I received an inspiring email from my friends Libby and Len Traubman today. The message talks about the media attention that some peace activists, artists and dialogue practitioners in Michigan have been getting for their phenomenal programs. �A handful of people in Michigan are causing Muslims, Jews, and Christians to open their hearts and minds,� say Len and Libby. Read the full email by clicking below. To get on the Traubman’s mailing list, email them at . The Traubmans are hubs in the Jewish/Palestinian dialogue community.
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An email from Harvard Ph.D. candidate Alexandra Samuel to the Do-Consult discussion list today asked: “The Community Board in Queens, NY has developed a cell phone-enabled game that is intended to boost awareness and use of its citizen engagement web site (www.cb3qn.nyc.gov/). Has anyone else used games to promote an online engagement process?” Click below for a description of the game used in Queens. Email Alexandra at if you have any info to share.
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In a March 23 press release, CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations, announced the release of a study on the legislative frameworks and country practices governing civil space in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. The study relates specifically to freedom of association, expression and assembly in these four countries, with a focus on the grave and worsening situation in Zimbabwe.
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The fabulous resource/program binder that Animating Democracy compiled for participants in their October 2003 National Exchange on Art & Civic Dialogue is now available for purchase. Drawing together participants from across disciplines, this 2003 conference offered a lively exploration of the philosophical, practical, and aesthetic aspects of arts and humanities activities that seek to stimulate civic dialogue on important contemporary issues. This resource includes session notes and descriptions, participant biographies, essays and case studies about arts-based civic dialogue work, and a list of resources (including some great stuff taken directly from NCDD’s website, with permission of course). The binder is $25. Go to www.AmericansForTheArts.org and click on the bookstore icon.

Pat Bonner of the EPA forwarded this interesting press release to me the other day. On World Water Day 2004, a new report was released from the Geneva-based Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council WSSCC. The report emphasized that the world’s severe water and sanitation problems will not be solved by “business as usual” – delivering solutions from the outside to communities who have had no involvement in, or ownership of, the process. An important report in its implications for public involvement. Click below for the full press release.
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The Center for Collaborative Policy (one of NCDD’s newest members) is developing a network of international, multi-disciplinary scholars in collaborative planning, public administration, and political science to explore how collaborative policy can enhance democratic governance. Scholars from the disciplines of collaborative policy/planning, public administration, and political science are included. Panels and round tables are planned for various upcoming conferences. Contact CCP Research Director Dr. William Leach () for details about how you can get involved.

What does being “civically engaged” mean? What types of behavior should civic egagement programs look to encourage? A team of leading researchers, in collaboration with CIRCLE, have developed Indicators of Civic Engagement to help identify different dimensions of civic behavior. The indicators, which include community problem solving, regular volunteering, and active membership in a group, can be found at www.civicyouth.org/practitioners/Core_Indicators_Page.htm.
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This year�s National Geographic Society Education Foundation is awarding $100,000 in grants (up to $5,000 each) to K-12 teachers in the U.S. or Canada who prepare children to embrace a diverse world, succeed in a global economy, and act as stewards of the planet’s resources. This year�s program emphasizes �cultural connections� � projects that promote understanding of and respect for differences between cultures, as well as explorations of students’ own heritage. Application deadline is June 10, 2004. Click below for full announcement.
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The Fulbright Scholar Program offers faculty and professionals numerous opportunities for lecturing and/or research during the 2005-2006 academic year in 140 countries and all regions of the world. Awards range from two months to an academic year. Grants are in 47 disciplines and several interdisciplinary fields. Also, many countries offer “All Disciplines” grants, which allow applicants to design their own award. The application deadline for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants worldwide is August 1, 2004. For information, eligibility requirements, and online application, go to www.cies.org.

The Teaching and Learning for Peace Foundation was formed in July of 2003 as a non-profit association based in Adelaide, South Australia. Its specific mission is to document, support, develop and present peace-building possibilities based upon storytelling processes to communities both locally and internationally, connecting via the Internet with the purpose of bringing adults and children together to share in the peace-building process.
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Public Art: An Essential Component of Creating Communities, a new Monograph by Jack Becker, is a must-read for advocacy tool everyone involved in public art – from elected officials and community members to artists and arts administrators. This Monograph provides a comprehensive overview of the field and presents responses to important questions: What is public art? Why is public art beneficial to the health of a community? What are the critical issues in the field? $9.25. Go to www.AmericansForTheArts.org and click on the bookstore icon.

This summer CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research On Civic Learning & Engagement at the University of Maryland) announced three grant competitions for research on the following topics: (1) political participation and voting (2) K-12 civic education, and (3) youth civic engagement. The three RFPs generated a tremendous amount of interest. Approximately 250 letters of inquiry were submitted to CIRCLE from which about 30 grants were awarded. To view a list of newly funded grants, visit www.civicyouth.org/grants/index.htm.

Here are some news blurbs about Mix It Up – a collaborative project of the Study Circles Resource Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center that has kids stepping out of their usual social boundries in cafeterias across the country. Click here to find out how Carnegie Mellon University students used a $250 Mix It Up grant to make a musical difference in the lives of middle and high school students in their neighboring community. Click here to learn how to apply for a Mix It Up grant at your school or college. And click here for info about Mix It Up’s need for a Program Associate.

The newsletter from the Community Research Network 2003 conference in Sandstone, Minnesota – “Powerful Collaborations: Building a Movement for Social Change” – is now available on the Loka website, along with several conference papers that describe significant case studies or report basic research on the community-based research movement. They can be accessed at www.loka.org/conf2003/2003_conference.htm.
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Ethan Leib sent me the following details about his new book “Deliberative Democracy in America” today.

“We are taught in civics class that the Constitution provides for three basic branches of government, executive, judicial, and legislative. While the President and Congress as elected by popular vote are representative, can they really reflect accurately the will and sentiment of the populace? Or do money and power dominate everyday politics to the detriment of true self-governance? Is there a way to put “We the people” back into government? Ethan Leib thinks there is and offers this blueprint for a fourth branch of government as a way of giving the people a voice of their own.”
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