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Parking Lot

• 

  What to do?

  Posted: August 14th, 2008, 10:24am PDT by Chris Corrigan

  I awoke this morning and read two scary articles courtesy of the terror of my RSS feeder.  First, Dave Pollard counted down the order in which his domino theory of outright planetary collapse may unfold.  Then, I read Andrew Simms article on why we only have 100 months left before reaching the tipping point for runaway climate change.

  Neither of these scenarios are unfamiliar me, but something about waking up this morning and reading them straight off got my attention.  I started thinking about what to do and started reflecting on some of the things that I am already doing.

  There are levels on which we work and live as a human being.  From the personal to the cosmic, we live nested in spheres of influence and connections that sustain us.  So here is my thumbnail take on what we can do at different levels.  While I aspire to these, and practice many of them, I’m not perfect, which is why the first one makes sense.

  Personal

  • Practice meditation or personal inquiry so that you have the wits to handle massive change that lies beyond your control.  If you are the kind of person that completely loses it whenever the power goes off you have work to do.  Meditation and inquiry also generates compassion for yourself and others, which is a key capacity.
  • Erase your debt, get out of the credit economy.
  • Wean yourself as much as possible off of products and services that you don’t need and that contribute to waste, carbon emissions and debt.
  • Choose wisely how you spend your money.  Invest in local food and food producers and in local businesses to strengthen the economy around you.
  • Grow your own food, and learn how to take care of your body, your home and your things.
  • Do not be a passive consumer of anything, including ideas and entertainment.
  • Do what you can.  ASk for help.  Work with others.
  • Think about your work and what you are being trained for.  Euan put me on to an old George Monbiot piece on this.

  Family

  • If you have children in your family, don’t send them to school.  Investigate alternatives that will raise them up as learners, able to adopt to change rather than fixed in old knowledge and old paradigms.  Help your children participate in your community and help your community understand that the place for children and youth is ANYWHERE, not locked away for seven hours a day in schools.
  • Families are an economy of scale bigger than one.  It makes sense to work together in learning about your home and community, growing food and looking after one another.
  • Use the family relationships as a practice ground for working with relationships.  Apply what you learn there to working with others.

  Community

  • Work with others to meet common needs.  For example, start up a community shared agriculture program to enhance food security.
  • Learn how to work together well. Learn good processes, and be conscious about how you are with others.
  • Offer what you can and ask for what you need.
  • Participate in local affairs and in what people in your community are doing to sustain positive futures for yourselves.
  • Make meetings count. Especially if you have to travel, then make sure that what you are doing is spending your time, carbon emissions and money wisely.  There might come a time when meeting to set good relationships and exchange good ideas is a thing of the past.

  Scales beyond

  • Andrew Simms has a god line in his 100 months piece: “the government must lead.”  If climate change is the issue, governments must lead in setting the kinds of targets, incentives and influence that the market needs to make alternative possible.  It cannot be up to us alone to tend our victory gardens and turn off our lights.  Governments at all levels must take responsibility for how the influence or don’t influence the environment that makes it possible to change.  In Canada, our government is not doing anything meaningful to mitigate climate change.  So either I could run for office, or vote for someone who will.  In the meantime, I can continue to practice personally in defiance of the mainstream economic model that is killing us.
  • Writing about and practicing these kinds of strategies does have the effect of tipping the collective consciousness.  When it comes to radical changes, individuals lead, and governments follow, sometimes very far behind.  Global corporations are the last to change most of the time.  Local governments and local business change first.  Support those shifts.

  Above all, don’t lose heart.  If you lose heart you become a significant part of the problem.  If you withdraw, you become a burden on the system, and worse if you refuse to change, you continue to give a tacit mandate for the status quo to continue, if only to meet your needs.  If anything, these doomsday scenarios are useful for throwing into relief the kinds of daily choices that we make.  Above all, act with consciousness in what you are doing.  Consider the consequences and actions and let people know about strategies that work.

  That’s what I’m learning these days.

Planblog

• 

  IAP2/NCDD Northern California joint meetup, August 19 in Berkeley

  Posted: August 13th, 2008, 6:22pm PDT by Tim

  The local IAP2/NCDD Northern California joint meetup I initiated earlier this year is coming together nicely.

  Joint Northern California chapter meeting of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD).

  Learn more:
  IAP2 — [www.iap2.org]
  NCDD — [www.thataway.org]

  There’s significant overlap in interests, tools, and experiences, and we want to broaden our local network of local facilitation, public participation, and dialogue & deliberation professionals.

  The agenda is fairly informal. There will be brief talks or presentations, with plenty of time for conversation and networking.

  We’re meeting for the second time next week:

  When: Tuesday, August 19 at 6.30pm
  Where: NextNowCollaboratory, 1250 Addison, Berkeley, CA:

  For more info and to RSVP, go to Upcoming or Facebook or join our Google group.

  Feel free to bring your friends and colleagues!

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  You’re Invited!: Democratic Governance at the Neighborhood Level

  Posted: August 11th, 2008, 12:35pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  NCDD member Matt Leighninger, director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, sent me an announcement about this Florida event, and I confirmed with him that this event is open to everyone…

  Democratic Governance at the Neighborhood Level: What Have We Learned?

  An event organized by Grassroots Grantmakers and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, with assistance from
  the National League of Cities and NeighborWorks America

  - November 11th, 2008, 9am-5pm - Orlando, FL -

  Thirty years ago, a new democratic experiment began in a handful of American cities. In Portland, Oregon, and a number of other places, local governments created neighborhood council systems as a way of engaging citizens in public decision-making and problem-solving.

  What have we learned from these civic experiments? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What lessons do they offer about how to initiate, recruit for, staff, support, and fund neighborhood-level democracy?

  Please join us for a stimulating, interactive day-long session in Orlando! The meeting will feature representatives from Portland and other “first wave” cities in the morning, then turn to a broader discussion of lessons and potential innovations in the afternoon.

  The cost of the event will be $50 (to cover breakfast, lunch, and coffee). To RSVP, please contact Matt Leighninger at by October 21st.

Planblog

• 

  Yahoo! Upcoming product feedback

  Posted: August 9th, 2008, 9:02pm PDT by Tim

  So Yahoo! is asking Upcoming users for feedback. Here’s mine (the small portion that was free form):

  There are ads on Upcoming, really?

  If Upcoming could do private events, I believe it could replace Evite for many.

  Automatic notifications (e.g. via SMS) for events that are becoming “hot” fast in my network. General measurement or visualization of “interestingness” for various events (kinda like Flickr does for photos).

  For some events, it would be nice to have the option to have the event details be editable to other event attendees (with or without approval, not sure). The use case here is that I may have entered an event prior to the organizers, don’t have the time to keep it updated but trust that others will do so. Have experienced this many times. In fact, it sometimes keeps me from adding new events these days (the ones I don’t own).

  Other than that, nice job!

  We’ll see what happens.

