Monthly Archives: February 2019

youth turnout rose more than others’ turnout in 2018

Posted on by
Reply

(UCLA) On Feb. 11, Martin Wattenberg posted a Washington Post Monkey Cage article that received the headline, “In 2018, the turnout gap between young and old people didn’t really shrink at all.” He wrote,

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University produced a widely quoted reportestimating that young Americans’ turnout had risen to the highest level it had ever recorded. This study led to headlines such as, “Watch Out 2020: Young Voters on the Rise” and “Young Voters Turned Out in Historic Numbers.”

No doubt this CIRCLE study is correct in asserting that the turnout rate of young Americans increased markedly in 2018, compared with recent midterm elections. But so did the turnout rate of all other age groups.

The crucial question, then, is this: Did 2018’s massive increase in turnout reduce the wide gap between the turnout rates of young and old Americans?

No. Official records of participation in three states between 2006 and 2018 show that this was not the case.

Wattenberg is not wrong that everyone’s turnout rose in 2018, presumably because Donald Trump raised the perceived stakes of politics and nationalized congressional elections. But it is noteworthy that young people at least kept pace with the average increase, because low youth turnout in midterm elections had hitherto been a very stable pattern.

Furthermore, if you look carefully at the graphs in Wattenberg’s article, the upward slope for youth turnout is actually steeper than that for other age groups. Not vastly steeper, but notably so.

Now CIRCLE has used the voter files for the 17 states that have made them available so far to examine the relative gains in youth and older people’s turnout.

In 15 of the 17 states, youth turnout rose faster than older people’s turnout, meaning young voters expanded their share of the electorate. In certain closely contested races, the increase was dramatic–for instance, youth turnout more than doubled in Georgia and Montana.

In my view, a young-adult turnout rate of 31% is unacceptably low, but the only way to get to a reasonable level is by raising it one election at a time. A 10- or 11-point gain in one year is a very substantial step in the right direction, and it already made a difference to the results.

Civility Convening Early Bird Extended Until February 28th

Posted on by
Reply

Friendly reminder about the upcoming Civility Convening, happening April 30 – May 1 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA. The event will be a great opportunity for those working to improve civility across sectors, including in government, education, the workplace, media (social and public), and in the family. The list of speakers has been announced and we’re excited to see NCDDers on the line-up, like Russ Charvonia, Joan Blades, and John Gable! We encourage folks to get their tickets ASAP as the Early Bird registration has been extended until Thursday, February 28th. You can read more about it in the announcement below or find the original on the Civility Convening site here.

The Urgency of Civility – A Springboard for Action

You are invited to attend a convening of organizations engaged in improving civility within our world. This important session is intended to open conversations around our various goals, and how we can leverage the strengths of each, while remaining independent.

Date: April 30 – May 1, 2019

Register now at the early bird price of $250.00. Pricing extended to Feb 28, 2019.

Mission of the Convening: Civility is rapidly disappearing in our society today yet sprouting anew as a goal of many organizations throughout the free world. This conference is an opportunity for disparate groups to engage in productive dialogue towards the goal of making a positive impact in current civility initiatives through higher awareness and the discovery of common understanding.

Goals of the Convening:

  • Building – By engaging in an active, constructive dialogue of discovery and learning, we may cross-promote and leverage existing civility initiatives.
  • Better –  With awareness and familiarity of current civility initiatives, we can design strategies to clarify and create a more legitimate viable product to build and improve civility in our world.
  • Together – This work will create strong relationships within this space, and build capacity within organizations and individuals actively engaged in the broad spectrum of civility. Together, we can build capacity, create a better, more civil society, while working within the overarching promise of civility.

Theme: This timely, important meeting of organizations engaged in the civility space is hosted by several organizations who share the objectives of encouraging open dialogue, purposeful thought, and capacity building among all groups in pursuit of building a more civil society. How can you (and your organization) contribute and profit from this two-day convening? What can you share that will stimulate others to action? Join us and help bring Civility back to Society.

