"Can our field present a united front to the new Administration? Let's start by seeing if we can develop a set of principles for public engagement we can all endorse..."

1. • CommentAuthorSandyHeierbacher
   • CommentTimeFeb 14th 2009 edited

    

   1. Promote active and representative participation toward enabling all community members to meaningfully influence the decisions that affect their lives.

   2. Engage community members in learning about and understanding community issues, and the economic, social, environmental, political, psychological, and other impacts associated with alternative courses of action.

   3. Incorporate the diverse interests and cultures of the community in the community development process; and disengage from support of any effort that is likely to adversely affect the disadvantaged members of a community.

   4. Work actively to enhance the leadership capacity of community members, leaders, and groups within the community.

   5. Be open to using the full range of action strategies to work toward the long term sustainability and well being of the community.

2. • CommentAuthorSandyHeierbacher
   • CommentTimeFeb 15th 2009

    

   Although these are good principles, I find them to be written in a rather round-about way.  I'd want our principles to be much more direct and to-the-point.  I also think we should do our best to avoid using phrases that demand insider knowledge in order to fully understand them, like "full range of action strategies" (which are...?).

3. • CommentAuthorstephenbuckley
   • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2009

    

   I agree, Sandy, with that observation.  The language would need to be clear enough so that people would understand it in the same way (aside from agreeing that it is too fuzzy).

4. • CommentAuthorFlyingAfrican
   • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2009 edited

    

   Here's my quick ... reframe of these principles:

   1. Balanced Participation "Everybody works... everybody listens .... everybody acts"

   2. Learning First [ This is a key point as I see it ]

   3. Appreciative Advantage [Note:  Everyone comes with "advantage" [ remove the "dis"  /its an old colonial concept: all participants come with Advantage / its our job to honor and come to understand a deeper appreciation for advantage in its many forms]

   3. Generative Leadership or "Everyone leads and follows"

   4. Participant "Action"

   --

   This has some jargon that needs editing -- making an effor there to start with deep equality first in the context of diversity.

5. • CommentAuthorTom Atlee
   • CommentTimeFeb 21st 2009

    

   Perhaps the use of the word "marginalized" is more descriptive of the populations of concern here, without getting into advantage/disadvantage or ability/disability issues.

   If there ISN'T a social dynamic marginalizing certain types of people, then our preference for inclusivity DOESN'T imply special attention to including their voices and interests.

   If there IS a social dynamic marginalizing certain types of people, then our preference for inclusivity DOES imply special attention to including their voices and interests.

   Thus it depends on the situation, but suggests awareness of this as a factor.  If there is disagreement about our (here alleged) bias for inclusivity, of course, that is a different issue.

6. • CommentAuthorJudith
   • CommentTimeFeb 26th 2009

    

   In our work in Portland we use the phrase "historically underrepresented"

7. • CommentAuthorStephanie
   • CommentTimeFeb 26th 2009

    

   I live and work in Nigeria.  I train adults, young people, and tribes here in environmental consciousness, dialogue skills, and community building.  In teaching my Earth Charter Communities/Nigeria program quite successfully, I have come to understand that the first requirement of community development is to know how to build relationships.  Your principles are participatory principles but not dialogue development principles.  I have found that without these principles it is very difficult for people to realize community ones.   Dialogue development principles and skills enables individuals to develop successful community building skills.   I'd like to suggest that you include:

    

   "Encourage the development and mastery of dialogue development principles."  to this list.

    

   Stephanie Tansey
   

   1. Promote active and representative participation toward enabling all community members to meaningfully influence the decisions that affect their lives.

   2. Engage community members in learning about and understanding community issues, and the economic, social, environmental, political, psychological, and other impacts associated with alternative courses of action.

   3. Incorporate the diverse interests and cultures of the community in the community development process; and disengage from support of any effort that is likely to adversely affect the disadvantaged members of a community.

   4. Work actively to enhance the leadership capacity of community members, leaders, and groups within the community.

   5. Be open to using the full range of action strategies to work toward the long term sustainability and well being of the community.

8. • CommentAuthorpjboone
   • CommentTimeFeb 27th 2009 edited

    

    

   "Incorporate the diverse interests and cultures of the community in the community development process; and disengage from support of any effort that is likely to adversely affect the disadvantaged members of a community."

   There is no such thing as "disadvantaged members", what it is, is that we have people that live in communities that are disadvantaged because of being relegated to communities that do not have resources or left behind in communties that have been affected by poor policies. 

   Hence the need for community action so that people who are left behind and relegated to these communties: poor, felons, mentally ill, aged, single parents, disabled, health poor, educationally disadvantaged, runaway teenagers, violated girls/women, etc. have a voice.

    

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