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Editor(s) Needed for Int’l Journal of Public Participatino (IJP2)

  Posted: August 9th, 2008, 5:54pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  NCDD member Nancy Glock-Grueneich just emailed me about this opportunity…

  We are seeking an editor to lead, manage and further develop a three-year old online, peer-reviewed journal, with an international audience, the International Journal of Public Participation (IJP2). The mission of the IJP2 is to foster integration and dialogue within the professional field of public participation across its different traditions and related disciplines and to bridge theory and practice.

  The Editor of IJP2 provides overall leadership and vision for the Journal as well as content planning and development, consistent with its mission and that of its parent organization, the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). The Editor works with the IJP2 Editorial Board and its Executive Committee, as an ex-officio member, and with current and prospective authors, reviewers and audiences. (This position may also be shared between co-editors, applying together, with complementary qualifications that together cover the requirements of the position.) (more…)

Parking Lot

• 

  Being prepared to be surprised - and to learn something

  Posted: August 8th, 2008, 12:27am PDT by Chris Corrigan

  In a post on reviewing academic articles, I was really struck by the way academics deal with surprises.

  Yes, I regularly check (some) references. If the author of a (history) paper I am refereeing makes a surprising claim – e.g., something that if true I might reasonably be expected to have encountered before, not just something I know FA about – I almost instinctively check to see what his/her source is, and if it’s something I have readily to hand, may actually go to the text to see if it supports what the author concluded.

  Usually it does, and I’ve learned something new.

  From surprise to curiosity to learning.  Straight forward enough, but how many of us dismiss surprises outright, or believe them straight away?

• 

  The Next Starbucks?

  Posted: August 7th, 2008, 4:37pm PDT by Chris Corrigan

  The Next Starbucks is an article in Architect Magazine that has several architects envision the coffee shp of the future.

  There are some interesting designs here, but my favourite has to be the last one, in which the designers think first about the social nature of the coffee shop and come up with some old patterns for community use:

  Merging the concept of the flexible, shared workspace with that of communal dining creates a new “third place,” a community kitchen. Anchored by a 60-foot-long wooden harvest table, a kit of parts serving different functions can be freely arranged wherever the user sees fit. The configuration of the pieces as well as the length of the table can be customized, depending on the conditions of the store. Diverse spaces are created along the table’s length; some are highly interactive while others, such as the side tables, provide more privacy.

  This versatile modular system can also adapt to special functions that may happen inside the store. Its components easily detach and roll around in order to accommodate poetry readings or other large gatherings.

  Friends at OSonOS and other places have been interested in the nature of a new kind of coffee shop in which conversation can be a primary function. With so little shared public space in North American cities and towns these days, it seems more and more important to pay attention to these third places.

  As an aside, my local coffee shop here on Bowen Island is called The Snug. It is an important community hub, especially in the winter time when locals gather there in the mornings and afternoons and get straight on what’s going on. The previous owners were so trusting of the community that they even turned over the keys to myself and friends so we could have weekly Irish music sessions there. Those sessions continue under the new owners as well.

• 

  Living the new realities

  Posted: August 6th, 2008, 12:20pm PDT by Chris Corrigan

  Robert Paterson in an article about the future of public radio and the use of technology:

  In my 2 years of work with stations it is now clear to me that technology is not the barrier to the New Media Reality that we have to reach. There are a number of barriers - none of which are mentioned in the release.

  A very high barrier is cultural - a 2.0 world cannot be trained for - it has to be lived. There has to be enough people on staff who are digital natives. It is people that will make the difference not technology.

  Excellent.  We can only move into the worlds of connection and collaboration by doing and not training.  It requires a new way of learning, that is native to some of us, but entirely foreign to others.

• 

  She is breathing

  Posted: August 6th, 2008, 9:00am PDT by Chris Corrigan

  A beautiful view of pulse and life.

• 

  Be with the change you want to see in the world

  Posted: August 6th, 2008, 8:07am PDT by Chris Corrigan

  On a conference call this morning with friends around the world talking about skillful being with change, I had this thought that because change happens anyway, any story we have about it is equally valid.  And so, in choosing to be with changing times and changing environments, we can choose the way in which we see change.

  Being the change you want to be in the world is a beautiful thought, because it invites us into embodying shift and being in one’s integrity with one’s work.  Maybe too there is another level, which is to be WITH the change you want to see in the world.  In a world where whatever happens is the only thing that could have, choosing to be with the changes that make sense seems to be a key capacity to staying sane and being useful.

  Understand your stories of change, understand your stories about the changes going on around you and be with the ones that you want to see.  The truth of it, I think, is that at any given time, there is something going on that we can choose to be with.

  Like these people dancing.
  

• 

  Back from the hack

  Posted: August 5th, 2008, 9:19pm PDT by Chris Corrigan

  Finally recoversing the site from a massive hack attack.  Most of my site had previously been put together on PmWiki, which was a great wiki and a very easy to use content management tool.  However, it had some weak security and someone exploited it, ran a bunch of code through my wiki and sent out 45,000 emails phising for private info.  Yikes.

  I’ve spent a lot of today on the phone with John over at dollarhost and we have figured out what’s going on.  The site was so corrupted that we had to delete and reset the whole thing.  So I have a new install of wordpress running (very sleak too, I might say) and I have all of the content from my wiki site, but I’m not going to be restoring it with PmWiki.  My plan is actually to use Wordpress to generate the pages of my site, so that’s what comes next.  In the meantime, blogging is back up and I’m slowly recovering.

  Whatever happens is the only thing that could have!

  Thanks to all those who emailed to ask what was going on and thanks to John at dollarhost for a job well done.

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Creative Conversations on the Arts

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 1:04pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  Every October, in honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, Americans for the Arts partners with emerging leaders from across the country to host Creative Conversations. Last year, more than 1,000 emerging arts leaders participated in 41 locally hosted Creative Conversations throughout the country, and those leaders continue to be engaged at the national level.

  Want to host a Creative Conversation? Learn more.

• 

  European eDemocracy Award 2008

  Posted: July 26th, 2008, 6:01pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  The annual European eDemocracy Award honors the most valuable European eDemocracy initiative amongst 50 selected websites in EU, 27 featuring a wide range of eDemocracy tools and content strengthening eParticipation, transparency, representative participatory democracy and citizen participation in the democratic decision-making processes at the European, national or local levels of governance. The “call for candidatures” is open until August 8th.

  Sounds like something we should be doing in the U.S. too, no?

Parking Lot

• 

  Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

  Posted: July 26th, 2008, 12:21pm PDT by Chris Corrigan

  Enclosure: [download]

  Yesterday Ashley Cooper posted a question on the OSLIST about the enigmatic principle of “whatever happens is only thing that could have:

  Feeling those gathered in San Francisco, swimming in the hearty open space soup, I find a myself pondering a topic I would host if I were there… a topic I’d love to have a conversation around.

  I’m curious about the wording of the principle, “what ever happens is the only thing that could have”. I know John Engle brought this question up in the past [www.openspaceworld.org] and I’m still curious about it.

  I find that people sometimes use it as a block to reflection, a reason to not look back and learn from what didn’t happen because “whatever happens is the only thing that could have.” Yes, and…

  I love the principle for the acceptance that it invites. And I struggle with it because there is a sense of finality that it also invites (if you want to let yourself go there). We did what we did and that’s, that. Which is true… And…

  I appreciate how in Haiti they are playing with What Happens is what happens - learn and move forward. I like the learn and keep moving part.

  Are there other ways that people phrase this principle? How do you invite the spirit of acceptance and invitations to be with what is alive and happening in the moment, while also inviting reflection and learning from what has and has not emerged?

  If anyone at WOSonOS is reading this and you find this conversation springing up in your face to face time, please do share your harvest with us. I’m contemplating posting a skype session tomorrow morning on this topic… and I’ve not yet been able to commit myself to being inside at the computer tomorrow morning!!

  I put the question to a few folks here and recorded about a half hour of their answers. You can listen to the interviews here:

  • Whatever happens (mp3)

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Looking for Democracy Short Film Contest

  Posted: July 25th, 2008, 8:45am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  Show what democracy means to you in the Looking for Democracy Short Film Contest. Any genre is fair game: documentary, narrative, experimental, music video. Filmmakers are encouraged to unleash their radical imaginations and look for democracy in creative and unusual places. Can you find democracy where you might least expect it?

  As the 2008 presidential election heads into its final months, democracy is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. But democracy is defined by more than just electoral politics. Where do you find democracy in your life? Can you find it in your school, church, union, community, or a professional or sports association? How do you see democracy functioning locally, nationally, and globally?

  Videos cannot be more than five minutes and must be submitted by Tuesday, September 2, 2008.  For more information, please contact Maggie Berndt at The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council at 312.422.5585 x239 or or visit www.prairie.org/DemocracyFilmContest.

Parking Lot

• 

  OSonOS 2008 underway (with kids!)

  Posted: July 24th, 2008, 12:35pm PDT by Chris Corrigan

  

  San Francisco

  OSonOS 2008 has begun with Lisa Heft opening up space in a beautiful building at San Francisco’s Presidio this morning for 120 of us from more than 15 countries to get into what Open Space is all about.  This is my third worldwide OSonOS and I love these gatherings because I get to hang around with people for three days that I don;t have to explain myself to!  That, I think may be a good working definition of a community of practice.

  THis one is different for me as I am here with my whole family, and my kids are actively participating.  I sat with my seven year old Finn today in a session on facilitating Open Space as a kid.  For him I think it was an experiment in what it is like to post a session and see who will come and find out how the whole thing goes.  There was a small group of us talking about a number of issues having to do with working with children both in Open Space and facilitating Open Space, and a few insights came to light.

  First, when working with kids, it’s important to know that the principles of Open Space will always be pushed to the max, and probably beyond what most adults are comfortable with.  We had a story of a gathering that my kids were a part of that was hosted by adults, but in which the outcomes were predetermined and “the best face” was put on the event.  Working with kids means whatever happens in the only thing that could have happened and that might also mean that nothing of significance happens.  Being okay with this, especially if resources have been sunk into something, can be hard for adults tied to outcomes.  Working with kids will always teach you something about your practice.

  We heared some good points about the kinds of ways adults need to show up with kids in Open Space, notably around the issue of time rhythms and silence.  Kids operate on a different time engine than adults, sometimes speeding ahead, other times slowing down.  Often kids won’t speak until they know they are safe and they will silently canvas a circle of their peers to see who might talk first.  This can seem interminable to adults who are expecting answers and yet this relationsl field is very important to kids.

  We talked too about making sure that spaces are meaningful for kids.  If we are doing work that involves kids voices, we need to make sure that these voices will have impact and that we may be prepared to be changed by the experience.  Adults can be advocates to kids - even in child-based organizations - to make sure that children’s wisdom is heard.

  Finally we talked a little about a real world issue going on in our home community of Bowen Island, where some trees are being taken out of a playground to build an all weather playing field, something Finn is pretty interested in. The need for children to have spaces in which unfettered social self-organization can occur is critical.  While there are many forested areas on our island, there are very few in which all the island kids can meet and in which the co-create self-organized worlds.  In this sense kids already know how to live and be in Open Space.  Helping them to actually run meetings like this might benefit from drawing on these expereinces.

  My son really co-convened this session with me and at times he was lost for words.  I think for him, there was a little experiment going on: what is it like to call a session?  Who will come?  How does the power work in this process?  He learned a few things about this, including the fact that if you call it, people will come.  He also learned about checking in and checking out and knowing that that is okay, but it reminded me that for a wide open learner it may be true that working in Open Space is equally about learning about the content and playing with the process.  Fascinating all round.

Planblog

• 

  Obama Berlin speech tag cloud

  Posted: July 24th, 2008, 12:28pm PDT by Tim

  Thought I’d condense Obama’s speech in Berlin, Germany today into a tag cloud:

  

  I used Wordle, which does a really nice job at creating tag clouds.

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Using the Arts to Generate Dialogue

  Posted: July 22nd, 2008, 3:39pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  I just read about this cool project in Animating Democracy’s latest e-newsletter…

  In 2003, community artists Jean-Marie Mauclet and Gwylene Gallimard sent 56 handmade three-legged stools as gifts to artists around the world, as a proposal to use the arts to generate conversation about globalization and social justice issues. Artists, artisans, and arts collaboratives who agreed to participate were challenged to create an object, installation, performance, or other project in response to the worldwide issues. Thus, artist residencies, workshops, gift exchanges, and other events took place in England, France, India, South Africa, and the United States.

  Beginning September 12, the stools and resulting projects will come to Charleston, SC, to be presented as a means to create community dialogue in The Future is on the Table. A multitude of special events—including multidisciplinary performances and dialogue—are planned through September and October.

  Learn more at www.fastandfrench.org/Future/Future_index.htm.

• 

  New Book on Peacebuilding by Amb. John McDonald

  Posted: July 15th, 2008, 12:11pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  I’m proud to announce that NCDD Board member Ambassador John McDonald just published a new book called “The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacebuilding: Stories and Lessons.”

  The book brings together the remembrances of Ambassador McDonald, a veteran diplomat whose life serves as a model to those people of vision and action who wish to make a difference in a world that is desperate for the end of conflict. Beginning his career in international diplomacy in post-WWII Berlin under the Marshall Plan, Ambassador McDonald’s 40 years of working with the U.S. government and the United Nations—as well as with various academic institutions and NGOs—offer the reader both inspiration and hope for the future of international peace and cooperation. This international civil servant of extraordinary vision and courage has devoted his life to the successful resolution of conflict through communication.

  The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacemaking contains the professional life lessons of Ambassador McDonald and offers his insight into international issues, providing frank and informed discussion on the environment, women’s rights, the global water crisis, sustainable resources, international development, and, above all, peace. Those looking to be inspired into action should read this book to receive guidance about how one person can make all the difference toward building a lasting peace.

