Martha Crawford, a New Mexico-based teacher and social worker, hosts workshops to help people build small community groups, arguing that such groups can combat social isolation and strengthen democratic habits. Research suggests that people who feel more socially connected are less likely to hold authoritarian views and more likely to develop the civic skills that sustain open societies.

Catherine Herrold, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, along with Khaldoun AbouAssi from American University, report that locally based supportive groups strengthen the civic skills that sustain free societies.

These groups “promote democracy by serving as public arenas,”  they say, “spaces in which members and beneficiaries build and practice democratic habits such as discussion and debate.”

Read more in the Boston Globe article, “How book clubs and knitting circles can restore our democracy.”