New Hampshire Listens, part of the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, will host 12 local conversations across the state about the increasing barriers New Hampshire's children face in achieving their dreams.

Conversations will be held in Berlin, Laconia and Nashua Wednesday, May 6, 2015; in Manchester, Pittsfield and Plymouth Thursday, May 7; in Keene, Lancaster and Portsmouth Tuesday, May 12; and in Concord, West Lebanon and Rochester Wednesday, May 13. For all events doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program runs 6-9 p.m. The conversations are open to everyone and registration is requested: http://nhlistens.org/when-opportunity-stops-knocking.

Attendees will learn what the gaps are between the opportunities children have today compared with those of previous generations in our state and share their perceptions of the American Dream today in New Hampshire. Everyone is encouraged to weigh in with their own experience and to talk about what policies and practices might affect these issues for future generations.

New Hampshire Listens is a civic engagement initiative of the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNH working at the local and state level to support civil, public deliberation of complex issues affecting New Hampshire residents' everyday lives. We work with local and state leaders to share resources on dialogue design, train facilitators, and help towns create their own Listens communities. We are committed to neutrality in all the work we carry out to meet our mission of creating and sustaining a fair process for public engagement and action.