Meeting Format: The convening will begin with an informal reception the evening of April 29, 2019, and will formally open the morning of April 30, with facilitation of a wide range of topics within the civility space. The sessions on May 1 will feature a keynote speaker, plenary and breakout sessions on specific topics that are designed to meet the needs of the various participants. A farewell dinner will wrap up what is expected to be a very fruitful and worthwhile session.

Tracks: Participants will be able to choose a “track” or “ala carte.” Tracks include: Government, Education, Workplace, Media (social and public), and Family

Speakers: Our Speakers are recognized civility experts and advocates in various walks of life and will be sharing their thoughts, experiences and wisdom with you. View the list of speakers here.

This is a self-supporting conference. No person or organization is generating any profit from it. It is our intention to provide valuable and useful information while keeping the costs reasonable and accessible.

You can find the original version of this information on the Civility Convening site at www.civilityconvening.org/.

ENGAGING IDEAS – 02/22/2019

Posted on by
Reply


Democracy



These Are the Americans Who Live in a Bubble (The Atlantic)
One of the many questions the Trump era has raised is whether Americans actually want a pluralistic society, where people are free to be themselves and still live side by side with others who aren't like them. Continue reading

The New Democratic Primary Calendar Emphasizes Nonwhite Voting Power (New York Magazine)
This decisive turn toward diversity, reinforced by California's decision to move up its primary to Super Tuesday, represents a potentially critical new wrinkle in the nomination process. Continue reading

OPINION - If news is dying, who will safeguard democracy? (The Guardian)
When the news industry began 200 years ago, it grounded the world in fact. Now faith, localism and entertainment rule
Continue reading


Opportunity/Inequality



Why No One Talks About The High Unemployment Rate Among Women With Disabilities (Forbes)
It's not news that there is gender inequality when it comes to employment. Ever since the mid-1900s, if not earlier, women across the U.S. have been fighting for equal wages and equal treatment in the workforce. However, women with disabilities are too often left out of discussions about feminism and equal wage.
Continue reading

LA homeless advocates have a new tech tool for affordable housing (Marketplace)
LeaseUp is a website that makes it easier for landlords to list affordable housing units and for nonprofits to find those homes. Continue reading

Even at Top Colleges, Graduation Gaps Persist for Poor Students (Wall Street Journal)
As elite schools expand access for low-income students, graduation rates lag. Continue reading



Engagement



What's New in Civic Tech: What Is Digital Distress? (Government Tech)
Honolulu launches a new performance dashboard; NYC city planning creates a digital platform for a lengthy zoning resolution; major jurisdictions prep for Open Data Day; a host of gov tech jobs are available; and more. Continue reading

How grassroots efforts are trying to solve the teacher shortage crisis (Hechinger Report)
One teacher at a time, nonprofit groups try to address the lack of teachers in the Mississippi Delta. After years of inaction, the state finally steps in to help them.
Continue reading

OPINION - A Nation of Weavers (New York Times)
We're living with the excesses of 60 years of hyperindividualism. There's a lot of emphasis in our culture on personal freedom, self-interest, self-expression, the idea that life is an individual journey toward personal fulfillment. You do you. But Weavers share an ethos that puts relationship over self. We are born into relationships, and the measure of our life is in the quality of our relationships. We precedes me. Continue reading



K-12



This personalized learning program was supposed to boost math scores. It didn't, new study finds (Chalkbeat)
A program that Bill Gates once called "the future of math" didn't improve state test scores at schools that adopted it, according to a new study.
Continue reading

The U.S. Teaching Population Is Getting Bigger, and More Female (The Atlantic)
Women now make up a larger share of educators than they have in decades. Continue reading

District eliminates extended school year, invests more in classroom technology (Washington Post)
Three years after launching an expensive education experiment, the District is eliminating extended school years at 13 campuses after city leaders said there was scant evidence of improved academic achievement, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced Thursday.
Continue reading


Higher Ed/Workforce




As Students Struggle With Stress and Depression, Colleges Act as Counselors (New York Times)
Students and institutions are grappling with issues like the surge in school shootings and trauma from suicides and sexual assault. But it's not just the crises that have shaken this generation - it's the grinding, everyday stresses, from social media pressures to relationship problems to increased academic expectations.
Continue reading

