Urban Matters: National Parks and Urban Settings (Featured D&D Story)

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

We are highlighting another example of dialogue and deliberation in action today, and this time it is a project called Engaging in Aging. This mini case study was submitted by Bruce Jacobson via NCDD’s Dialogue Storytelling Tool, which we recently launched to collect stories from our members about their work.

We know that there are plenty of other stories from our NCDD members out there that can teach key insights about working in dialogue, deliberation, and engagement. We want to hear them! Please add YOUR dialogue story today, and let us learn from you!

Title of Project:

Urban Matters: National Parks and Programs in Urban Settings

Description

As part of the 2012 City Parks Alliance “Greater & Greener Conference,” 39 leaders from the National Park Service (NPS) met in New York City for an “affinity caucus” on national parks and programs in urban areas. The group identified actions to develop a national urban agenda for the Service.

Over the winter, a small group of “urban strategists” worked with the NPS Conservation Study Institute and the Collaborative for Innovative Leadership to develop engagement strategies to create and then implement such an urban agenda. I was part of the strategists group, and found it to be rewarding, both personally and professionally. As urban park professionals, we prototyped a process to foster “communities of practice” around the caucus recommendations.

The central tenet of the work going forward is, the National Park Service is relevant to all Americans. NPS must engage a broad spectrum of the country’s diverse population, 80% of whom live in metropolitan areas, with the places and narratives that have shaped America. Our strategy group recognized that an approach is needed that allows NPS staff at all levels in urban parks and programs to “step into their power.” As NPS advisor Meg Wheatley often points out, innovators within NPS already have many of the answers we need. Our task as an agency is to identify “better means to engage everyone’s intelligence in solving challenges and crises as they arise.”

On May 10, the Collaborative began the “Urban Matters Engagement Series,” a series of webinars and other engagement activities which will take place over the coming months. Approximately 65 NPS employees, and some partners, joined in the 90-minute webinar with hopes to re-engage participants from last year’s urban caucus, and to further the charge from NPS Director Jon Jarvis to craft a progressive urban agenda for the Service.

What was your role in the project?

I was one of about 8 “strategist” testing methods of engagement and innovation.

Lessons Learned

As is typical we offered the “chat” function on the WebEx, as well as access to a blog immediately following the session with hopes that people would engage in conversation. We were disappointed with the amount of interaction—almost none.

We are struggling with how to best bring together those interested in a progressive National Park Service urban agenda in a way that will inspire innovation and community building. Future sessions are tentatively scheduled for June and July. We welcome any ideas for how to proceed.

Where to learn more about the project:

“Greater & Greener Conference:” www.urbanparks2012.org

Conservation Study Institute/Collaborative for Innovative Leadership: www.nps.gov/csi/COLLABORATIVE/COLLABORATIVE.html

The 90-minute WebEx: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi2D1LJoEVM&feature=youtu.be

For more about “Urban Matters”: sites.google.com/site/urbannps/home

Healthy Democracy Wins IAP2′s 2013 Project of the Year

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

We hope you will join us in extending a huge congratulations to our friends at Healthy Democracy, who were just awarded with the IAP2 2013 International Project of the Year Award for their Citizens’ Initiative Review project, which we recently highlighted on our blog. Both Healthy Democracy and IAP2 USA are members of NCDD, and we couldn’t be more pleased to celebrate both organizations’ excellent work.

You can read more about all of IAP2′s 2013 awards in their press release below. Congratulations to all the award winners, and here’s hoping that 2014 brings even more great projects and bigger successes for the field!

International Core Values Awards celebrate Excellence in Public Participation

(Salt Lake City, Utah USA) – At the IAP2 North American Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) announced the 2013 International Core Values Awards honoring award winners from around the IAP2 Federation Presiding Member, Ms. Nomi Muthialu congratulated the winners on behalf of the Board of Directors and national affiliates. “IAP2’s seven Core Values go to the very heart of our association and guide how we think about and practice authentic public participation. The laureates of the 2013 awards represent best practice in our field, and serve as model of excellence for others to emulate.”

Healthy Democracy (Portland, Oregon, USA) was selected the IAP2 International Project of the Year for their entry, “The Citizens’ Initiative Review” which addressed the question: how can we strengthen ballot measures as a tool for public participation in government by giving voters the unbiased information they need to make informed decisions? Tyrone Reitman, Executive Director of Healthy Democracy, said, “We’re honored to see the Citizens’ Initiative Review recognized as project of the year by the leading international organization for public participation. Our moderators, panelists, and supporters have done a tremendous amount of work to develop a fair, unbiased process that improves the initiative system for Oregonians.”

Finalists for the “best of the best” international award were gathered from entries submitted by national affiliates in Australasia, Canada, Southern Africa and the United States. Other winners recognized this year include:

IAP2 International Member-at-Large Project of the Year Award winner Intelligent Futures in partnership with O2 Planning + Design (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) were recognized for their entry entitled, “Our Wascana”. “This project was a unique opportunity to combine creativity in engagement with long-term strategic thinking. By combining place-based engagement, creative graphic design, social media and face-to-face workshops, we were able to really understand how much the community values the Wascana Centre. This was a crucial element to planning the next 50 years of Wascana and beyond,” notes Mr. John Lewis, President of Intelligent Futures.

