Author Archives: Roshan Bliss

NIFI Partners with Faith Leaders on Gender Violence, “Deliberative Discipleship” Conference

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Last week, the National Issues Forums Institute – one of our NCDD organizational members – announced two exciting collaborations they’re undertaking with NCDD member Gregg Kaufman aimed at engaging more communities of faith in deliberation. The projects are full of potential, and we encourage you to learn more in NIFI’s announcement below or to find the original here.

NIF logoFaith Communities & Civic Life

American faith communities associated with Judaism, Islam, Christianity and different religious traditions care deeply about many of the same issues about which the National Issues Forum Institute (NIFI) publishes deliberative dialogue materials. Religious organizations prepare educational materials about issues such as environmental challenges, criminal justice, race and cultural understanding, the economy, and education. Once more, these communities represent tens of thousands of citizens who convene regularly for worship, learning, and service.

How might NIFI introduce deliberative dialogue as a valuable method for discourse in faith community settings? Here are two current projects.

Gregg Kaufman, an NIFI network member and Lutheran pastor, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) staff, are collaborating on a project dedicated to raising awareness about and making choices regarding the tragedy of gender-based violence in America. The ELCA is preparing a formal “social message,” a teaching document to be approved by the denomination’s governing body in November 2015. Kaufman prepared a corresponding deliberative dialogue guide, Gender-based Violence: What Steps Should the Church Take? The guide will be made available to congregations this autumn and a post-forum online survey will collect feedback about the issue and the deliberative process.

The Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Washington, D.C. advocacy offices will host a bishops’ conference in September that will coincide with Pope Francis’ visit to Washington. Deliberative Discipleship – Deliberative Democracy is the conference theme. Bishops will have the opportunity to become familiar with deliberative democracy and NIFI issue guides that reflect some of the concerns that the Pope and leaders of many religious bodies are mutually concerned about; economic inequality, immigration, strong families, and protecting the environment.

Faith communities have the capacity to bring people with deep concerns for public issues together. How can deliberative democracy practitioners develop productive alliances?

For more information about these projects contact:

Gregg Kaufman

Bridge Alliance Launches Declaration of Engagement & New Website

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We want to encourage our NCDD members to check out the newly-launched website of our partners with the Bridge Alliance – a new organization that “exists to upgrade our democratic republic by serving organizations and citizens who are uniting Americans across the political divides to improve civility and collaboration.” You can find their new web home at www.bridgealliance.us.

NCDD is proud to be one of the Founding Members of the Bridge Alliance, which we’ve been supporting and involved in since its early stages. The Alliance is an exciting effort to bring together and support many groups in and beyond the D&D field that are working to overcome the limitations that the bitter, partisan divides in our political system place on our ability to solve problems for our communities, our nation, and our world.

One of the first steps that the Alliance is taking together is to encourage everyday citizens to sign their Declaration of Engagement, which acknowledges that we all have a part to play in the solution. The pledge is simple, and it reads:

I am part of the solution to political dysfunction. Through my actions I commit to:

  • Engage in respectful dialogue with others, even if we disagree
  • Seek creative problem solving with others
  • Support elected officials and leaders who work together to address and solve our nation’s challenges.

Through the actions of all of us, together, we can achieve a more perfect union.

We encourage our members to sign the Declaration and familiarize yourself with the work that the Bridge Alliance is doing. You can start to get a sense of what the Alliance is about from their website and by checking out the recorded talks from their Transpartisan Conference in Boston.

Either way, keep an eye out for the great work that the Alliance has coming in the future!

Iowa Caucuses Upgrade Participation Technology for 2016

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We wanted to repost this interesting post that we first found on the Gov 2.0 Watch blog that NCDD organizational member the Davenport Institute runs. With the announcement that the 2016 Iowa caucuses will integrate mobile technology, it appears party politics may be catching up with some of the D&D field in terms of civic tech. Check out the post below or find the original here.

DavenportInst-logo21st Century Caucuses

The Iowa Caucuses are always of the highlights of any presidential campaign.  There is a sense of deeper, beyond-the-ballot-box engagement that can feel like a healthy dose of old-fashioned democracy.  But this year the caucuses will incorporate technology.  Planners hope to offer an example of how new technology can be incorporated into traditional experiences:

Tallying results from the Iowa presidential caucuses will rely on mobile technology for the first time in 2016. The Democratic and Republican parties and Microsoft jointly announced that apps are being developed for each party that will tabulate precinct results, verify them, and quickly make them publicly available.

“The caucus results will be delivered via this new mobile-enabled, cloud-based platform that will help facilitate these accurate and timely results,” says Dan’l Lewin, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Technology and Civic Engagement.

You can read more and see a demonstration of the technology here.

