Tara Jackson, president of Arizona Town Hall, has served the communities of Arizona since 2006, and this year is no exception.

“I was at a stage in my life where I had the opportunity to give back,” said Jackson of joining the organization.

Growing up in a diverse environment, Jackson said she recognized at a young age the importance of bringing people together. Before her journey at Arizona Town Hall, Jackson spent a few years as a trial attorney, she saw how “disruptive and negative” it could be to solve conflicts whether that be in civil litigation or war.

Arizona Town Hall is a nonprofit organization that educates, engages, connects, and empowers individuals to address important issues through consensus rather than division. During the past 62 years, it has focused on bringing diverse perspectives together to prioritize Arizona policy solutions.

Jackson said she believes Arizona Town Hall has an effective process for addressing problems on a broader scale.

“Some call it nonpartisan, I like to call it multipartisan,” said Jackson.

The organization strives to encourage respectful and informed discussions on challenging issues and reach a consensus on how communities can move forward to address these challenges.

Arizona Town Hall, Estrella Mountain Community College, and the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce combined to put on the event "Voting and Elections in Arizona." Participants were engaged in discussions about voting and elections in Arizona. These discussions identified opportunities and sparked individual and community actions to ensure that Arizona’s voting and elections systems best …

At Arizona Town Hall, the need for collaboration is crucial, the nonprofit has decided to lead by example.

“There’s not one program we do that is not in collaboration with at least one other organization,” said Jackson. “In other words, every program we do is in collaboration with at least one, sometimes ten, organizations or businesses or community leaders.”

Recently, Arizona Town Hall collaborated with Estrella Mountain Community College as well as the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“Maricopa Community Colleges has been partnering with Arizona Town Hall for more than a decade. Through this collaboration, students are provided with opportunities to engage in civil dialogue on many different issues critical to the health of our state,” said Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo, Associate Vice Chancellor at Maricopa Community Colleges for the Center of Excellence in Inclusive Democracy.

Villanueva-Saucedo says Arizona Town Hall has been a valuable partner in modeling civil dialogue for their students.

“Civic engagement is central to the mission of community colleges, and this is one of many ways we demonstrate that mission,” she said.

Each year, Arizona Town Hall selects a topic to focus on, chosen by a diverse group of leaders from across the state. A topic is chosen two years in advance. Jackson says they follow a detailed process to develop a background report, ensuring an opportunity of civil dialogue. Each topic involves input, discussion and decision from diverse Arizonians.

This year, the topic selected is “Voting and Elections in Arizona.”

Jackson says it’s important to address democracy, consequently, one of the most important systems for our democracy is the election system. While this topic can be challenging and emotional for many people across the nation, Arizona Town Hall focuses on validating diverse political opinions.

This year, in light of the focus on underrepresented communities, the nonprofit has made efforts to connect with these groups by traveling throughout the state. They’ve offered programs for individuals with disabilities, as well as initiatives aimed at students, to ensure that the youth voice is heard and represented.

Through a long-term lens, Jackson envisions a future where individuals can participate in conversations to address issues without conflict.

“That’s probably more important than the actual topic that’s being addressed because we don’t know what the challenges are going to be to all of us tomorrow,” she said.

The greatest outcome Jackson said she can wish for is not only for people to experience their process, but to learn how to use it in solving world problems to keep communities and societies together.

Jessica Gutierrez is a student at the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications.