Monthly Archives: October 2018

defining equity and equality

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You can find authoritative explanations of the differences between “equity” and “equality,” but I think the definitions of these words vary, and there is no objectively correct distinction.

However, we can generalize a bit. To say that something is “equal” does not imply a positive value-judgment. Some people are taller than me. That means that our heights are unequal, but it is not an injustice. Nor does making things more equal always improve justice. Procrustes stretched his prisoners who were too short and lopped the feet off those who were too tall to make all their bodies an equal length. That was not an example of justice. “Equal” has a meaning in mathematics (already attested in Chaucer), and when it’s transported to social and ethical contexts, it retains its mathematical flavor of value-neutrality.

It’s true that the word has long been used as a synonym for fairness. Milton:

… till one shall rise
Of proud ambitious heart; who, not content
With fair equality, fraternal state,
Will arrogate dominion undeserved
Over his brethren, and quite dispossess
Concord and law of nature from the earth …

But Milton has to say “fair equality.” Out of context, without such a modifier, inequality may not imply injustice.

In contrast, the word “equity” has a positive valence, whether in the law (a “court of equity”), in ethics, or in social analysis. If something is equitable, to that extent it is fair. The question becomes: What constitutes fairness? Answers vary depending on people’s philosophical beliefs, social roles, and cultures.

Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire.

In this well-known picture, several things are equal (the heights of the boards that make up the fence, the altitude of the ground at all points, the sizes of the three boxes, the height of all the heads in the second picture). Some things are unequal, especially each person’s body height.

Despite its label, the first situation is not equal in every respect. But it is inequitable according to three reasonable standards of fairness: everyone should get what he or she needs, everyone should have equal opportunities, and everyone should be a full participant in the activity. These standards can diverge–or they may not even apply in some circumstances–but here they converge to rule the first situation unfair.

The second situation, meanwhile, illustrates equality in some respects. All the heads are the same distance above the fence; the fence is level. But that picture also illustrates equity because it meets several reasonable standards of fairness.

In this case, giving everyone an equal upward boost is inequitable, because their needs are different. But that is only one way in which equality can diverge from equity. If one person really deserves or merits more than another, then giving both people the same amount would be equal yet would violate equity. If Procrustes came along and violently made these three people the same height, that would be equal but not at all equitable. And if we hacked a portion of the fence away to let the short kid see, that would be equitable among the viewers but perhaps unfair to the owner of the fence. In fact, we only celebrate the solution in the second picture if we think it is fair to be able to watch a game for free from over a fence.

The main point is that “equity” always requires an account of fairness: what fairness demands in the circumstances. Equality, on the other hand, always requires measurement. Sometimes when a given measure is equal, that demonstrates equity, but sometimes it doesn’t.

See also: we are for social justice, but what is it?; trends in egalitarianism and sorting out human welfare, equity and mobility.

News Flash! NCDD2018 Official Workshop Schedule is Live!

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HERE THEY ARE! The final round of workshops are below and the official workshop schedule is now up! We also announced the presenters who will be at the D&D Showcase on Friday night – check it out here! Friendly reminder the discounted hotel room rate at the Sheraton Denver Downtown is ending next Wednesday, October 10th at 5pm MST, so make sure you book your rooms as they are filling up quickly. If you are looking to split a room with someone, coordinate for a roommate here on the blog. Finally, if you are looking for a way to support this field, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Scholarship Fund Drive! These contributions will help support a fellow NCDDer to attend the conference who would otherwise be unable to do so.

NCDD2018 Workshop Sessions

Check out the full workshop schedule on the conference page here!

Adding Youth Voices to Dialogue and Deliberation
Have you considered what youth perspectives can contribute to your dialogue and deliberative processes? This session will share some guiding principles for engaging youth and creating youth-led dialogue and deliberative processes. Two case studies will be explored that demonstrate the potential of youth stakeholder engagement when these principles are applied and the benefits of incorporating young people into all aspects of the process. Participants will have the ability to brainstorm strategies for including youth and developing more inclusive dialogue and deliberative processes.

Scott Castillo
Manager of Engaging Communities Initiatives, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center

Lemuel Mariano
Program Coordinator, Youth Leadership Institute

Campus Approaches to Dialogue, Deliberation, and Civic Engagement
In this session, several professors from different universities, combine efforts to highlight various campus-based approaches to dialogue, deliberation, and civic engagement. This session introduces different approaches and examples that focus on how both dialogue and deliberation work to foster civic innovation on campuses. All share the belief that engaged students lead to engaged citizens. Participants will get to dive into both theory and practice of these approaches.