  Ambassador John W. McDonald is a lawyer, diplomat, former international civil servant, development expert, peacebuilder, and the co-founder and chairman of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy. Order the 360-page hardcover book now from Lexington Books for $80.

• 

  “Engaging the Other” Conference Coming up in San Mateo, CA

  Posted: July 13th, 2008, 7:52am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  The 3rd Annual International Conference on “ENGAGING THE OTHER:” The Power of Compassion will take place September 4-7, 2008 in San Francisco (San Mateo), California, USA. This international, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary conference examines concepts of “The OTHER” from a universal, cross-cultural perspective to promote wider public dialogue about concepts of “Us and Them.”

  NCDD is an official endorsing organization of this important conference.

  This extraordinary conference will address the roots of fear-based belief systems and stereotypes, prejudice, polarization, enemy images, and artificial barriers of misunderstanding and distrust that divide us. Join an international list of over 60 presenters and visionaries, and hundreds of concerned individuals, to engage in 3 1/2 days of workshops, roundtables, and focused, facilitated dialogue bridging the divide and cultivating our capacity for reconciliation, appreciation of diversity, and peace.

  Registration is open to professionals as well as the general public, and continuing educational credits are available. The conference is sponsored by the Common Bond Institute and is Co-Sponsored by the International Humanistic Psychology Association, Institute of Imaginal Studies and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. It is also supported by a growing international list of over 90 organizations and universities. (more…)

Planblog

• 

  WikiTrust

  Posted: June 27th, 2008, 11:37am PDT by Tim

  Interesting project by the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Wiki Lab: WikiTrust, a project in studying author repuation and text trust on Wikipedia.

  How is the trust computed?

  The trust of text is computed in two steps:

  • First, we compute the reputation of each author by analyzing the author’s contributions. When an author makes a contribution that is preserved in subsequent edits, the author gains reputation. When an author makes a contribution that is undone or reverted quickly, the author loses reputation.
  • The trust value of a new word is proportional to the reputation of its author. When subsequent authors edit the page, words that are left unchanged gain trust: by leaving them there, the authors implicitly agree with them. Words closer to the edit gain more trust, as the author of the edit is likely to have paid more attention to them. In contrast, text that has been rearranged (new text, text at the border of cut-and-paste, etc) has again a reputation proportional to the author of the edit.

  See a demo or learn more on their blog.

  Via ReadWriteWeb: WikiTrust Evaluates Wikipedia Text by Author Reputation

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Traces of the Trade Premieres June 24th on PBS

  Posted: June 19th, 2008, 10:58am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  I strongly encourage all of you to watch/record Traces of the Trade next Tuesday (June 24th). It premieres on PBS next week, and I especially encourage anyone who’s joining us in Austin for the 2008 NCDD Conference to watch this film. We’ll have representatives from Traces at the conference — showing the film, working with Eastern Mennonite University’s Coming to the Table program on race dialogue-focused workshops, and helping us connect all we’re learning and experiencing related to race, bias and oppression at workshops and plenary sessions at the conference.

  Those of you who attended NCDD 2004 in Denver may remember that our friends at Animating Democracy gave conference participants the opportunity to view the rough cut of the film, and played it again during the Open Space because so many people were talking about it that many who missed out demanded another opportunity to see it.

  Supported by Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts supported by the Ford Foundation, the film follows director Katrina Browne and nine of her relatives as they retrace the voyage and industry of their ancestors—the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history—from the former mansion and wharf in Bristol, RI, to slave forts in Ghana, to former plantations in Cuba. Step by step, the family uncovers the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling through the minefield of contemporary race relations. In this bicentennial year of the U.S. abolition of the slave trade, Traces of the Trade offers powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide.

  Traces of the Trade will be a catalyst for heart-to-heart dialogue, education and action through screenings in communities and classrooms. There are many steps you can take, on your own or with others. For a full list of these types of opportunities, visit www.tracesofthetrade.org/get-involved.

  Check your local listings to see when the film will debut in your area. You can also go to www.tracesofthetrade.org to learn more about this amazing film.

Planblog

• 

  Ameritocracy: new social fact-checking platform

  Posted: June 19th, 2008, 9:01am PDT by Tim

  I just signed up for Ameritocracy, a new social web app (currently in beta) for collaborative fact-checking.

  

  From their blog:

  About Ameritocracy

  Ameritocracy is a user generated content site that allows people to rate the credibility of statements made by our leaders and information gatekeepers such as media outlets and businesses. Our reputation system helps to make the information you read more credible, and the succinct nature of the content will help anyone keep up with social and political news.

  From the about page:

  What is Ameritocracy?

  The internet today is pretty neat. It’s given us access to more information than any previous publishing medium, and gives everyone with a connection the tools to broadcast their views to the masses. With so many opinions, we can learn about all sides of any issue, but it still takes a lot of time to do the research. Ameritocracy was born out of this frustration of not knowing who to trust and not having the time to try to figure it out.

  Our goal is to help people cut through the noise and gain quick access to the whole picture. We want to encourage a healthy skepticism of all claims, and offer a meaningful way to participate in the dialogue between the people who consume information and the people who own it. We want to give the public a chance to say, “We’re listening”, and demand that we be listened to as well.

  How does it work?

  The core features of Ameritocracy are adding statements (made by a person or organization) and assessing statements. For example, if you hear Jane Doe say something on tv that you find questionable, you can submit that statement to the site to see what the community has to say about it, or you can add your own assessment. Members can then rate Jane Doe’s statement for credibility and relevancy, add their own assessments, or post a comment.

  From this, Jane Doe will develop a reputation based on the community ratings, and you and your sources will develop a positive reputation so long as no one identifies your submission as a misquote or deliberately inaccurate information. The goal is to get a few different perspectives for each statement, so anyone looking to know more about a statement can get a broader picture and make their own assessment.

  There will be some really exciting trends to watch during this process, such as what the public feels about certain topics, how public opinion changes over time, and how the government, media and business react to the views of the Ameritocracy community.

  Over on the IPDI blog, Julie Germany has an interview with Porter Bayne, one of the co-founders (she’s also giving out invite codes so check it out): Building Ameritocracy one quote at a time

  At first glance, this looks very similar to Munich, Germany-based Trupoli (which I looked at briefly back in December).

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Youth Innovators at the University of Pennsylvania

  Posted: June 17th, 2008, 9:46am PDT by Andy Fluke

  In their latest email offering, NCDD members Len and Libby Traubman share the story of University of Pennsylvania sophomore Sam Adelsberg and his work at his school to bring Jewish and Muslim students together…

  My freshman year at Penn was marred by controversy between the Jewish and Muslim and Arab communities. Distrust and animosity stood in the way of a provocative dialogue as numerous incidents further exacerbated the already existant isolation between the communities. I could only speak for my own feelings, but I saw many who have since become dear friends as “the other.” A year later, it is not uncommon to see Muslims eating at Hillel or Jews attending MSA events.  What happened? An initiative sparked by some student leaders on both sides attempted to “bridge the gap” that we all saw. Are all barriers broken down? Hardly. Through joint musical performances, joint panels, cultural events and a trip together to help rebuild New Orleans together, student leaders from both communities began to see each other as friends and not as others. Though there were times when it got tense, many beautiful friendships formed. While there is a long way to go, this is an exciting first step as many of these students who participated have tremendous potential to take this even further in the coming years.