New Florida Study Shows Students Using State's Tax Credit Scholarship Program More Likely to Attend and Graduate College (The 74)
To the research on private school choice, add one more layer: The Urban Institute has released the results of a study that shows that students participating in Florida's tax credit scholarship program are more likely to enroll in college than their traditional-school peers, and somewhat more likely to earn a bachelor's degree.
Continue reading

Why are tribal college students slow to ask for financial aid? (Hechinger Report)
A report about student experiences at tribal colleges and universities finds a lag in seeking aid, along with reluctance to take out loans. Continue reading



Health Care



From Common Frustrations, Some Common Ground on Health Care (Medium.com)
With many of us paying a larger share of our health care bills out of pocket, it's increasingly important to have clear and accurate information about health care prices. Continue reading

Hospitals now employ more than 40% of physicians, analysis finds
(Healthcare Dive)
Hospitals acquired 8,000 medical practices and 14,000 physicians left private practice and entered into employment arrangements with hospitals between July 2016 and January 2018, according to a new report by Avalere Health and the Physicians Advisory Institute (PAI). Continue reading

Hospital groups push for seat at table as lawmakers address 'surprise billing'
(Fierce Healthcare)
In a letter sent to Congressional leaders on Tuesday, the groups-which include the American Hospital Association and Federation of American Hospitals-laid out principles they want lawmakers to consider as they seek to address the problem over the next few months. Continue reading

the Parkland movement and the 2018 youth vote

Posted on by
Reply

According to my colleagues at CIRCLE (based on their own original survey),

  • Almost two-thirds (64%) of youth said they had paid ‘some’ or ‘a lot’ of attention to news about the Parkland shooting.
  • Young people who said they were actively involved with or at least agreed with the post-Parkland movement were 21 percentage points more likely to self-report that they voted in the 2018 midterm elections.
  • Young people who reported being actively involved in the movement were more likely to say they were contacted by a campaign both before October AND and in the last six weeks before the election.
  • Among all 18 to 24-year-olds, 43% percent said that the Parkland shooting influenced their vote choice for Congress and in local elections at least “somewhat,” with 20% saying that it affected their decision “a lot.”

One reason youth involved in anti-gun-violence activism voted at a higher rate may have been their efforts to engage their own peers in voting. Of those who supported the movement, 44% said they had tried to convince others to vote in 2018.

As always, read the whole thing on the CIRCLE site.

Listen to Confab Recording on All-America City Awards

Posted on by
Reply

Last week we held our first co-hosted Confab call of 2019 with The National Civic League, who shared more about the All-America City Awards! We were joined by 35 participants to learn more about this prestigious award and requirements for how a city can be eligible to win. This was a particularly timely call, as applications for the 2019 AAC Awards are being accepted until March 6th. That deadline is approaching quickly so we encourage you to listen to the recording to learn more, share this announcement with your networks, and consider organizing your city to apply!

On the call, we were joined by NCL’s Program Director Rebecca Trout and two representatives, Jordan Moore of Las Vegas, NV and Renae Madison of Decatur, GA -both from previous award-winning All-America Cities. Over 500 cities have been awarded the All-America City Award over the last 70 years. Every year, NCL awards the cities who are leveraging innovative civic engagement practices in order to create change on the local level. The focus of this year’s theme is on, “creating healthy communities through inclusive civic engagement” and the award will be given to the cities with projects that promote more equitable health practices and better overall health in the community. Click here to learn more about the award, resources, and where to apply.

The call was an opportunity to hear directly from past recipients of the award and how it has impacted each of their communities. Both shared the projects their cities highlighted for the award, the preparation required, how their teams coordinated logistics, and the overall deep engagement required with each community throughout the whole experience. Jordan, who works for the City of Las Vegas, shared with us the experience of applying for the AAC award and how this process has led to a greater feeling of pride in the city and increased draw for new residents and businesses. We also heard from Renae who works for the City of Decatur and how the award process was a great time for the community to build deeper relationships with each other and with other cities passionate about engaging their communities. The award and the accompanying conference (where the award is announced) work to elevate the powerful community engagement work going on across the country and celebrate those cities best in service to their communities.