Allissa Aardema
Undergraduate Student, Moderator and Notetaker, Voices for Democracy and Civility, Indiana University

Maria Hamilton Abegunde
Director, Graduate Mentoring Center and Visiting Lecturer in African American and African Diaspora Studies, Indiana University

Lauren Swayne Barthold
Philosophy Professor, Endicott College and Research Fellow, Essential Partners

Jill DeTemple
Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Southern Methodist University

Harriett E. Hayes
Division Head of Humanities & Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Sociology, Bridgewater College

Lisa-Marie Napoli
Associate Director of the Political and Civic Engagement Program, Indiana University; Director, Voices for Democracy and Civility

John Sarrouf
Director of Program Development and Strategic Partnerships, Essential Partners; Peace and Conflict Resolution Professor, Gordon College

Deconstructing Empathy: Listening Beyond Differences to Catalyze Transformation
Those who facilitate group conversations know deep listening is essential to mutual growth and progress. We also are often the ones “keeping the peace” at any cost, even to ourselves. Join us in exploring and experiencing what it means to develop empathy, first for ourselves, then for others. Only when we can personally embrace the change we wish to foster in others, can we help groups find the common ground that we never imagined possible.

Megan Devenport
Executive Director, Building Bridges

Salomeh Diaz
Director, Sacred Minds Consulting

Lydia Hooper
Consultant, Fountain Visual Communications

Dialogue and Deliberation in Higher Education
Faculty and students from three universities share how they are building capacity for D&D in their classes. You’ll learn how students have been given power over aspects of course content and instructional strategies; how we can ‘stack’ pedagogical practices during dialogue in classes across disciplines; and how undergraduates can learn about global best practices by contributing to Participedia. We’ll also ask what you’re doing in your classes and seek ideas for other activities that can be used in all learning situations, no matter where it occurs or the age of the students.

Dr. Denny Frey
Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of the Core, Lasell College

Kiel Harrel
Assistant Professor of Education, University of Minnesota – Morris

Cassandra Hemphill
Adjunct Faculty, University of Montana, Missoula College

Sara G. Lam
Assistant Professor of Elementary Education, University of Minnesota – Morris

Sharyn Lowenstein
Director, Center for Community-Based Learning
Associate Professor, Lasell College

D&D for Everyone: How Do We Get Everyone to Participate?
Dialogue and deliberation are great for bringing people together across our differences. But, it can be a challenge to get everyone to the table when people just don’t think D&D is for them. Some view our work as inherently liberal. Others don’t see the point to more “talking” because these critical issues can’t wait to be addressed. How do we make D&D for everyone? Join us for this facilitated conversation about how we can better reach out, recruit and welcome those who are not inclined to participate in D&D processes. Topics will include how we frame our work to be even more inclusive and welcoming (to those who don’t feel that quite yet), the role of convening, and more. Come add your ideas – with plans to share whatever comes out of this “think tank” with other attendees and the NCDD network as a whole.

Cristin F. Brawner
Executive Director, David Mathews Center for Civic Life

Martín Carcasson
Director, CSU Center for Public Deliberation
Board Chair, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation

Jacob Hess
Co-Founder & Co-Director, Village Square Utah
Board Member, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation

Engaging & Healing Differences – Holding Tension in Life-Giving Ways!
Come enjoy a live encounter with one of the five habits, “An Ability to Hold Tensions in Life-Giving Ways.” A framework of Touchstones and Honest & Open Questions holds a brave & trustworthy space. Afterwards you will hear stories of using and adapting this material for different ages (middle school, college and adults) and conversational focus. Heart felt self-reflection and fresh, meaningful communal conversation is supported in this interactive civic dialogue curriculum (Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy 5 Habits of the Heart & Empathetic Presence. Come play with Tension!