  Along with Sam’s story, they highlight other examples through articles from UPenn’s student newspaper.

  Breaking the Ice via Stereotypes by Alex Melamed
  Interfaith organization PRISM debunks common religious slurs in first fall meeting.

  Mending Their Ties Through Music by Nandanie Khilall
  Jews, Arabs and Muslims seek fresh cultural dialogue.

  Religion and Rebuilding down South by Lara Seligman
  Jewish and Muslim students come together for spring break trip.

  Two Unlikely Groups Join Forces To Host An Event by Lara Seligman
  “We are not on the West Bank; we are in West Philadelphia.”

Planblog

• 

  Plantjes en Bloemen V

  Posted: June 14th, 2008, 7:56pm PDT by Tim

  Following a long year of lackluster garden engagement, the time has come to once again green the backyard.

  In an effort to fully maximize value, this year will be herbs only (strawberries didn’t yield enough results, and the vegetables were pretty much all eaten by our little friends on four feet).

  Sorry, mates, not this time!

  Basil, rosemary, Italian parsley have already been added in large quantities. Mint and a few other weeds will follow shortly.

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Fielding’s 5th Certificate Program in DD&PE Coming Up

  Posted: June 14th, 2008, 10:34am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  Fielding Graduate University’s fifth graduate level Certificate Program in Dialogue, Deliberation, and Public Engagement is being held this fall (August 15, 2008 through January 15, 2009). I have heard only great things about this program, and I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to earn some credentials in D&D but isn’t quite ready for a doctorate.

  This distinctive program focuses on recent innovations in dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement featuring outstanding faculty who have played key roles in developing these approaches. It strives for the development of mastery in our practice of dialogue and deliberation.

  Designed and delivered in collaboration with The International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, the Kettering Foundation, and the Public Dialogue Consortium, the program features an outstanding faculty of scholar-practitioners (Hal Saunders, Barnett Pearce, Phil Stewart, Keith Melville, Jan Elliott, John Dedrick, Linda Blong, Kath Fisher). It also features guests in phone dialogues who are widely recognized scholars and innovative practitioners. Previous featured guests have included Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Juanita Brown, Martha McCoy, Bob Stains, Shawn Spano, Frank Barrett, Joe Peters, Janette Hartz-Karp and Jim Fishkin.

  Come join us and learn with others from different backgrounds and countries who share your energy and enthusiasm for this work. Learn in two face-to-face workshops, online, and on the phone with world renowned practitioners. To help make it easy for those attending the NCDD conference, the first face-to-face workshop will take place in Austin, Texas immediately after the conference.

  Here’s what a few previous participants had to say:

  • “The DDPE certificate program is exceptional.”
  • “Altogether an outstanding experience.”
  • “The Program was extremely valuable.”
  • “This program has had, and continues to have, a huge impact on my thinking and the way I do my work.”

  For a course outline and to check out other testimonials, see www.fielding.edu/hod/ce/dialog/index.html. You can also check on the website to see when the next informational conference call is being held.

  Tuition is US $3490 if you register by the early bird deadline of July 15, 2008. NCDD members’ tuition is only US $3,140 (10% discount). Registrants enrolling after July 15 will be charged US $3,740 ($3,390 for NCDD members). Register at [https:].

  Addendum Added 7/1/08…

  Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement
  Certificate Program (DDPE)
  August 15, 2008 – January 15, 2009
  Developing Mastery in Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement

  Call for Sponsorship Applications—Deadline:  July 15, 2008

  The Institute for Social Innovation at Fielding Graduate University announces $2,500 partial sponsorships for professionals who are interested in improving their practice and beginning a project in the area of dialogue, deliberation, and public engagement.  We are particularly interested in partially sponsoring participants who have the opportunity and interest in supporting dialogic, deliberative and engagement practices in their organizations or communities through projects which have the potential to build civic engagement capacity.

  With support from the Kellogg Foundation, we are offering partial sponsorships for our 19 week certificate program which provide participants with the opportunity to develop towards mastery of dialogue and deliberation processes by working with a scholar-practitioner model of reflective practice. An exceptional faculty of scholar-practitioners, who do real world work in diverse contexts and cultures, will support your learning and provide coaching for a culminating capstone project.   This program uses blended learning: two face to face sessions, online, and phone and is available for academic graduate credit.  These sponsorships provide about half of the total cost of the program. (For DDPE info www.fielding.edu/hod/ce/dialog/index.html)

  Applicants must have organizational support in the form of commitment to dialogue, deliberation and public engagement.  Applicants with financial support from their organization/community will be given preference.  Applicants can be from any sector of society: non-profit, government, or for-profit.

  The review team is accepting applications until July 15, 2008.  If you are interested in submitting an application, please send the following by email to .

  1. Two page description of how you intend to use this certificate in your work; a description of a potential project opportunity which would help to build civic engagement capacity using dialogue and deliberation in your organization or community.
  2. An email letter of support from your organization with an indication of financial contribution.

  For questions, please contact: Dr. Katrina Rogers, Fielding Graduate University at (805) 898-2924 or .

• 

  Innovation in the Move towards Peaceful Coexistence

  Posted: June 14th, 2008, 9:46am PDT by Andy Fluke

  The city of Bilbao will be the scene of an international seminar “Innovation in the Move towards Peaceful Coexistence: New Methods for Conflict Management and Social Dialogue” that will be held between the 21st and 24th of July.

  This course provides a framework for learning how to establish productive dialogue and to participate in conversations that promote change, inspire innovation, generate supportive and cooperative coordination and enable us to cope with difficult situations or conflicts, channelling them towards creative solutions. It also aims to help participants recognise and expand existing resources and opportunities for peaceful coexistence. The resources provided change the way in which we establish personal, interpersonal, social and political dialogue, and offer new opportunities for joint activities and the communal building of a new future.

  It will be led by high representatives of the field such as Kenneth Gergen, Sallyann Roth, Dora Fried Schnitman, Nelson Molina Valencia, Jorge Sanhueza and others. It has been organised by Gizagune Foundation and the Elkargunea Network for Promoting Peaceful Coexistence in Local Government in collaboration with Fundación Interfas and The Taos Institute.

  You can request more information at .

Planblog

• 

  Tim Russert

  Posted: June 13th, 2008, 2:14pm PDT by Tim

  Journalism here in the US suffered a big loss today: NBC’s Tim Russert dead at 58

  Of his background as a Democratic political operative, Russert said, “My views are not important.”

  “Lawrence Spivak, who founded ‘Meet the Press,’ told me before he died that the job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest’s positions and take the other side,” he said in a 2007 interview with Time magazine. “And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that’s what I try to do every Sunday.”

