Sortition was essential to the democracy of Ancient Athens but is largely unknown today. According to a great definition by Tim Dunlop in a recent Guardian article, “sortition means to choose – to “sort” – by the use of lots; that is, by random sample, like the method we use to choose jurors for a court case”. The latest news on this front comes from a really interesting article on the subject of exposing school children to the concept of sortition. It was written by the Sortition Foundation, an organization working to promote the radically democratic practice of sortition. Take a look at this excerpt:

Rich Brown has produced the Sortition Foundation Resource Guide for Educators. The resource is divided into four main sections, going through the vocabulary of sortition and citizens’ assemblies; activities with lesson ideas; a wide range of resources; and a citizens’ assembly classroom simulation. The aim is to provoke students to engage with broad ideas about democracy and to question how current systems could be improved.

Also from the article:

The resources range from short cartoons to academic papers and journals, so there is something there to appeal to a wide range of age groups and learning styles. There’s also a play, by David Grant, on how four people resolve differences in a post-conflict situation.

See the full article here. Also see related Democracy Chronicles articles like those on Voting Methods, Direct Democracy, and definitely checkout our main Voting Methods section.