Susan Kaplan, M.S.W., M.P.A., R.Y.T.
Facilitator and Trainer, Colorado Courage & Renewal Collaboration & Rocky Mountain Compassionate Communication Network

Sheila Davis, MD, MS
Healthcare Leadership Program, University College, University Of Denver

Sarah Leach
Urban Farmer, Celebration Gardens and Three Sisters

Engaged Journalism for Community Connection
Fake news. Decreasing trust. Declining audience. What’s a news organization to do? One antidote is “engaged journalism” – news organizations listening and connecting with their communities in new ways, leading to more nuanced stories, stronger relationships with audiences, and greater civic engagement. Newsrooms are collaborating with more D&D practitioners to bring the unique skills engagement into journalism. In this session, we’ll share stories of how news organizations are engaging with their communities, and we’ll host a conversation, guided by your questions, about what that could mean for D&D practitioners. Come explore what the D&D – journalism matchup could look like!

Peggy Holman
Co-Founder and Principal, Journalism That Matters

Fiona Morgan
Consultant, Branchhead Consulting

Andrew Rockway
Program Director, Jefferson Center

Eve Pearlman
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Spaceship Media

Faith Groups as Civic Actors: Exploring Deliberative Work in Context of Faith
In this session, we will present several ongoing cases when faith-based groups have engaged in the work of dialogue and deliberation. We will discuss the direction of their experiments, particularly focusing on their use of issue framings and various formats of deliberation. We hope that these presentations will open up space for a discussion of how faith-based civic work is seen by people in faith-based organizations as well as by people whose work has been set up within the secular framework. What connections exist between these lines of deliberative efforts? How may such connections be potentially beneficial or desirable? How may we work to foster them?

Ekaterina Lukianova
Program Officer, Kettering Foundation

Erin Payseur Oeth
Associate Director of Civic Learning Initiatives, City of Boulder

Simone Talma-Flowers
Executive Director, Interfaith Action of Central Texas

Introducing K12 Students as to How to Think Critically About Dialogue and Deliberation
This workshop will detail how various individuals are working to empower students by bringing deliberative practices into secondary schools and higher education. Amy Nocton and Eleiza Braun will explain how they joined forces with the University of Connecticut to create the E.O. Smith Democratic Dialogue Project, which provides opportunities for student leadership and voice, develops student and teacher civic discourse skills, improves school climate and community, and models the use of dialogue and deliberation for addressing issues of critical concern to the broader community.. Logan Steppan and Kate Garcia from Creek Consulting will also present, showing how the private sector is working alongside students to promote deliberative civic engagement. By empowering students and enhancing their civic knowledge, we can see direct action and results. Learn how here.

Amy Louise Nocton
Spanish teacher, Edwin O. Smith High School, Initiative on Campus Dialogues Fellow (UCONN Humility and Conviction in Public Life)

Eleiza Braun
Community Organizer, Initiative on Campus Dialogues Fellow (UCONN Humility and Conviction in Public Life)

Logan Steppan
Founder, Creek Consulting LLC

Kate Garcia
Deliberative Facilitator, Creek Consulting LLC

Restorative Circle Practice for Transforming Conflict
This workshop will be an interactive introduction to the Restorative Circle model. Circles have been used to navigate and transform conflict across time, culture, and place. The RC model is highly responsive and adaptable to meet the unique needs of diverse communities and individuals. We will work from an anti-oppression framework to practice some of the core components of a circle process.

Ceema Samimi, MSSW, MPA
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work

Rachel K Sharp, MA
Director of Arts & Education, Creative Strategies for Change

Social Media and Online Dialogue and Deliberation: Experiences, Challenges, and Solutions
This workshop will start with a brief review of a few specific and recent instances of online discussion on social media gone bad. In smaller group discussions thereafter, participants will be encouraged to share, discuss and explore their ideas about more general online challenges, including, for example: challenges arising from the for-profit or commercial side of social media, the increasing polarization & decreasing participation online generally, and the often “drive-by” commentary fostered online and other incivilities that discourage deeper citizen engagement–among other online challenges. The workshop will culminate with a discussion focused on identifying and developing some ideas and strategies for addressing these challenges.

Todd Davies
Associate Director and Lecturer, Symbolic Systems Program at Stanford University

David Fridley
Founder & CEO, Synaccord, LLC

Natalie Hopkinson
Fellow, Interactivity Foundation

Sue Goodney Lea
Fellow, Interactivity Foundation

Guy D. Nave, Jr., Ph.D.
Founder, Clamoring For Change
Professor, Luther College

Peter Shively
Fellow, Interactivity Foundation

Talking Past Each Other from Different Ideologies – Analysis and Solutions
We don’t all communicate the same way. Language from critical race theory, anti-racist liberalism, religious tolerance, or traditional individualism can result in talking past each other until every word (even personal stories) feels antagonistic, especially if egos have been injured. Failure to bridge these assumptions about communication leads to extreme sadness, anger, and confusion. In this session, we apply an analysis tool we developed in research to conversations from real reconciliation dialogues in our work and then invite discussion about overcoming these difficulties in dialogues.