We were live tweeting during the call and here are some of our favorite quotes from the Confab:

  • NCL is looking for the cities with programs that are innovative and working to address the real challenges in their city.
  • One thing that surprised me was how welcoming and open everyone was, they didn’t treat it as a competition… communities were so open to sharing and exchanging what works, what was challenging
  • [The AAC awards] is a time to celebrate and connect with other communities doing similar work and it’s an opportunity to learn from different communities.
  • This award attracts new citizens and new businesses. Because Vegas has a reputation for not being a place to live, this [award] helps show that it is a liveable city.
  • This process [of applying for the AAC Award] is unlike any award I’ve ever seen. The amount of transparency and the engagement needed was a lot, and was so worth it.

Confab bubble image

We want to thank our friends at the National Civic League for co-hosting this call with us! Thank you to Rebecca, Jordan, Renae, and all the Confab participants for contributing to this conversation! We recorded the whole presentation in case you weren’t able to join us, which you can access by clicking here. To learn more about NCDD’s Confab Calls and hear recordings of others, visit www.ncdd.org/events/confabs.

Finally, we love holding these events and we want to continue to elevate the work of our field with Confab Calls and Tech Tuesdays. It is through your generous contributions to NCDD that we can keep doing this work! That’s why we want to encourage you to support NCDD by making a donation or becoming an NCDD member today (you can also renew your membership by clicking here). Thank you!

Habermas, illustrated

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve categorized a bunch of recent tweets by putting them in Jürgen Habermas’ three buckets:

  • In the first column, the tweets are literally legible–I can read them–but I don’t know much about their significance. That is because they are meant for friends, people who share experiences with the authors. Because so much common experience is assumed, these are essentially private messages in a public space. In Habermas’ terminology, they represent the Lifeworlds of the authors and their friends.
  • In the second column, employees of formal organizations are doing their jobs–telling people to file their taxes, encouraging them to buy products. For Habermas, these are Systems. They have pre-determined goals that they are openly pursuing–power and profit.
  • In the third column, people are expressing views to audiences that include strangers about matters of common or public concern. These authors have emerged from their respective Lifeworlds to say something about how Systems should change. Their goal is to educate or influence. This is the Public Sphere.

Below is a diagram of how it should work. People should enjoy their Lifeworlds. They have a right to them. I show each person’s horizon of experience and assumptions as unique but overlapping with those of other people, to allow shared meaning.

Individuals should emerge into the public sphere to advocate for changes, addressing other people as free subjects who will respond to good reasons. Together, they create public opinion.

Since opinion always involves disagreement, a deliberative and representative legislature should take their input and make decisions, which should affect the Systems of law, market, and government.

This is how it often actually works:

The systems of money and power influence public opinion by infiltrating people’s Lifeworlds.

One particular mechanism is a message from a System that pretends to be your friend. Budweiser tweets all day with private individuals who drink its beer. And Donald Trump sends tweets to 58 million people that look like messages from a buddy at loose ends around his house. Josh Patten brilliantly satirizes them by responding in kind.

(These are some slides from today’s lecture in Introduction to Civic Studies. See also Josh Patten’s satire; Lifeworld and System: a primer; protecting authentic human interaction; Does Twitter “smoosh” the public and private?; and Habermas illustrated by Twitter.)

Nat’l Institute for Civil Discourse Offers Grant Opportunity

Posted on by
Reply

NCDD member organization, the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) recently announced a call for proposals on a new grant opportunity to fund cross-sector research on American civic and political life. With funding from the Charles Koch Foundation’s Courageous Collaborations initiative, they seek to fund five projects, up to $25,000 each, for research projects across disciplinary and ideological lines on a core concept or institution in American civic and/or political life. Awardees would receive the grants to collaborate on research over the next 15 months then present their findings at future public events. Proposals must be submitted by April 1st. You can read the announcement below and find the original on the Charles Koch Foundation site here.