Register to Attend the National Dialogue Awards, Oct. 9

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We encourage our members to consider registering to attend the 2nd annual National Dialogue Awards this October 9 in DC, which are hosted by the Sustained Dialogue Institute and supported by the Kettering Foundation, both of which are NCDD member organizations. You can learn more about the awards in the SDI announcement below or by visiting SDI’s new website at www.sustaineddialogue.org.

2nd Annual National Dialogue Awards

We sincerely hope that you will join us for the Second Annual National Dialogue Awards on Friday, October 9th, 2015 beginning at 6:30 pm at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

We will honor those whose lives have been powerfully marked by the principles and values of Sustained Dialogue. Some recipients are drawn from our network, and some from beyond it, but all have displayed the qualities that our organization values. This year’s keynote awardee is Senator George Mitchell, a renowned diplomat and key architect of several peace agreements in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. Our corporate award will be presented to Evolent Health for its expression of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Additionally, we will recognize three leaders from the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network. These leaders include: Lane McLelland – a faculty member and administrator at the University of Alabama, Taylor Sawyer – an alumna of The Ohio State University, and Brittany Chung – a student at Case Western Reserve University.

We would be honored to have you and your guests attend.

Please RSVP at the event website to secure your tickets for this celebration. If you have any questions, please contact Sonia [soniaATsustaineddialogue.org].

Are you or your organization interested in becoming a sponsor? Learn more about sponsoring the National Dialogue Awards.

You can find the original version of this Sustained Dialogue Institute announcement at www.sustaineddialogue.org/?post_type=event&p=1333.

Recap of Confab Call with “21st Century Democracy” Authors

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Earlier this month, we had yet another great NCDD Confab Call, this time with 55 of our members. We had a ver informative presentation from and lively discussion with prominent D&D scholars Matt Leighninger and Tina Nabatchi, all of which was centered on the lessons on public participation infrastructure that they’ve compiled into Confab bubble imagetheir new book, Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy.

If you didn’t participate in this one, you really missed out! The discussion was so lively and the questions were so rich that we couldn’t even fit it all into the 60 minute call. But don’t worry, we recorded the presentation and discussion, which you can see and hear by clicking here.

Want to learn more about Matt & Tina’s work on public participation? You can find some great downloads from their book at http://bit.ly/PP21CDresources.

Looking for more confab inspiration? We encourage you to check out some of our past Confab Calls for more great conversations and ideas.

Position Opening at Convergence Center for Policy Resolution

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We recently heard about another job opening that would be an excellent fit for many of our NCDD members, this time from the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. Convergence is seeking a Program Director for their project on federal budget process reform.

The Director position promises to be engaging and, if the project is successful, has the potential to be impactful on a national scale.

Here’s how Convergence describes it:

The Director will be responsible for launching and managing a new project at Convergence focused on reaching a consensus among major stakeholder groups on the principles of a new framework for developing federal budgets.

The Director will develop and execute project strategy; oversee budget, performance measures, and project timeline; cultivate relationships with stakeholders; oversee consultants, project associates, and others; manage “dialogue a leading to action” with high level influencers and policy thinkers in the federal budget arena; facilitate the creation and implementation of solutions; and advance  the project through fundraising.

You can read more about the position and how to apply by visiting www.convergencepolicy.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/01/Budget-Process-Director-Job-Announcement-July-2015.pdf.

Thanks to NCDD Founding Member Joe Goldman for passing news of the opening along to us! Good luck to all the applicants!

It’s a Great Time to Join NCDD

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The NCDD Board of Directors is reaching out to the NCDD community with the following message…

There is so much to talk about in America – gun violence, racism, healthcare, climate change, same sex marriage, voting rights, the shrinking middle class, presidential campaigns. Now more than ever, Americans need to be able to talk and act together to solve our most pressing problems.

NCDD plays a unique and important role in supporting and accelerating the work of practitioners and the public in building democratic capacity. Our strength and ongoing success depends on the active involvement and support of our members. We hope you will take a moment today to join NCDD, and if already a member, increase your show of support by becoming a dues-paying member.

GroupWithBubbles-600px

Here’s a taste of the meaningful work NCDD is currently doing:

  • Convening meetings across the country bringing together NCDD members with staff members of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service
  • Hosting regular “Confab Calls” and “Tech Tuesdays” to help NCDD members stay current with the latest innovations in our rapidly growing field
  • Curating our field’s most important news and resources on our rich website
  • Developing an innovative leadership program in partnership with Penn State that matches students with deliberative democracy organizations for valuable fellowships

By becoming an NCDD Member, you’re not only expressing your support for the value NCDD offers you, but for our collective work in fostering a living, thriving democracy. Everyone who joins is entitled to the benefits of membership, and those who pay dues are eligible for additional benefits.