Madeline Maxwell
Professor of Communication Studies & Director of the UT Project on Conflict Resolution, The University of Texas at Austin

JhuCin (Rita) Jhang
Ph.D. Candidate, Assistant Director of UT Global Ethics & Conflict Resolution Summer Symposium, The University of Texas at Austin

The Art of Civic Engagement
What happens when we use artist’s creativity to design engaging civic processes? Join us in this session to learn about an innovative case study about the world’s first civic health club, Warm Cookies of the Revolution. Warm Cookies engages community members in crucial civic issues by creating innovative and fun arts and cultural programs. One such program is The Machine Has a Soul, a project focused in two Denver neighborhoods that combines participatory budgeting with artworks and performances inspired by Rube Goldberg machines. We will discuss how arts affect the quality of participation.

Amanda Hudson
Ph.D. Candidate, Portland State University

Evan Weissman
Executive Director, Warm Cookies of the Revolution

The Community Collaboration Project: Igniting Positive Change at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Learn about how the Denver Museum of Nature & Science collaborated with community members to create a culturally-inclusive vision for the Museum’s future. Recognizing that communities of color are not always heard and their ways of knowing are not always taken into account in traditional museum planning and exhibitions, the Museum used an Appreciative Inquiry-based process to empower community members and Museum staff to re-imagine the museum together. In addition to creating a powerful future vision, the Community Collaboration Project built internal capacity for strength-based, inclusive planning that continues to transform the Museum in surprising and impactful ways.

Barbara Lewis
Co-Founder, Rocky Mountain Center for Positive Change
Principal, Catalyst Consulting

Carolyn Love, Ph.D.
Founder, Kebaya Coaching & Consulting

Andrea Girón Mathern
Director, Audience Research & Evaluation, Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Virtual Exchange: Using Technology to Bridge the Divide
By reaching new populations and larger numbers, virtual exchanges connect individuals across geographic, cultural and political divides. Explore the possibilities of using virtual exchange to prepare, deepen and extend the physical exchanges you work within. Practice working with online tools to promote constructive online engagement and communication. Discuss the key differences, opportunities, and skills fundamental to facilitating online dialogues.

Gina Amatangelo
Lecturer, University of Texas at San Antonio

Julie Hawke
Senior Facilitation Officer, Sharing Perspectives Foundation

John Gable
Founder & CEO, Allsides

We Are Human First: Creating Safe Spaces for Group Dialogue
Every person has a voice. Participants will learn how the use of visual art and music, mindfulness, psychodrama, and storytelling can stimulate authentic conversation along with more empathic understanding within diverse groups and communities. These interactional and experiential techniques have been tested and found to be a powerful way to open people up to explore who they are in non-defensive ways, regardless of prior group experiences. These techniques have not only been used with individuals, groups, couples and families in conflictual situations, but also with businesses, non-profits and faith-based organizations, and in secondary schools and university settings. Join our dialogue!

Dr. Paula Christian Kliger. PhD, ABPP
President, PsychAssets

Lori Blumenstein-Bott LMSW
VP, PsychAssets

Sara Kliger, MA, RDT, LCAT-P
Director of Experiential Services, PsychAssets

When the Conversation Gets Tough, Get Visual!
Visualizing ideas, feelings, and experiences can profoundly aid in the process of having tough conversations and making difficult group decisions. In this session, participants will learn about why visuals are so effective given what we know about the human brain. They will then get to practice using different visual tools and techniques to better design group processes and facilitate conversations that matter.

Cassandra O’Neill
CEO, Leadership Alchemy LLC

Lydia Hooper
Consultant, Fountain Visual Communications

Christine Chopyak
Partner and Visual Strategist, Arlosoul: Visualize Innovation

was Lincoln trying to tell us something?

