This summer, IDEA's inaugural Summer Democracy Fellows are working on Capitol Hill as interns with three Members of Ohio’s delegation, Reps. Sykes, Brown, and Landsman. The purpose of the internship program is to support Congressional offices in expanding and improving their constituent engagement, especially two-way engagement, such as Deliberative Town Halls. IDEA’s previous work with the House Admin Committee’s Modernization subcommittee made clear that the vast majority of American citizens would be willing to engage with Members of Congress, but don’t want that engagement to be simply newsletters or calls to the office that are logged but don’t do much to influence Members’ decision-making. However, most Congressional offices have almost no staff capacity to innovate in this area, which is why IDEA created this specialized fellowship. 

In addition to their long hours on the Hill, IDEA arranged a special day of external meetings last week for Fellows Maxwell Kiernan, Ryan Mahoney, and Elise Britton, giving them the opportunity to meet with other important organizations in the DC ecosystem that support Congress with additional capacity. IDEA’s Michael Neblo, Amy Lee, and Adam Duffy joined the fellows and IDEA Senior Fellow Maia Comeau in DC for the day. 

The day began at the German Marshall Fund, where Fellows sat down with Sarah Jones, Managing Director of GMF's Leadership Programs. Jones, who oversees flagship leadership initiatives and a global alumni network spanning Europe and North America, shared insights on what it takes to build resilient democratic institutions and develop the next generation of leaders equipped to sustain them. While Congress itself has a somewhat limited capacity for staff development and training, many other organizations, such as GMF, offer such training to support the institution and help retain and develop talent. 

“I truly enjoyed meeting Sarah Jones, our gracious host, who discussed the work she does and her impressive background,” said Elise Britton. “Knowing that there are so many opportunities for professional development—especially those focused on promoting democratic values and public diplomacy—gave me reassurance and optimism about my future, even as I continue exploring my career path." 

From there, the Fellows headed to a working lunch focused on the future of democratic innovation and congressional engagement. They were joined by Marian Currinder, Senior Professional Staff for the House Administration Committee's Modernization Subcommittee, Derek Luyten, Executive Director of the House Democracy Partnership, and Stéphane Reynolds, Senior Policy Analyst at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington. Together, they offered Fellows their perspectives on the challenges facing legislatures on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as opportunities for collaboration and learning to improve them. 

The day closed at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, where Fellows met with President and CEO Glenn Nye, a former U.S. Representative from Virginia, and Erica Ngoenha, Senior Vice President for Programs and External Affairs. The two discussed CSPC's mission as a bipartisan bridge between the White House, Congress, and the private sector, and Nye shared his candid assessment of the obstacles to bipartisanship and better citizen representation in Congress. 

"Throughout the day, it was wonderful to hear about the first month on the Hill for the fellows and to see them in action during the meetings. Their questions showed how perceptive and inquisitive they are to the workings of DC," said Adam Duffy. "I am proud to have them representing IDEA and am excited to see how they continue to grow during their final month." 

For IDEA's Summer Democracy Fellows, the day offered more than a tour of Washington's policy landscape. It was a firsthand look at how democratic resilience gets built, conversation by conversation, institution by institution, and a reminder that the work of strengthening democracy is as much about relationships as it is about reform.

"Meeting with IDEA's partners and stakeholders has made clear to me just how vast the network of academics and practitioners working on good governance is,” said Maxwell Kiernan. “I left with a renewed confidence in our work and in the outlook for democracies worldwide."