Here are some actions you can take:

  • If you’re not already a member, please join!
  • If your membership dues have lapsed, please renew and get your dues up-to-date. Check on our Member Map & Directory to see the status of your membership.
  • If you previously joined as a non-dues member, consider upgrading to Supporting Member status for $75.
  • If you’d like to increase your support, please become a Sustaining Member for $150.
  • If you’d like to make a donation to NCDD, you can do that too (we are a 501c3 after all!).

In these challenging, exciting and unpredictable times, we are more committed than ever to help increase the practice of democratic skills that will benefit us all. We need each one of you to help make that possible. Please take a few moments today to add your support.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

The NCDD Board of Directors

Barbara Simonetti, Chair
Marla Crockett, Immediate Past Chair
John Backman, Treasurer
Diane Miller, Secretary
Martin Carcasson
Susan Stuart Clark

Job Openings at the Center for Collaborative Policy

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Those of our members with conflict resolution backgrounds or interests should definitely take a look at the new Senior Mediator/Facilitator and Lead  Mediator openings that the Center for Collaborative Policy at Sacramento State University recently announced. We’re happy to have the CCP as an NCDD organizational member, and we know that many of our members would make great fits for this position.

Here’s how the CCP describes the Senior Mediator/Facilitator position:

The Senior Mediator/Facilitator serves as senior professional and project manager for multi-party policy consensus building processes dealing with highly complex and controversial public policy issues, using an interest-based approach to problem solving…

The Senior Mediator/Facilitator responsibility includes experience in facilitation, conflict resolution, situation assessments, collaborative process design, public involvement, and strategic planning. The incumbent works independently on large projects, with up to 80 or more external stakeholders. The incumbent also provides project management for client projects including providing work direction to others; contract administration; and quality deliverables on time and within budget.

You can find more information on the Senior Mediator/Facilitator position and the application process by visiting the SSU job site and searching for job opening #101390.

And here is how the CCP describes the Lead Mediator position:

With appropriate oversight, the Lead Mediator/Facilitator serves as lead professional for multi-party consensus building processes dealing with complex and controversial public policy issues, using an interest-based approach to problem solving. This responsibility includes the provision of collaborative process design and situation assessment services as well as the preparation and delivery of facilitation, public involvement, and strategic planning services. The incumbent works independently on large projects, with up to 80 or more external stakeholders. The incumbent also provides project management for client projects. The incumbent coordinates the project work of the Center’s Associate and Assistant practitioners.

The Lead Mediator/Facilitator assumes Center development responsibilities, including assisting with attracting client work to the Center and preparing responses to Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitations, but is not responsible for securing billable work. Coordinates the professional development activities for Associate and Assistant practitioners and other internal development tasks.

You can find more information on the Lead Mediator position and the application process by visiting the SSU job site and searching for job opening #101409.

Good luck to all the applicants!

Teachers: Register for Mathews Center’s FREE Civic Learning Workshop

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Our members who work in education should take note that the David Mathews Center for Civic Life – an NCDD organizational member – is hosting another one of its Teachers’ Institutes in Montevallo, AL this October 1-2. This FREE workshop aims to help teachers increasing civic learning in their classrooms, but there are only 40 spots, so register ASAP! Check out the National Issues Forums Institute‘s blog post about it below, or find their original post here.

NIF logo

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life in Montevallo, Alabama, has announced a fall, 2015, Teachers’ Institute to be held October 1-2, 2015.

The following is from a recent newsletter from the David Mathews Center for Civic Life:

The Mathews Center is pleased to announce that registration is now open for our Fall 2015 Teachers’ Institute. Teachers’ Institute is an interactive professional development experience designed to equip teachers with skills and tools to increase active civic learning in the classroom and beyond. The workshop will be held October 1-2, 2015, at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Sponsors include the Mathews Center, A+ Education Partnership, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and Alabama Public Television’s “IQ” Learning Network, as part of its series, Project C: Lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement.

Registration is free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today. Contact DMC Assistant Program Director Blake Evans at bevans@mathewscenter.org for more information.

You can find the original version of this NIFI post at www.nifi.org/en/groups/david-mathews-center-civic-life-announces-fall-2015-teachers-institute.

Register for Aug. 5th Confab Call with Matt Leighninger & Tina Nabatchi

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As we mentioned last week, we preparing to host another great NCDD Confab Call this Wednesday, August 5th from 2-3pm EST, this time with D&D gurus Matt Leighninger, executive director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, and Tina Nabatchi, associate professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell Confab bubble imageSchool of Citizenship and Public Affairs! The call will focus on Matt & Tina’s new book, Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy. Have you registered yet??

You won’t want to miss this call because not only will Matt & Tina be sharing some of their knowledge about the most cutting edge D&D practices, but they will also be welcoming input from our community to help improve and expand upon the book.

Make sure to mark your calendars and register today because spots on this free call are filling up! We can’t wait to have you all join us on the 5th.

Never participated in one of our confab calls? You can learn more about what they’re like by visiting www.ncdd.org/events/confabs.