National Institute for Civil Discourse Projects to Provide Models for How to Restore Civility

Though Americans of varying worldviews share a concern over the health of our country’s institutions, the way in which we discuss the topic differs across communities—including academic disciplines. The University of Arizona-based National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) aims to bridge those gaps. In a new project announced today, NICD is issuing a request for proposals to scholars with different ideologies and from different disciplines who seek to come together to research the core concepts and institutions that are vital to American political and civic life.

NICD will select 10 scholars for a total of five projects. Each group will receive grants to enable them to conduct research over 15 months and present their findings at events around the country. Additionally, to demonstrate how – and why – researchers of varying backgrounds and beliefs can work together, each grantee group also will write at least one paper that documents how they collaborated.

Read NICD’s full request for proposals below and find the original here, and read a recent Washington Post article highlighting NICD’s work here.

Call for Proposals: Creating Research Projects across Disciplinary and Ideological Lines February 4, 2019

The National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) is pleased to announce its intent to oversee, fund, and promote five projects in which pairs or teams of scholars with different political views or areas of academic specialization conduct research together on some of the core concepts or institutions in American political or civic life. We are open as to the precise subjects of these projects, but we do propose that many such political and civic concepts – for instance, civility, community, freedom, and tolerance – are subjects of inquiry in many different fields. Moreover, many Americans across the political spectrum share a concern that the health of American institutions – not only governmental institutions such as congress or political parties, but social ones such as the media, organized religious groups, or even the established business community – is in question at the moment, although the way in which this subject is discussed varies across academic and political communities. The funding for these projects would be sufficient to enable the researchers to play a role in helping to develop joint projects. That is, we are interested in ensuring that constructive criticism across political and disciplinary lines is raised before the research is undertaken, and that the criticisms are raised by people who have a stake in the work itself. If we are to take seriously the occasional criticisms about the insularity of academic work, it is vital to provide models of how this work might be done differently.

Our intent here, however, is not just to fund research but to encourage reflection on this research. The research teams will be asked to write a paper or set of papers that outline the process of their collaboration. What steps were taken? What did the participants learn that they could not have learned from working with someone closer to their field of specialization? How would the collaboration of, for instance, a historian and a sociologist concerned with defining what moderation is, or a political scientist and an expert in classical and religious philosophy working to understand what the corruption of political institutions is, proceed? In short, how would participants in this study offer their work as a model for others, not only in terms of the quality of the research but as a tool for building tolerance and civility within the academy?

NICD will provide $25,000 for each project. All grants are to cover research conducted during the 15½ month period from June 1, 2019 to September 15, 2020. Eligible expenses include course buyouts, research travel, or any other research-related expenses. At the end of this period, grantees will submit drafts or final versions of their work, along with a reflective essay on the work process, and will make themselves available for events designed to explore the merits of the project. NICD public relations staff will work with the grantees to ensure that the collaborative nature of this project is presented as a model that others might follow in working to promote civility and tolerance and to overcome divisions within the academy.

1-2 page proposals, with a description of the project and the nature of the collaboration, biographies of the collaborators, and a budget, should be submitted to NICD Research Director Robert Boatright (rboatright@clarku.edu) no later than April 1, 2019. Inquiries about potential projects are also welcome. Grant recipients will be notified by May 1, 2019.

This grant is made possible through the support of the Charles Koch Foundation, as part of their Courageous Collaborations initiative. NICD is a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization affiliated with the University of Arizona. It was established in 2011 with the goal of encouraging and studying civility in American political and social discourse. For further information on NICD, consult the organization’s website at https://nicd.arizona.edu/.

