Why Democracy? Freedom House reports that global democracy has been in decline for the past 17 years. To stop this trend, this session will focus on classroom ideas to engage students in democracy and put them in dialogue with each other through structured conversational strategies.In addition, the session will highlight democracy focused programs at the Mansfield center, including a completely free and stipend incentivized fellowship for 15 teachers hosted at the University of Montana during the summer of 2024. This fellowship is geared toward fostering greater civic awareness through the study of how America’s philosophical foundations and historical development have shaped and continues to inform America’s politics, economics, society, and place in the world.