The Austin Common

The Austin Common is a local news site and civic education organization that uses art and social media to make learning about local government easy-to-understand, accessible, and fun. We exist to serve Austinites who’ve been left out of our local democratic system and underserved by our news media, primarily young people (18 - 40) and non-regular news readers/news avoiders. We do this by meeting them where they are and sharing information in a way that’s inviting and easy to understand. We do this in 3 ways:

• Journalism that gives City Hall newbies the context they need to understand an issue, produced for social media first.
• Deeply reported and shareable nonpartisan voter guides that focus on explaining down ballot races (designed for those who don’t vote in local elections)
• In-person Local Government 101 workshops delivered at colleges and social clubs, equipping young people with the information they need to understand who’s in charge of making decisions that impact them, so they can mobilize their own communities and have a say in their own futures (however they see fit).