People's Congress

The People’s Congress is a “legislative training ground” for those who wish to improve their understanding of how our state and local government works through both a hands-on simulation of being an elected official and creating a “People’s Platform” at the completion of the simulation to serve as a foundation for political advocacy.

Want to learn how to write policy to improve our state? Want to learn how to navigate our different bodies of government here in Delaware? Want to engage your own neighbors in the political process?

Then apply to be a Delegate of the People’s Congress! The People’s Congress is where you join a simulated experience of our actual legislative bodies to get the chance to learn what it’s like being a legislator by researching/writing policy, building statewide coalitions, and understanding how to best gather feedback from your own districts.

Delegates participate in trainings, a 1-day “People’s Congress” session on May 18th, and work to develop a complete “People’s Platform” to use to advocate for more equitable policies in our city halls and state legislatures.

Network Delaware has organized the Delaware People’s Congress to engage citizens in creating model community-based policies and legislation. Made up of locally elected delegates from across the state, the annual Congress will serve as an independent grassroots forum and training ground for direct citizen involvement in the process of legislating and governing.

The role of the Congress is to establish a process through which Network Delaware can engage more local communities in developing thoughtful and powerful proposals that can be presented to elected officials,candidates for office, and partnering groups.

By engaging citizens in this process, the People’s Congress will build our statewide network of local Network Action Teams by providing a direct experience of developing policy, legislating, and governing. These teams will engage neighborhood residents in deciding which policies and legislation to promote, and will elect local delegates to the Congress.

The People’s Congress will strive for accountability and transparency while increasing the connection between organizations and communities. This shift in the status quo is a necessary component of the growth of Network Delaware and in the leadership, policy, and civic well-being that it strives to create.

For more information about the People’s Congress, email PeoplesCongress@thenetworkde.org