Proposed Timeline for Projects

  • Feb 4, 2019: Call for proposals for research projects issued
  • Apr 1, 2019: Deadline for proposals
  • May 1, 2019: Select and notify grant recipients
  • June 1, 2019: Research period for grantees begins
  • Sept 2019: Researchers invited to participate in 3rd NICD Research convening, Tucson, AZ
  • Jan 15, 2020: Informal midterm report from grantees due to NICD
  • Sept 15, 2020: Close of research period for grantees; research summary and reflective essay due to NICD
  • Fall 2020/Winter 2021: NICD public events and/or academic conference presentations on results Publication of reflective essays

You can read the original version of this announcement on the Charles Koch Foundation’s site at www.charleskochfoundation.org/news/nicd-projects-to-provide-models-for-how-to-restore-civility/?

Legal Friends, Help Judge a Mock Trial!

Posted on by
Reply

Friends, one of the most important methods of civic learning is centered around engagement with the principles and actions of civic life. Few things approach that like a mock trial. If you are an attorney, please consider helping to judge with a mock trial competition in Dade County! nd you can even get general credits from the Florida Bar for participating! See below for more information!

@TheFlaBar & @DadeCountyBar attorneys needed to judge @MDCPSSocStudies #MockTrial competition. Please share and register. Link:http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/…/mock-trial-judges-f…
@miamischools @floridalawed @miamisup @dadecountybarassociation

51786613_10157056198294813_6119773688888819712_n

Special Valentine’s Day Roundup on D&D Online Events

Posted on by
Reply

We are sending some extra love your way with this robust roundup of dialogue and deliberation goodness! Check out the webinars being offered over the next week, let us know in the comment section below which ones you joined and if you have some exciting takeaways- we’d love to hear how people are connecting with these D&D practices! Below are events from NCDD member orgs Living Room Conversations,  National Issues Forums Institute, and from the International Associate for Public Participation, Zehr Institute and Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC).

Do you have a webinar or other event coming up that you’d like to share with the NCDD network? Please let us know in the comments section below or by emailing me at keiva[at]ncdd[dot]org, because we’d love to add it to the list!

Living Room Conversations: Special Opportunity – Ongoing All-Women’s Cohort

We are a group of 5 women from around the country who meet online every month to have Living Room Conversations. We have 4 women who call ourselves “liberal” (whatever we mean by that). One of our two “conservative” women had to drop out for personal reasons even though she enjoyed our group. A really nice group. We’re looking for one more “conservative” woman. Learn more about Living Room Conversations at https://www.livingroomconversations.org/. If you think you might be interested, contact Cobie deLespinasse, cdeles@peak.org.

Living Room Conversations webinar – Men: Victims, Perpetrators and Allies

Friday, February 15th
10:30am Pacific, 1:30 pm Eastern

Join us for a free online (using Zoom) Living Room Conversation on the topic of Men: Victims, Perpetrators and Allies. Please see the conversation guide for this topic. Some of the questions explored include:

  • In response to the “#MeToo” movement, what are your initial thoughts about personal experiences you have had (including your own actions or conduct), situations you have witnessed, and/or the recent public disclosures?
  • Role as a Man — What do you consider your role to be? What has informed your perception of your role (e.g., society, family, religion, education, etc.).

REGISTER: www.livingroomconversations.org/event/online-living-room-conversation-men-victims-perpetrators-and-allies/

National Issues Forums Institute – February CGA Forum Series: Coming To America: Who Should We Welcome? What Should We Do?

Saturday, February 16th
2-4 pm Pacific, 5-7 pm Eastern

Please join us for a Common Ground for Action (CGA) online deliberative forum on Coming to America: Who Should We Welcome? What Should We Do? If you’ve never participated in a CGA forum, please watch the “How To Participate” video before joining. You can find the video link here: https://vimeo.com/99290801

If you haven’t had a chance to review the issue guide, you can find a downloadable PDF copy at the NIF website.: https://www.nifi.org/es/issue-guide/coming-america

If you’d like to watch the starter video before registering, you can view it here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/comingtoamerica/256884446

REGISTER: www.nifi.org/en/events/february-cga-forum-series-coming-america-who-should-we-welcome-what-should-we-do

Living Room Conversations webinar – Social Equity

Wednesday, February 19th
4 pm Pacific, 7 pm Eastern

Join us for a free online (using Zoom) Living Room Conversation on the topic of Status & Privilege. Please see the conversation guide for this topic. Some of the questions explored include:

  • What does the concept of “social equity” mean to you?
  • Are there “social equity” concerns in your community? If so, what are they? If not, should there be?
  • Is the idea of social equity on your top 10 list of concerns? Why or why not?

