New Hampshire Listens

Are you a bridge builder? Change maker? Community connector? So are we. Let us know how we can support your work for the community's good.

Our Vision

We envision a New Hampshire where everyone is connected, engaged, and heard in decision that impact their lives and where all have equitable access to justice, opportunity, and liberty.

New Hampshire Listens is a community engagement initiative of the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire. In the same way that we need the physical infrastructure of roads, bridges, and buildings, we need to build, strengthen, and sustain infrastructure in our communities to support and sustain democracy. Our mission is to help New Hampshire residents talk and work together to create communities that work for everyone. We design for virtual and in-person gatherings.

In Solidarity: A message from the NH Listens team. Read more

A Message from Everyday Democracy: Standing together in the pain of crisis and the hope of transformation. Read more

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NH Listens Fellow of the Month!

NH Listens March Fellow of the Month: Courtney Wrigley

"In my work with NH Listens and my consulting business, I want to contribute and help in those processes to have people's voices heard and contribute to shaping a better, more inclusive New Hampshire for the future." ~ Courtney Wrigley

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NH Listens March Fellow of the Month: Courtney Wrigley

"In my work with NH Listens and my consulting business, I want to contribute and help in those processes to have people's voices heard and contribute to shaping a better, more inclusive New Hampshire for the future." ~ Courtney Wrigley

Learn More
NH Listens February Fellow of the Month: Josh Arnold

"What excites me most about Makers Mill is not that it will be a place where people can make widgets, fix things, or learn how to use a table saw. Those things will be fun and wonderful, yes. But the real impact of a space like this is from creating experiences where people with different beliefs...

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NH Listens February Fellow of the Month: Josh Arnold

"What excites me most about Makers Mill is not that it will be a place where people can make widgets, fix things, or learn how to use a table saw. Those things will be fun and wonderful, yes. But the real impact of a space like this is from creating experiences where people with different beliefs...

Learn More
NH Listens January Fellow of the Month: Tina Kim Philibotte

"I became a teacher to be the adult I needed as a West side kid, a Korean-American, as a ‘raised as a French-Canadian,’ as the only person of color in nearly every class, as a kid who never had a teacher of color..." ~ Tina Kim Philibotte, Chief Equity Officer, Manchester School District

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NH Listens January Fellow of the Month: Tina Kim Philibotte

"I became a teacher to be the adult I needed as a West side kid, a Korean-American, as a ‘raised as a French-Canadian,’ as the only person of color in nearly every class, as a kid who never had a teacher of color..." ~ Tina Kim Philibotte, Chief Equity Officer, Manchester School District

Learn More

Upcoming Events

NH Listens Local Lunch Box: Embracing Complexity as a Facilitator
April 5th, 2023

Join NH Listens for a 45-minute informative and interactive session aimed at sharing bite-sized tips and resources from our toolbox for community engagement and facilitation. This session Embraci ...
New Hampshire Listens: Advanced Facilitator Training
April 6th, 2023

Many of us are trained to remain neutral when we serve as facilitators. However, that doesn't mean we are passive in the face of misunderstandings. This workshop helps enhance confidence to remain ...
NH Listens Local People, Local Work, Local Change
April 26th, 2023

Navigating Public Life in a Diverse DemocracyLocal People, Local Work, Local Change: Navigating Public Life in a Diverse Democracy–our speaker series that explores practitioners' journey working ...

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In the News

NH Listens Partners with Urban Rural Action on Deepening Connection & Understanding Initiative

Bridges Endure text above a covered bridge

NH Listens Awarded New Hampshire Humanities Grant

NH Listens & Urban Rural Action to implement statewide engagement initiative...

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Testimonials from People and Organizations we've worked with

“Just wanted to thank you for the great presentation! I think it hit the mark and was just what we had hoped it would be and what we needed to spark the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).”
~ Donna J. Kuethe, CPRP, Executive Director of GP RED

“NH Listens is well organized and facilitates discussions in a manner where all opinions and views are shared in a respectful and constructive fashion. NH Listens helped my department hold a discussion with community members to assure mutual understanding and trust between the Community and our Police Officers. The event was well attended and met our goals. The follow-up report written by NH Listens was excellent and resulted in action steps to build upon the discussion.”
~ Anthony Colarusso, Chief of Police (retired), Dover, NH; current Head of Security, Wentworth Douglass Hospital

“It is with gratitude that I write this letter of support and gratitude for NH Listens at the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNH. As chair of the Claremont School Board, it seemed appropriate, as we transition out of Covid related restrictions, to gather as a community to meet our four candidates for school board and learn about them and for the candidates to learn the what citizens want and expect from the schools and them.” Read more

"The planning of the forum was exceptional with very appealing and informative promotional information that gave the community a clear idea of what the outcomes of the evening would be. This was easily shared with a variety of media sources in Claremont. The results were obvious as approximate 40 citizens, excluding facilitators, candidates, and current school board members, nearly as many as showed up for the deliberative session for the school budget. We were also able to televise the event via community television."

"The event itself was skillfully facilitated; to say the attendees were diverse culturally and politically is an understatement. I sat back as an observer and saw groups sharing ideas, laughing, and collaborating, an incredible sight in these polarized times. People participated, were heard, and had their views validated. The questions generated by groups allowed candidates to draw bright lines, in their responses, between themselves and the other candidates. The de facto Facebook page of Claremont, What’s Up Claremont, currently has a number of video excerpts from the forum posted by candidates and other citizens along with encouragement for citizens to vote. A definite Claremont 'seal of approval'.”

"In conclusion, I want to thank NH Listens, the facilitators were just superb, the results were remarkable, and we were lucky enough to have the whole thing paid for by a grant. I recommend this format for anyone who wishes to engage their community in a positive process of local governance."

~ Frank W. Sprague, Chair, Claremont School Board

“I look forward to setting our next steps to build upon the work of the series. Working with NH Listens was fantastic, thank you so much. I look forward to the next project we can do together!”
~ Annette Carbonneau, Senior Program Manager, North Country Health Consortium

“Listening can be one of the most disruptive things you can do. Stop and listen. It can provide a pathway forward.”
~ Steve Abbott, Independent Consultant, Great Schools Partnership