as margins of error and statistical significance testing to add more rigor to your analysis. This session is intended for participants who have intermediate to advanced data skills, or those who are interested in learning about more advanced data skills.
Data, Dialogue, and Decisions: Embedding Continuous Learning with the Action Review Toolkit
Many organizations rely on After Action Reviews to reflect on what happened, but in complex environments, hindsight alone is often insufficient. This session introduces the Action Review Toolkit—a structured approach that embeds foresight, insight, and hindsight into how teams learn from data and experience throughout an initiative's lifecycle.
Participants will explore how to conduct Before Action Review, In Action Review, and After Action Review sessions using key guiding questions, integrate program data into real-time learning, and foster inclusive dialogue through intentional facilitation. This session also explores listening as a core learning practice, offering practical tools for more intentional and timely reflection grounded in data.
Participatory Strategies with Youth
Social scientists often study youth and identify youth as "marginalized" or "disconnected" or "at-risk." Yet rarely are youth invited to participate in the research and choose how they identify or what they would like to research. In this panel you will learn from three organizations who are leading participatory research with youth in Connecticut. They will share their experiences and success guiding youth to completing research.
Beyond the Dream: Understanding Homeownership Disparities in Connecticut
Homeownership long touted as the "American Dream" is out of reach for so many individuals and families in Connecticut. In this panel you will learn about current research efforts in Connecticut to understand homeownership disparities. This session will share what is being learned about homeownership in Hartford, research on the impact of financial interventions, and lending across the state.