Upcoming Events

The Civic Celebration is an annual event to support our work and to honor the courageous leadership and dedicated public service of extraordinary Minnesotans. On March 16, 2023, our tradition continued as hundreds of Minnesotans — a diverse array of civic leaders, policy thinkers, and community builders — gathered to honor Kathleen Blatz, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Minnesota State Legislator, and Edwina García, former Minnesota State Legislator and Richfield City Council Member.

Click to view photos and video of this year’s celebration.

Minnesotans often use the phrase “rural-urban divide” when talking about the values and priorities that seem to differ across our state. But in reality, our challenges and opportunities are truly interconnected – though the solutions we design may look a bit different in Minneapolis compared to Mankato, or in Brainerd vs. Bloomington. This conversation series – hosted by the Center for Rural Policy and Development and the Citizens League – bridges the divide between urban & rural Minnesota by exploring our shared challenges and how to design a future that works for our unique communities. Each event begins with a look at CRPD’s latest research, followed by a panel discussion with speakers from urban and rural areas.

All events are recorded and can be viewed online. Click to view.

Mind Opener is our longtime series of policy learning events that open doors for people to learn about and connect to policy issues. These conversations, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, explore the nuances of these complex topics. The hope is for our attendees to leave informed, interested, and with a deeper understanding of policy issues in Minnesota. 

Since 2020, all events are recorded and can be viewed online,

EDTalks features two compelling 20-minute presentations by cutting-edge educators, youth advocates, journalists, artists, policy-makers and others, with ample time for conversation and networking.

The Citizens League is dedicated to robust conversations about policy. For our first season of Policy On Tap, we were Talking Trash.

Very few of us know what happens after we leave our bins at the curb, take our stuff to a thrift store, or throw something in a bin at a restaurant. And the answer often depends on where that action happens.

From food waste to science, recycling to secondhand goods, host Tom Weber was joined by experts, engineers, and journalists to discuss the things we throw away. 

In case you missed the conversations, you’re in luck: all our events were recorded in full. Click for more information.

For over a decade, we partnered with Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current to engage people in important conversations about public policy and issues in the news. Click below for an archive of these discussions.