The headlines keep coming, South Carolina! WLTX is telling the story of our very first civic assembly, and we couldn't be prouder of the delegates who made it happen. They came from every corner of the state, sat down together, and did the hard work: listening, debating, rewriting, and finding common ground. They walked out with 8 recommendations on jobs and affordability that are now headed straight to the State House, including: - More workforce and apprenticeship opportunities - Pay ranges in job postings, so people know what a job pays before they apply - Accountability for corporate incentives, so they actually deliver for South Carolina - A free county-by-county cost-of-living guide - More affordable, accessible child and elder care One of our highlights? Group 2 and Group 3 realized they were fighting for the same thing. So instead of competing, they joined forces and renamed themselves Group 23. That's what this is all about. Watch the full story at wltx.com/article/news/politi…

CONSENSUS REACHED! 🎉 Over 3 days, 100 South Carolinians from all walks of life came together and approved supermajority policy proposals to improve opportunity and affordability for South Carolina's workforce.

🔴 LIVE ALERT: The final voting session of The South Carolina Forum Civic Assembly is starting NOW! Watch the closing proceedings as delegates affirm their votes on supermajority-backed workforce affordability and opportunity policy directives. Watch Live Here: fb.watch/v/5aAc9FBiW/ #SCForum2026

After months of hearing from South Carolinians across the state, our Civic Assembly delegates are preparing to cast their final votes on policy proposals. Those receiving at least 70% support will move forward as official recommendations for the 2027 legislative session. Join us live on Facebook tomorrow, October 11, from 10:10 AM to 12:10 PM ET to see what South Carolinians can accomplish together!

The momentum is building in South Carolina! The South Carolina Forum's Andrew Shue and Co-Chair Trav Robertson joined Good Day Columbia on WACH FOX 57 to talk about this weekend's Civic Assembly and how South Carolinians are coming together to turn shared priorities into real solutions.

South Carolinians aren't just talking about change. They're helping shape it! 🎥 WIS News 10 joined us at our Civic Assembly, where 100 South Carolinians from across the political spectrum are working together to turn shared priorities into policy proposals that could lead to real legislative change. wistv.com/2026/10/10/south-c…

Day 2 is underway, and every day South Carolinians are holding the pen! Our delegates are drafting supermajority-backed policy recommendations to improve opportunity and affordability for South Carolina's workforce and present them to state lawmakers for the upcoming legislative session. #SCForum2026

Workforce opportunity isn't a partisan issue - it's a South Carolina issue. Tonight, our delegates are diving into core sub-themes following months of online deliberations and local Community Conversations involving thousands of South Carolinians. #SCForum2026

Today’s the day! 100 delegates from across South Carolina are arriving at the University of South Carolina for The South Carolina Forum Civic Assembly. Over the next 3 days, they'll tackle South Carolina’s workforce future together. 📍 Stay tuned for live updates! #SCForum2026 #SCStateVoices

We are now live! Watch the opening Plenary session now at fb.watch/v/52teLsny8/

Tomorrow South Carolinians from every corner of the state will come together for our first statewide Civic Assembly! Over three days at the USC School of Law, they'll work together on policy proposals on Improving Opportunity and Affordability for South Carolina's Workforce, a topic thousands of you helped choose. Tune in live on Friday, October 9: Available on Facebook. 2:00–3:30 PM: Welcome to the Assembly. Meet the team, learn how the Civic Assembly works, and get an introduction to the topic. 5:30–7:00 PM: Welcome dinner and an expert panel on the challenges facing South Carolina's workforce. Real South Carolinians, working toward real solutions. Come see how it starts.