REGISTER: www.livingroomconversations.org/event/online-living-room-conversation-social-equity/

Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice webinar – RJ work in Korea and NE Asia – a case study in implementation, innovation and adaptation

Wednesday, February 20th
1:30pm – 3pm Pacific, 4:30pm – 6pm Eastern
Guest: Hannah Kim, Jae Young Lee
Host: Howard Zehr

What does restorative justice look like in a context such as South Korea and Northeast Asia?  How was it introduced and spread, and what can we learn from these initiatives? Growing interest in RJ has been emerging in South Korea among scholars, law practitioners, and civil society group since as early as the late 1990s. The practice of RJ, however, didn’t begin until late 2000s after the Seoul Juvenile Court established a victim-offender reconciliation program.

On the other hand, RJ approaches began to be adapted among school teachers as alternative measures to school discipline after corporal punishment was officially banned in all schools in 2011. Restorative Discipline (RD) trainings were widely spread and number of teachers implementing RD in their classes was gradually growing during 2012-2015. Since 2015 RD has increasingly been adopted by Provincial Offices of Education as an official approach to school discipline.   Recently, the interest in RJ has also spread beyond the legal system and the school to hospitals, companies, and even apartment resident communities. Over the past 3 years, Korea Peacebuilding Institute conducted more than 1500 lectures and workshops on RJ annually. In addition, Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) has offered a RJ course every year since 2011. NARPI has been a platform for people in the region to learn about the concept and practice of RJ. And also, how to apply RJ in historical conflict in Northeast Asia is another area NARPI aims to initiate, including the conflict between the North and South Koreas.

Jae Young Lee and Hannah Kim, who have been part of these initiatives, will provide an overview of developments as well as reflections that will be useful to those implementing restorative in other parts of the world.

REGISTER: http://zehr-institute.org/webinars/rj-in-korea-and-NE%20asia.html

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) webinar –  Peace Education: School mediation in multiethnic communities in Serbia

Wednesday, February 20th
6 am Pacific, 9 am Eastern

In this webinar, peace education expert Tatjana Popovic will talk about the benefits and challenges of implementing School mediation in multi-ethnic communities in Serbia. Examples will be presented from schools on how school mediation became mechanism for prevention of violence among peers

REGISTER: https://www.gppac.net/peace-education-webinar-series?fbclid=IwAR371vw1Gxi_tpRI3NZsCMRgbf7Rd_IlD1keNf2KuT30iUwHzMDCiw6t154

Living Room Conversations webinar – Status & Privilege

Thursday, February 21st
1:30 pm Pacific, 4:30 pm Eastern

Join us for a free online (using Zoom) Living Room Conversation on the topic of Status & Privilege. Please see the conversation guide for this topic. Some of the questions explored include:

  • Where did you learn about your personal values and develop self esteem?
  • How has money or “keeping up with the Jones’s” played a role in defining you?
  • Where did you learn about the relationship between individuals and community?

REGISTER: www.livingroomconversations.org/event/online-living-room-conversation-the-search-for-purpose/

IAP2 Taster Series: Reconciliation & Public Participation

Thursday, February 21st
11 am Pacific, 2 pm Eastern

Reconciliation between Indigenous and all Canadians is a frequent topic in news headlines, political speeches, and communities across the country. Through their 94 Calls to Action, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission offered a roadmap to Canadians on the way forward to a more inclusive, productive, and engaged society. So where do public participation professionals and the practice of P2 fit in this reconciliation journey? Join Indigenous Engagement specialists Teneya Gwin and Anne Harding to explore the intersection between reconciliation and public participation and advance your own reconciliation journey in the process.

REGISTER: https://iap2usa.org/event-3102052