  You did a good job, Tim!

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Does Our Brain Impair Our Political Perspective?

  Posted: June 12th, 2008, 9:19am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  I received Donna Zajonc’s Politics of Hope e-newsletter this morning, and was captivated by Donna’s main article, which is about which parts of the brain are used (and most tellingly, NOT used) when partisans hear negative or contradictory information about the candidates they support. Definite implications for D&D practitioners. Here’s the article…

  New brain research is giving us insight in to our political positions and may explain why we have become so politically polarized. Dr. Drew Westen, director of clinical psychology at Emory University, and his colleagues used a MRI brain scan to study a sample of Democrats and Republicans who were strongly committed to their individual candidate.

  Democrats and Republicans were asked to evaluate negative information that had been published about their favorite candidate. During the evaluation, participants underwent MRI scans to see what parts of their brains were active. The purpose of the study was to research people who said they strongly identify with their political party (called “partisans”) and evaluate how they respond to contradictory information about their candidate. (more…)

• 

  The Visual National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation

  Posted: June 11th, 2008, 1:23pm PDT by Andy Fluke

  Generated from our “About Us” text using the “word clouds” tool at Wordle (wordle.net)…

  

• 

  Sandy & Andy’s visit with Marv & Sandra

  Posted: June 8th, 2008, 12:23pm PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  On May 20th, Andy and I drove over to Philadelphia to meet with Marv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff - co-founders of the Future Search Network and co-creators of the future search method. For those of you not familiar with it, future search is a great planning method that allows people to discover a set of shared values or themes (common ground) and build new dynamics such as inclusion and collaboration into their organization or community.

  Future search is not trademarked and is not owned by anyone (I can’t tell you how much I respect that!) and all are encouraged to use the process and experiment with it. It is an open system process, which means it considers anyone a necessary participant who can affect, is affected by or has important information or experience related to the task at hand.

  We had a great visit with Marv and Sandra (pictured), who are super-nice, intelligent, thoughtful people. We visited at Marv’s beautiful house and then had lunch nearby at an Indian restaurant. We learned about the origins of future search and the underlying philosophy of the process.

  I left our meeting with a lot more respect for the future search process, and I recommend that everyone involved in change management become familiar with the process. If you want to learn more about future search, here are some things you can do…

  • Go to the Future Search Network site
    
  • Get trained in future search (they provide great discounts for paid NCDD members!)
  • Buy Marv and Sandra’s most recent book, Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! Ten Principles for Leading Meetings that Matter
  • Check out the resources we have in the Learning Exchange on future search
• 

  NCDDer’s Dialogue Project Featured on Front Page of NY Times!

  Posted: June 1st, 2008, 9:32am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  An article about NCDD member Judith Mowry’s Restorative Listening Project was featured on the front page of Friday’s New York Times. The article by William Yardley, entitled Racial Shift in a Progressive City Spurs Talks, covers how Judith’s Portland, Oregon dialogue project has opened people’s eyes to the pain and hardship caused by the city’s rampant gentrification. Her Restorative Listening Project uses uses dialogue, storytelling and restorative justice to engage the city in race dialogue.

  We’ve already posted about the great multimedia coverage Judith got on the Oregonian website. I was impressed with that, but now I’m just floored! Congratulations, Judith!! (Click “more” to see the full article.) (more…)

• 

  Sustained Dialogue Campus Network Seeks Executive Director

  Posted: May 28th, 2008, 8:54am PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  The Sustained Dialogue Campus Network (sdcampusnetwork.org), a project of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue (sustaineddialogue.org), is currently looking for an Executive Director…

  Colleges and universities increasingly pledge an institutional commitment to diversity; yet, relations among diverse student communities are often dominated by racial and cultural tensions. Young people across the country frustrated with campus tensions have been drawn to a process called Sustained Dialogue (SD), first used to improve campus climate at Princeton University in 1999. Formed in 2003, the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network (SDCN) trains, mentors, and connects students seeking to build more cohesive, diverse, engaged campus communities through dialogue. A project of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, SDCN seeks a passionate self-starter to serve as Executive Director and to lead its expansion nationally while building a strong and sustainable organization.

  For more information please visit the SDNC Job Openings page on the SDCN website.

• 

  Co-Creating What’s Next

  Posted: May 27th, 2008, 6:42pm PDT by Andy Fluke

  Mitch Saunders, a past presenter at our conferences, is presenting a new Learning Lab with Craig Fleck entitled Co-Creating What’s Next at the University of California at Berkeley on July 16-18, 2008 along with guests Rod Bacon and Mathew Frazer, CEO’s from Silicon Valley. At the workshop, you will experience new perspectives on previously hidden forces acting on individuals and the organizations in which they work, engage at a deeper level and learn repeatable ways to influence personal and organizational change. Join fellow leaders and practitioners exploring how the principles of living systems and dynamic, co-creative practices are used for sensing and influencing the development of people, innovations, and organizations. While working on real issues, you will learn principles, practices, and practical tools for discovering and influencing what’s emerging and needed next. Learn more at www.actionlearninglabs.com or register at www.actionlearninglabs.com/about/programs/.

Planblog

• 

  Im wunderschönen Monat Mai

  Posted: May 27th, 2008, 2:12am PDT by Tim

  Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,
  Als alle Knospen sprangen, Da ist in meinem Herzen
  Die Liebe aufgegangen.

  Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,
  Als alle Vögel sangen, Da hab’ ich ihr gestanden
  Mein Sehnen und Verlangen.

  Music by Robert Schumann, from his song cycle Dichterliebe, lyrics by Heinrich Heine.

NCDD News & Perspectives

• 

  Connecting with Canadians Policy Research and Dialogue Program

  Posted: May 26th, 2008, 6:01pm PDT by Andy Fluke

  from the Canadian Policy Research Networks (cprn.org) press release…

  Connecting with Canadians, a new five-year public policy research and dialogue program that will engage Canadians to address key issues such as citizenship, diversity and skills barriers, has been launched by Canadian Policy Research Networks. A unique feature of Connecting with Canadians is its commitment to greater engagement of young Canadians in policy issues, says Manson Singer. Young people will participate in the research and dialogue. “We want to leave our young leaders with a legacy of skills and interest in Canada’s public affairs.”

  Connecting with Canadians draws on a framework of expectations and obligations: what Canadians say they expect from government, business and community organizations and what they believe, as citizens, we should give back to society. Together, this set of expectations and obligations represents a vision of the Canada that Canadians want. CPRN identified from its deliberative dialogues and research five challenges to address in public policy research that are critical to achieving this vision: citizenship; diversity; productivity and skills; health and our aging population; and the environment. Connecting with Canadians will address these challenges to find innovative policy ideas to move Canada forward.

  The policy challenges were discussed with leaders from across Canada and reviewed at CPRN’s Leadership Summit 2008 in Ottawa in February. Summit participants, community, business, government and young leaders confirmed their importance and identified key barriers and opportunities to address them.

