About Citizen University
We are a national non-profit organization that equips Americans to practice and spread citizenship.
Citizen University is working to fortify the habits and skills of powerful, responsible citizenship in communities across America.
We support people in developing new ways of thinking about the role they can play in shaping their communities, understanding how things get done, and deepening the resolve to take responsibility for the places we call home.
We believe that a stronger civic culture — whether on our neighborhood blocks or the whole of our nation — is shaped by how people practice citizenship every day with the people around us, not just during elections or moments of crises.
Our dream is a nation of vibrant, self-governing communities where each person understands their civic power, commits to taking responsibility, and is meaningfully contributing to a healthy, shared civic life.
How we work
Where it all started
As some of our longtime friends will tell you, Citizen University started out as a two-day national conference in Seattle, WA. Our co-founders, Eric Liu and Jená Cane, were part of a team organizing an annual gathering on the art of mentoring. A few years in, they landed upon the central theme of citizenship: how we create and sustain community and how we pass on our values and knowledge to others in the community.
In 2012, the conference took the name “Citizen University.” This convening brought together a wide range of national civic innovators and everyday citizens for a few days of deep learning, spirited conversation, and strengthening civic commitments. As the years went on, interest in this work began to grow. Our definition of citizenship (power + character) was one that resonated with many. We thought, how else might we share these ideas with our community? And that’s how we started running programs year-round.
Our impact
Since our founding in 2012, we have worked with thousands of Americans (and people across the globe) — who themselves have spread civic practices with many thousands more in their home communities.
- Our earliest programs, like Joy of Voting and Sworn Again America, gave a taste of our secret sauce: creating civic rituals that reanimate people’s sense of commitment to our democracy and each other.
- Offerings like our Civic Saturday Fellowship or our Citizen Redefined Training equipped people to facilitate our social technologies in places big and small around the country — many of whom are continuing to grow and adapt these gatherings.
- Our National Civic Collaboratory continues to be one of the most prolific civic leadership networks in the country, sparking collaborations and partnerships.
Looking ahead
Our work has connected us to collaborators and citizen partners from coast to coast. Every year we add to the hundreds of people who have come through a variety of training programs. We’ve held over 50 National Civic Collaboratory meetings that have spurred hundreds of collaborations between civic innovators. Our CU Community is an ever-expanding network of people and organizations who are committed to circulating practices of citizenship in the places they call home.
It’s one thing to feel responsible, and another to actually have the toolkit to make things happen. Citizen University was the first place that I came to.
Thank you for being part of our journey from our start as a conference to growing a network of civic catalysts around the country!
A message from Eric Liu on what citizens can do right now
Reflections from Eric Liu, CEO and Co-Founder
Everyday Americans strengthening the culture of their place through connection, responsibility taking, and joy.