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The penultimate paragraph of Lincoln’s “Lyceum Address” (Jan 27, 1838)

[Memories of the sacrifices of the American Revolution] were the pillars of the temple of liberty; and now, that they have crumbled away, that temple must fall, unless we, their descendants, supply their places with other pillars, hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason. Passion has helped us; but can do so no more. It will in future be our enemy. Reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defence.–Let those materials be moulded into general intelligence, sound morality, and in particular, a reverence for the constitution and laws: and, that we improved to the last; that we remained free to the last; that we revered his name to the last; that, during his long sleep, we permitted no hostile foot to pass over or desecrate his resting place; shall be that which to learn the last trump shall awaken our WASHINGTON.

“Trump” here means to summon loudly like a trumpet, as in John Keble’s Christian Year (1827): “Awake—again the Gospel-trump is blown.” It probably doesn’t mean “To give forth a trumpet-like sound; spec. to break wind audibly (slang or vulgar),” although the OED attests that sense from 1425 onward.

In all seriousness, Lincoln’s address is a timely reminder that high ambition may have motivated the founders to create a republic, but the ambitious gain no renown from keeping an existing republic going. The irony is that Lincoln ended up with a massive memorial on the National Mall because history gave him the opportunity to save and re-found a union imperiled by others.

See also: ambition: pro or con?  and hearing the faint music of democracy

Check Out D&D Showcase Line-Up at NCDD 2018!

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We’re excited to share the list of featured presenters in this year’s “D&D Showcase” — a highly anticipated, high-energy event held on the first night of the 2018 NCDD conference. The Showcase is a fun way for you to meet some of the movers-and-shakers in our field and learn about their leading-edge projects, programs, and tools.

Showcase presenters are asked to prepare a brief spiel to use as a conversation starter during this un-timed session, to provide handouts so you can follow up after the conference, and to prepare an eye-catching poster so people can easily identify their topic. More about how the Showcase works is up at www.ncdd.org/26775.

A few presenters are being finalized but we’ll share on the main Showcase page here ASAP.

9 Steps to Collaboration – The Art of Convening

Craig Neal, Co-Founder, Center for Purposeful Leadership

Experience a highly interactive and dynamic learning environment with Craig Neal, lead author of the Berrett-Koehler Publishers book,” The Art of Convening “ Travel the 9-Step Convening Wheel experientially to design a meeting or collaboration. Craig will share best practices, common challenges and ways to consistently create trust and authenticity in meetings, gatherings, conversations based on 14 years of delivering training, workshops, and seminars.

Accelerate Collaboration: A Visual Facilitation Tool Kit

Shelley Hamilton, Consulting Associate, Leapfrog Consulting

“I see what you mean!” – There’s no better way to facilitate complex group dialogue and add clarity to deliberative processes than to use visual communication tools. Leapfrog’s visual templates, built from years of experience, bring all voices into focus, guide but do not constrain a conversation, and move a group toward greater understanding and alignment through visually highlighting patterns of ideas. Visual tools provide an immediate, tangible, actionable record of both the group process and shared outcomes. The Tool Kit includes 6 templates, facilitator guides, and an overview booklet as well as 4-hr to 2-day Train-the-Facilitator workshops and coaching sessions.

Ally Conversation Toolkit  & The Dialogue Company

Founder, Ally Conversation Toolkit

The Ally Conversation Toolkit (ACT) focuses on helping people who are not targets but rather allies of an “ism” (e.g. racism, sexism, homophobia) become more effective in using dialogue to influence the opinions of others. The project has engaged about 5,000 people through its workshops, on-line tools, and publications, such as the White Ally Toolkit Workbook. (PDF available at www.AllyConversationToolkit.com)

The Dialogue Company (www.the-dialogue-company.com) is a premier source of expertise in augmenting meetings and conferences by using audience polling to improve engagement, enjoyment, and productivity. In fact, Dr. David Campt, the principal of the project, is the author of Read the Room for Real, (available on Amazon) the only book that focuses on using audience polling to improve meetings outside the classroom.

Civil Pursuit

David Fridley, Founder & CEO, Synaccord

On a mission to engage 500 people (10 per state) in online deliberation of “What Shall We the People Do First to Move our Country in the Right Direction” – that CONVERGES. Then 4350, … 300M!

CivNet – An Integrated Civic Platform Backed By a Network of Member Organizations

Will Ferguson, CEO & Co-Founder, CivNet
Leslie Graves, CEO of Ballotpedia & Board Member, CivNet
Adolf Gundersen, Vice President & Research Director, Interactivity Foundation, and Board Member, CivNet

More than ten years and $10 billion have been spent on civic tech, but the results are decidedly underwhelming. We believe the cause is centrifugal force and are developing a fully integrated civic platform—backed by a network of civic organizations—to reverse it. Stop by and meet CEO Will Ferguson, Board members Leslie Graves of Ballotpedia and Adolf Gundersen of Interactivity Foundation, and other members of the CivNet team to see what we’re up to. We think you’ll be impressed and hope you’ll consider contributing your talents to the effort.