  You can read Connecting with Canadians, Shaping Our Future on the CPRN website, where you can also find more information about the Connecting with Canadians research and dialogue program.

• 

  More on Mobilize.org’s Democracy 2.0 Entrepreneur Grant Summit

  Posted: May 25th, 2008, 2:03pm PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  from the latest Mobilize.org press release on the event…

  Mobilize.org has announced the application launch for its Democracy 2.0 Entrepreneur Grant Summit, Money in Politics, to be held July 18-21, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. In partnership with The Sunlight Foundation and Common Cause, Mobilize.org is seeking innovative projects focused towards clean election practices at the local, state, and national level.

  Mobilize.org is focusing efforts on empowering members of the Millennial Generation to develop innovative clean elections practices, emphasizing the creation of public finance reforms at the local and state level. These types of reforms are intended to give voters more control over the government by making politicians accountable to voters rather than wealthy campaign contributors. Their Money in Politics Grant Summit presents members of the Millennial Generation with the opportunity to identify a need for clean elections practices, and through the use of interactive key pad voting technology and peer to peer dialogue, develop an idea or solution that would address that need, and present a proposal for funding at the summit in Denver in July 2008.

  Their grant summit winners will each receive a grant, between $3,000 and $5,000 and more importantly, will receive the support of Mobilize.org and its extensive partner network to champion their proposal and create systemic and long lasting change in the way elections are run.

  Please see the Democracy 2.0 Issues Brief “Money in Politics” and the Grant Summit Rules and Application form (deadline is June 15th) for more information (both pdf files).

  You’ll find all relevant information related to the Summit on the Mobilize.org website.

• 

  Designing Peacebuilding Programmes

  Posted: May 23rd, 2008, 9:38am PDT by Andy Fluke

  The International Peace and Development Training Center (www.patrir.ro), working in cooperation with the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and PATRIR, has announced that their Designing Peacebuilding Programmes (DPP), a five day international training program for practitioners, policy makers, international and national agency staff and NGOs working in peacebuilding, gender, development, conflict transformation, violence prevention and post-war recovery, will be held September 22 – 26, 2008 in Cluj - Napoca, Romania. A complete and detailed guide in PDF format is available and more information can be found on their website.

• 

  Zen and the Art of Conflict

  Posted: May 23rd, 2008, 9:36am PDT by Andy Fluke

  We just received a press release for an interesting course offered by Brooklyn Nonviolent Communication (brooklynnvc.org) that I’d like to share (full press release after the break)…

  Shifting Conflict to Compassion

  Mindful Communication: Zen and the Art of Conflict
  A Course in Compassionate Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

  Beginning June 1st at the Breathing Project in Manhattan

  Who doesn’t encounter conflict at some point? While most of us have found ways to “deal” with conflict, it is truly an art to find the opportunities for connection and compassion hidden within conflict. By learning to listen to our own needs and the core concerns of others we can come up with solutions and strategies that foster a mutual sense of understanding.

  This is the focus of an upcoming course, “Zen and the Art of Conflict,” offered by Brooklyn Nonviolent Communication on 3 Sundays beginning June 1st at the Breathing Project in Manhattan.

  (more…)

• 

  $125,000 Grant Program for Citizen Engagement in California

  Posted: May 22nd, 2008, 11:03am PDT by Sandy Heierbacher

  Here’s some great news for D&Ders in California…

  Common Sense California is offering $125,000 total to municipalities, school districts, and non-profits that wish to engage the public in policy decisions through their new “Citizen Engagement Grant Program.” The grants are divided into two levels and will be awarded in two timeframes. CSC is offering four “Common Sense Grants” up to $25,000.00 each for use in developing campaigns that involve the public around issues pertaining to city/regional and/or K12 policy. Applications for these grants will be received through September 12, 2008, with recipients notified in early October. “Catalyst Grants” in amounts up to $7,500.00 will be awarded on a rolling basis, beginning in late June. Click on “more” for the full press release. (more…)

• 

  Registration Opens for the August 2008 IAP2 Conference

  Posted: May 22nd, 2008, 8:50am PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  As previously covered here, this summer’s IAP2 conference in Glascow, UK will be held from August 27th to 29th. Registration is now open, and their early bird rate will be available until May 29th. More details on registration can be found online here.

  The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) conference will be held in partnership with the Scottish Centre for Sustainable Development (SCSCD) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

  Keynote Speakers will address topics such as community empowerment and what it means to government; international law and CSR; oil-peak and community survival; new business models and CSR and ISO 26000. Delegates from 25 different countries will offer 70 presentations on a range of topics associated with CSR, community development, new business models, stakeholder engagement techniques, the very latest research into public engagement, CSR and the UN compact, cyber polling, participation in planning – and many, many more.

• 

  Catalogue of Approaches to Peacebuilding Now Online

  Posted: May 22nd, 2008, 8:39am PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  Global Peacebuilders (globalpeacebuilders.org), an international network of conflict resolution, conflict transformation and peacebuilding initiatives, has recently made their Peacebuilding Approaches Catalogue freely available to visitors to their website. The catalogue is “a brief glimpse of the peacebuilding activity currently taking place, and offers an insight into just some of the many important approaches to peacebuilding currently being implemented locally and worldwide, at a grassroots, community, national or international level”. Also available as a full-colour glossy publication (to order email ), the catalogue describes 18 approaches from the fields of conflict resolution, conflict transformation and peacebuilding around the world.

  from their website…

  In late 2007, we made an open call to individuals and organisations involved in creating the conditions for sustainable peace in their communities to tell us of their approaches to peacebuilding. We wanted to create a publication that might offer peacebuilders working in areas of conflict across the world an opportunity to learn and inform their own work, building up their international networks along the way. We brought together a selection panel of experienced peacebuilders working in Northern Ireland to consider each of the submissions we received, and to select 18 for publication.

• 

  Upcoming Events of the Compassionate Listening Project

  Posted: May 22nd, 2008, 8:04am PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  Along with several trainings this summer, the Compassionate Listening Project (compassionatelistening.org) has announced their 5th Annual Summer Gathering at Camp Brotherhood, a beautiful 200-acre retreat center one hour north of Seattle, Washington, August 1-3, 2008 beginning Friday at noon and ending Sunday at 3:00. Day rates are available for one or more days for those who cannot attend the whole Gathering or do not need on-site sleeping accommodations. No prior experience with the Compassionate Listening Project is necessary; this is an opportunity to come together, drink from the well of spirit and community, and deepen our practices to cultivate compassion in our daily lives. For more information about the Gathering, please visit the event’s webpage.

  The Compassionate Listening Project will also be hosting several trainings over the next few months, including programs in Seattle, Washington, Abiquiu, New Mexico and Ashland, Oregon. Specific details can be found on the Compassionate Listening Project website.