Every step of this process has been built by South Carolinians. It began with ideas submitted directly by residents, sorted down to the issues South Carolinians said matter most. From there, South Carolinians voted to help prioritize what issues rose to the top. That narrowed the list to four priorities: growth, infrastructure, and roads; responsive elected leaders; the rising cost of living; and slow wage growth. That input shaped 5 in-person and 8 online Community Conversations, where residents from Rock Hill to Charleston sat down together and dug into those same four issues. Now, that momentum carries into the Civic Assembly, October 9–11, where 100 representative South Carolinians will turn what residents said into policy recommendations. See how it all connects by reading our transparent reports on every stage of the process at scforum.org/insights/

From October 9–11, 100 representative South Carolinians will come together to weigh community input, hear from experts, deliberate in small groups, and turn what residents told us into practical policy recommendations. The goal: clear, actionable recommendations that can inform South Carolina's legislative agenda. The people who live with the results should have a real say in shaping what comes next. That's what The South Carolina Forum is all about.

Why should young people be involved with The South Carolina Forum? At our Charleston Community Conversation, participant Zuriel Nayamutsaka spoke about the importance of young people showing up and playing a role in decisions that will affect them for years to come.

You've seen us talking about our upcoming Civic Assembly, so what actually happens at one? A few honest answers. Is this just a meeting with a fancy name? No. It's three days of structured work: reviewing what residents said, hearing from experts, working in small groups, and drafting real recommendations to impact the future of our state. Who are the 100 people in the room? Everyday South Carolinians. Selected by blended-source, stratified sample recruitment, they reflect the state, not a hand-picked group of activists or insiders. Will everyone agree on everything? No, but that's not the goal. The goal is finding where common ground actually exists and turning those into real, actionable recommendations. Does this guarantee legislative action? No. It produces recommendations that can inform South Carolina's legislative agenda. We will be working with our Legislative Advisors to show our elected representatives what is possible, and alongside everyone to advocate for pushing these ideas forward. So why does this matter? Because it started with South Carolinians, and it's ending with South Carolinians. Not a poll. Not a talking point. Real people, doing real work, on the issues you said matter most. The South Carolina Civic Assembly begins October 9. Follow along here.

South Carolinians sat down together. Here's what they said. 827 South Carolinians took part this summer, through conversations in Columbia, Florence, Greenville, Rock Hill, Charleston, and online, plus a statewide survey. Real neighbors, real disagreement, real solutions on the table. We asked what state leaders should actually DO about the four priority issues you told us matter most: Growth, Infrastructure & Roads, Responsive Elected Leaders, Rising Cost of Living, and Slow Wage Growth. What came back were 13 proposals, with the trade-offs left in, not smoothed over. We've captured it all in a new report: who showed up, what was said, where people agreed, and where they didn't. That's not the end of the road. On October 9 through 11, 100 South Carolinians chosen by lottery will gather at the USC Law School for a Civic Assembly to evaluate, sharpen, and ratify these proposals. Only those with at least 70% cross-partisan support move forward to the Legislature. This is South Carolina moving from conversation to consensus. Watch this space. Read the Phase Two report at phase2.scforum.org

At a recent Community Conversation for The South Carolina Forum, Sissy Griffin-Ballew spoke about why we must turn back to each other if we are going to solve our biggest problems. Watch her testimonial.

Tonight we're in Rock Hill for another community conversation with local residents. Grateful for everyone who's shown up so far in Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Florence, and around the state to share their perspective.

This is what democracy is supposed to feel like. South Carolinians spent months raising issues, reacting, voting, and making their voices heard. The top issues that emerged, growth and roads, rising costs, slow wages, and leaders who aren't listening, are now heading into Community Conversations this June. In person or online, you can be part of the next chapter. Small groups. Real talk. Ideas that feed into a statewide civic assembly this October at USC Law School. scforum.org/events

These conversations are months in the making. South Carolinians across the state weighed in on the issues facing our communities. You voted. You prioritized. And four issues rose to the top: infrastructure and growth, cost of living, wages, and elected accountability. This June, we are hosting small group conversations where South Carolinians work toward real solutions together. Join online from anywhere in the state. 60 minutes. Free. No downloads needed. scforum.org/events