Classroom Dialogues: Advancing Democratic Engagement Across Difference

Ashmi Desai, Postdoctoral Associate, CU Dialogues Program
Karen Ramirez, Director, CU Dialogues Program
Pilar Prostko, Assistant Director for Outreach & Coordination, CU Dialogues Program

If you are looking to engage more people in dialogue or exploring how to use dialogue as a transformative learning experience within in college classrooms, then, CU Dialogues Program’s innovative classroom dialogue model may be of interest to you. Our model offers a way to introduce and practice dialogue principles in classroom settings and reach a wide spectrum of students. Housed under CU Engage: The Center for Community-Based Learning and Research within the School of Education, the CU Dialogues program seeks to advance principles of democracy and citizenship, equity and collaborative community in its activities.

Collaboration Without Consensus

Maura Maher, Senior Engagement Services Coordinator, RAMA Consulting

How do you get various stakeholders to work collaboratively on high-stakes, contentious issues with the understanding that no outcome will make everyone happy? Drawing upon 15 years of experience convening grassroots and government leaders, RAMA Consulting will provide real-world examples of groups who were fundamentally at odds but able to reach outcomes that, although not everyone loved, they were are able to live with.

The Commons: A community of humans and robots bridging the political divide online

Julie Hawke, Associate, Build Up

What we learned from using big data, bots, and volunteers to challenge polarization, and how we’re scaling up to enable constructive engagement in on and offline spaces.

Connect with Bang the Table

Amanda Nagl, Engagement Manager, Bang the Table

Bang the Table was founded by community engagement professionals with a passion for helping public leaders activate their communities. Developed through years of experience in and around government, our comprehensive online engagement platform and strategic guidance help you reach, inform, and involve residents in policy development and decisions that affect their lives. Since 2006, we’ve empowered 750 organizations to engage with well over 9 million people globally.

Connecting Local Leaders Across a Divided City

Seva Gandhi, Director of Programs and Partnerships, Institute of Cultural Affairs

The Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network (CSLN) is a member-driven network that connects grassroots leaders from communities across Chicago to share resources, support each other’s work, collaborate, build a stronger collective voice, and nurture equitable and impactful relationships with policy makers. Come learn about how the network came into being, and a few of the innovative events, shared projects and partnerships that have taken place in its 5 year history.

Consent Decision-Making

Sheella Mierson, PhD
Francine Proulx-Kenzle, Founding Member, The Sociocracy Consulting Group

Consent decision-making is central to sociocracy, a whole systems approach to collaborative decision-making, project management, and organizational governance. This method of making decisions sets the stage for more inclusive & effective meetings where all voices matter. The simple process for this method to consider a proposal uses rounds to ask questions of clarification, express reactions, and raise objections. After resolving any objections, the last step is to celebrate the decision.

Count Me In!

Caitlin Schneider, Public Engagement Coordinator, Colorado Fiscal Institute

Colorado voters are going to see a long ballot in November. Voters will have their work cut out for them. In Colorado, we have a unique responsibility to directly vote on policies that shape our communities, which means it’s important for voters to have the resources to make educated decisions on ballot issues. Count Me In! is a robust civic engagement effort who partners with communities across the state to educate voters on the issues they will see on their ballots. We empower voters with resources they need to make decisions on their ballot.

Discussion Tools for Diversity

Eve Passerini, Director of the Integrative Core and Associate Professor of Sociology, Regis University

What are best-practice deliberative dialogue skills for students wanting to engage across difference to solve our most pressing equity problems?

Expanding Your Toolbox

Kareen Wong, Communications Manager, SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

Doing dialogue work and want to connect with new resources? Have ideas on people and places excelling in the dialogue work they do? Come visit the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue for an interactive learning experience: hear about how we are creating a hub for knowledge and practice, learn about new tools and how you can use them in your work, and contribute to our search for individuals excelling globally in the field of dialogue! We will have giveaways to help advance your work and look forward to connecting.