• 

  Mobilize.org Reaches Out to Millennial Generation Entrepreneurs

  Posted: May 12th, 2008, 9:13am PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  from a recent Mobilize.org press release…

  National youth civic engagement organization Mobilize.org released the first report in its series of Democracy 2.0 Entrepreneur Issue Briefs, Money in Politics. The organization, dedicated to Millennial-generated ideas and projects to tackle critical national issues, has adopted a unique strategy to getting Millennial plans into action: give them the information and the financial support necessary to make their ideas a reality.

  Mobilize.org is focusing its efforts on empowering members of the Millennial Generation to develop innovative clean election practices, emphasizing the exploration of public finance reforms at the local and state level. While clean election reform benefits our democracy and society as a whole, the Millennial Generation in particular stands to gain considerably from such reform. By changing the system, not only does society have a better ability to reengage young people in politics, but also stands to find solutions to many issues affecting the Millennial Generation that are being inhibited by the current system.

  The brief serves as a precursor to the Democracy 2.0 Entrepreneur Money in Politics Grant Summit, which will take place July 18-21, 2008, in Denver, Colorado, focusing upon the impact of special interest-funded campaigns on citizen-centered democracy. Emphasizing the problem at the national level, Mobilize.org, Sunlight Foundation, and Common Cause will challenge Millennials from across the nation to compete for grant monies to support projects working to promote clean elections practices. The call for projects will address campaign finance reform, focusing particular on clean election practices like the public financing of elections, targeting the eighteen states that Common Cause is currently working on public financing within.

  Ellen Miller, Executive Director and co-founder of the Sunlight Foundation, commented on the change potential of the Democracy 2.0 Entrepreneur Initiative:

  “Mobilize.org is involved with the most Internet-savvy, network generation of our time. We cannot wait to learn how these young entrepreneurs use the new technologies, the trillions of bytes of information about lobbying, political contributions, and the spending of our tax dollars, and social networks to confront the power of big money in our democracy.”

  Application materials for the Money in Politics Summit were also released today and are available on the Mobilize.org website.

  For questions or to request copies of the issue brief, please contact Christina Gagnier, Mobilize.org’s Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategic Communications, via phone at (510) 717-3022 or via email at .

• 

  A “National Peace Academy” In The Works

  Posted: May 12th, 2008, 9:02am PDT by Andy Fluke

  A consortium comprised of Case Western Reserve University, Peace Partnership International and The Biosophical Institute convened a Vision Meeting, held April 22-23, 2008, at Case, at which a process was launched to design and found a National Peace Academy. Vision Meeting attendees included educators, business leaders, armed services personnel, journalists, community representatives and policy-makers from around the world. A Global Stakeholder Summit is planned for early 2009 as part of an inclusive process to design the National Peace Academy.

  The objective of the National Peace Academy is to advance and support: 1. existing peace education and peacebuilding efforts; 2. the study of the phenomena of peace; 3. research, program development, training, and education for professional and citizen practice of peace and peacebuilding; 4. a worldwide network of peace academies; 5. structures and programs in government, military, business, and civil society for a culture of peace. Along with the initial meeting, a website was launched to help further the effort. You can visit it at www.nationalpeaceacademy.us to learn more about future plans.

• 

  May Issue of AI Practitioner Now Available

  Posted: May 7th, 2008, 7:48am PDT by Andy Fluke

  

  NCDD member, Loretta Donovan, is acting as one of the guest editors of the latest AI Practitioner (www.aipractitioner.com), and just sent me an email letting me know that her issue, May 2008 AI Practitioner: Wired Discovery, New Conversations and Deeper Connections, is now available. From her email…

  In this issue we “venture into the domain of technology … the variations of online tools, the ways in which practitioners are using them, and how they are adding rich texture to the experiences and insights gleaned about the best of what is.” Is there a comfortable, authentic fit for online technology for beneficiaries of AI (our clients) and for the AI thought leaders and caretakers (the scholars and practitioners)? The answer is a confident ‘YES’.

  Articles explore what new models frame AI in the digital age, how stories and themes were collected online for a research study, how highly energizing provocative propositions were created using web conferencing technology and where online collaboration connects and sustains a community of AI practitioners.

• 

  Shades of Youth, A Documentary about Youth and Racism

  Posted: May 7th, 2008, 6:12am PDT by Andy Fluke

  NCDD member, Lauren Parker Kucera, director of the Soquel, CA based coAction Connection (antracism.com) recently sent us an announcement about their soon to be released film, Shades of Youth.

  From their press release: “This remarkable film captures the wisdom of youth as they address issues of race and discrimination. Shades of Youth was filmed at The White Privilege Conference Youth Institute where 100 high school students gathered from across the United States to seriously engage in issues of race, power, identity, oppression and social change. The film offers multiple views and experiences around race and privilege, giving youth and adults entry points to discuss and better understand how institutional racism affects all of our lives. Ideal for use in high school classrooms, teacher education, community and faith-based youth groups.”

  NCDD 2008 Note: Lauren will be co-presenting a pre-conference workshop on white privilege with Catherine Orland at the NCDD conference in Austin this October.

• 

  Free “Webinar” on Facilitation Secrets

  Posted: May 6th, 2008, 10:06am PDT by Andy Fluke

  Leadership Strategies, Inc. (www.leadstrat.com) invites you to join them at 12pm eastern (and then again at 12pm pacific) on May 15 for a free lunchtime “Webinar” entitled An Introduction to Facilitating Groups: The Secrets of Facilitation.

  From their mailing…

  Your executive team will be holding a two-day, off-site planning meeting and your boss has just asked you to facilitate the session. Now you lead pretty good meetings and have decent presentation skills, but facilitation is a new skill and you have a lot of questions. What do you do to prepare? How do you get them engaged right from the beginning? What process do you take them through? How do you keep them focused on the topic? What do you do if someone goes dysfunctional? What if there is a major disagreement that you can’t get them through? How do you make sure they get the results they are looking for?

  In this 90-minute webinar, Richard Smith, Principal with Leadership Strategies, Inc. and former consultant with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), will provide you an overview of the Leadership Strategies facilitation approach and share with you over a dozen tools and techniques that you can use right away. Whether you facilitate focus groups, executive sessions, community gatherings or task forces doing strategy development, issue resolution, requirements analysis, process improvement, or simply action planning, this webinar will give you a comprehensive approach for working with groups.

  For more information and an expanded list of their free Webinars, visit their website.

  FYI NCDD Members: many of Leadership Strategies, Inc. top-notch trainings are discounted significantly for paid NCDD members.

• 

  New Date for the Beyond the Academy Conference

  Posted: May 5th, 2008, 11:14am PDT by Andy Fluke

  The Beyond the Academy Conference is now scheduled for June 10-11, 2008. It will take place on the Arlington Campus of George Mason University, beginning the evening of the 10th and continuing all day on th 11th. Meeting just outside the nation’s capital in the midst of a presidential campaign year, public scholars from across the country will discuss the ways in which their work is more than “academic,” how it helps strengthen democratic institutions and public life and can bring about civic change. For more information go to [beyondtheacademy.wordpress.com]

• 

  TDI Deliberative Democracy Syllabi Repository

  Posted: April