New Hampshire Listens

New Hampshire Listens is a community engagement initiative of the Center for Engaged Communities (EnCo) at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire. In the same way that we need the physical infrastructure of roads and bridges, we need infrastructure in our communities to support and sustain democracy. Our team believes that change comes from all directions, and it happens through many different means of engagement in our communities.

We have worked with people in New Hampshire communities for over a decade to strengthen local, regional, and state efforts to improve public life. We are built on earlier work by cofounders Bruce Mallory and Michele Holt-Shannon, including community-based dialogue and engagement in Portsmouth leading to the creation of Portsmouth Listens in 1999. Since 2010, we have worked at the local and state levels to support respectful conversations about complex issues affecting New Hampshire residents’ everyday lives. Our work supports community-led action and change.

We are a long-term anchor partner with Everyday Democracy. We design thoughtful gatherings, meetings, and coalitions with state and local partners to achieve authentic engagement and more equitable decision-making.

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Browse Our Reports

Civic Health

Think of it as a check-up for your community. We track how connected, engaged, involved, and trusting Granite Staters really are — and turn that data into tools communities can use to grow stronger together.

2024 New Hampshire Civic Health Report

A fresh look at where the state stands since 2020, including trust, turnout, and neighborly goodwill.

2022 Local Civic Health Guide

A hands-on toolkit for communities ready to measure their own civic health and put the findings to work.

2020 New Hampshire Civic Health Index

The baseline data behind everything we track today, built with partners across the state.

Events and Trainings

From pressure points on campus to living room conversations, we train people across New Hampshire to hold space for dialogue and navigate the conflict that comes with it. Our Campus Listeners show up during tense on-campus moments to de-escalate and make sure everyone is heard, while our Facilitator Training builds those same skills from the ground up, with basic and advanced tracks for anyone ready to develop their skills. If you prefer something bite-sized, our Local Lunch Box packs practical skills into a 45-minute session, and Sticking with Tough Conversations goes deeper for the moments when emotions run high, and the group needs help working through conflict. Explore our upcoming events and trainings

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