Free Intelligent Conversation

Free Intelligent Conversation (FreeIC) is a nonprofit organization that facilitates engaging conversations between strangers. It’s simple: participants simply go to public places and hold up signs that read “Free Intelligent Conversation,” inviting people to talk with them about anything and everything. We learn things we never would’ve learned from people we never would’ve met. We’re doing this because we want to meet people and learn from them through meaningful face-to-face conversations. We believe it’s when people seek to learn from each other, that an intelligent conversation takes place.

Kyle Emile, Founder, Free Intelligent Conversations

Journal of Public Deliberation

Laura Black, Editor of Journal of Public Deliberation and Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Ohio University
Tim Shaffer, Associate Editor of Journal of Public Deliberation and Assistant Professor of Communication at Kansas State University

The Journal of Public Deliberation is an open-access, online journal that publishes research and reflective essays about deliberation, dialogue, and participatory civic engagement. It showcases top academic research in our field in a way that is accessible and useful to practitioners, highlights innovative dialogue and deliberation practices, and provides reviews of current books in the field. JPD serves as a place for conversation between academics and practitioners in order to move the field forward in both arenas. It is freely available online because it is generously supported by the newDemocracy Foundation, Deliberative Democracy Consortium, and the International Association for Public Participation. The fall 2018 special issue focuses on “Deliberative Democracy in an Era of Rising Authoritarianism,” which offers reflections about the roles our work can play in the current political environment. This showcase provides information about the journal, a look at the current issue, and a chance to meet the editorial team.

Konveio

Chris Haller, CEO, Urban Interactive Studio

Konveio is a connected outreach platform that turns dull PDFs into actionable websites to better convey ideas, collect feedback and spark action.

Let’s Talk About Race

Suzanne Lea, Ph.D., Fellow, Interactivity Foundation
Rashawn Ray, Ph.D., Dept. of Sociology, University of Maryland – College Park

For many of us, it’s scarier than talking about sex but arguably never more needed in our Republic. Come and brainstorm some ideas for adding to the #AmericaStrongChallenge effort that invites all Americans to broaden their social circles and share the connections they make via social media. How do we inspire ourselves to go where we haven’t gone before, make great new connections, and live out the best of our American Dreams? What can we in the dialogue space do to make spaces and opportunities for Americans across the country to connect in new ways and bridge outdated social silos? Enjoy some hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while you join us for some interactivity and a whole lot of imaginative brainstorming fun!

Managing Groundwater Together in Western Kansas

Stephen Lauer, Graduate Research Assistant, Kansas State University

As the vast Ogallala Aquifer runs dry, farmers work together to conserve groundwater and preserve their way of life. Come hear the story of how the Wichita County Water Conservation Area formed and how it successfully manages processes of negotiation and compromise, and how it can inform efforts to manage groundwater collaboratively at a local level.

Mutualinquiry.org

Jim Anest, Creator, Mutualinquiry.org

Mutualinquiry.org is a new kind of platform to encourage and facilitate more satisfying LIVE conversations. Here you can find thoughtful people (who demonstrate curiosity and respect) to explore shared interests AND differences.

Social Capital Untapped

Annie Makela, Founding Director, Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Hillbrook School
Kevin Moore, Mathematics Educator/ Social Entrepreneurship Coach, Malvern Preparatory

Social capital networks are the lifeline to long term impact. Social Capital Untapped is a movement started by educators to help people break down industry silos, map their current collaborations, and connect their intellectual, professional and personal relationships in order to turn ideas into action.

The Public Square Academy

Michael Freedman, Director, The Public Square Academy

The Public Square Academy is a civic and consumer education platform for independent mentors and program designers, offering classes, forums, and workshops for adults, organizations, and schools. PSA offers program design, development, delivery, and marketing to further your educational mission.

Urgency of Civility Conference

Russ Charvonia, Past Grand Master, Masonic Lodge of CA, Masonic Family Civility Project

Come learn about the Urgency of Civility conference, where we will have the opportunity to discuss how we can work together to restore civility in society. We will facilitate conversations around how to restore civility in areas including government, education, workplaces, communities and online, with the goal of identifying how we can achieve our goals in our individual work and collaboratively.

What to do when the Fit its the Shan

Trent Norman, Partner/Consultant, Affinity Arts Consulting

Participants will get an opportunity to try out different techniques when issues such as race and gender become salient and when YOU are on the spot to facilitate. Practice techniques and hone your skills for having the difficult conversation about identity! Come, listen, learn and interact!