The City of Calgary, Calgary Transit (Calgary, AB, Canada) received Highly Commended recognition for their entry entitled, “Route Ahead: The 30-year strategic plan for Calgary Transit.”

In addition, the 2013 Project of the Year awards presented by IAP2 national affiliates include:

In Southern Africa: Sonja Pithey Consulting the “City of Cape Town S78(3) Waste Review Stakeholder Engagement” process.

In Australasia: City of Marion, South Australia “Making Marion – A Community Plan towards 2040.”

In the USA: City of West Hollywood, Social Services Division, “City of West Hollywood 2013 Community Study: Engaging, Listening, Learning” as well as Healthy Democracy “The Citizens’ Initiative Review”.

“We are delighted with the response to the 2013 IAP2 Core Values Awards competition from public participation practitioners all over the world. This is a testament to the huge growth of our field of expertise”.

Special thanks were extended to the international jury members, Ms. Leanne Hartill, IAP2 Federation Director (Australia), Mr. Rodolfo Lewanski, University of Bologna, IAP2 Italy (2012 Award Winner). Ms. Patricia Munro, World Café Europe, (Germany) and Ms. Fiona Cavanagh, Centre for Public Involvement, (Canada).

Media inquiries: Iris Almeida-Côté, IAP2 International Headquarters. Email: iris@iap2.org Website: www.iap2.org

Opinion, Choices, and Health Care Reform

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

The insightful post below from our friends at Public Agenda is a great piece that puts the government shutdown into the context of public dialogue and deliberation, highlighting the need for much more of it around health care issues. You can read the full post below or find the original post on PA’s blog by clicking here.

We Must Help, Not Hinder, the Public on Understanding Health Care Reform

The argument to delay implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which led to this week’s government shutdown, is partly rooted in the assertion that the public does not support the law. Yet public opinion of the health care law is not as simplistic as some members of Congress (of both parties), and even the media, have painted it. Before we continue basing decisions that have real consequences on opinion regarding the Affordable Care Act, it’s worth taking a deeper look at how the public is really thinking about this issue.

Many of the recent polls, when taken together, suggest that the public is confused and unclear about many aspects of the Affordable Care Act. In the most recent health tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 51 percent of respondents said they don’t have enough information to understand how the law will impact them and their families. When asked to provide, in their own words, the one question they would most like to have answered to help them understand this impact, many focused on very basic information:

“Will the medical insurance be free or will I have to pay?”

“Can you just put it in plain laymen language so we can understand what you’re doing for us?”

“How is my care going to change?”

Furthermore, while most recent polls suggest the public does not support the Affordable Care Act as a whole, when the law is broken down into its respective elements, they support what’s in it. For example Continue reading →

Reducing Incivility in Ohio Legislature

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

In the face of the ongoing government shutdown, the topic of incivility in our political sphere has, unfortunately, become keenly relevant again in our national discourse. That is why we were especially encouraged to see a recent article from the Akron Beacon Journal featuring a new effort aimed at increasing civility in the Ohio state legislature that offers a least a bit of hope.

State Sen. Frank LaRose has partnered with our friends at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (an NCDD organizational member) to initiate a program for legislators that will emphasize them doing the people’s business with less ire. Here’s hoping it works. You can read the full article below or find it on the NICD’s website here.

State legislators begin effort to reduce incivility in politics

Facing dismissive, even hostile, comments from colleagues, 11 Ohio legislators met in a closed-door Statehouse session Tuesday morning.

Their topic: incivility and what can be done about it.

“I think there’s a real problem in how conversations take place,” state Rep. Kathleen Clyde, D-Kent, said after leaving the meeting. “The lack of civility can be an intimidating environment to come into.”

Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Copley Township, who is working with the National Institute for Civil Discourse, called the meeting.

He described the meeting as the first of “an ongoing conversation among colleagues dedicated to improving the civil discourse in our legislature so that we can better serve the citizens of Ohio.”

LaRose said the group agreed to hold three or four meetings a year and take the following steps:

Form district exchanges with legislators from different parties meeting with the public in each other’s district. Lawmakers from urban districts would meet in rural districts and vice versa. LaRose said the goal is to gain greater familiarity with opposing candidates.
New-member orientation after the next election would include information on civility and perhaps workshops.
Encourage social interaction that includes members of both parties. A lack of familiarity means legislators don’t understand each other as well and are less likely to compromise, LaRose said.

LaRose previously discussed civility at a Council of State Governments regional meeting in Madison, Wis., in August and at a meeting of legislators sponsored by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce at Salt Fork State Park on Sept. 6.

He and former state Rep. Ted Celeste also will make a presentation at the Council of State Governments’ national meeting in Kansas City, Mo.

Bipartisan effort

Of the 11 who participated Tuesday, six are Republicans and five are Democrats.

LaRose said he sent two emails and a paper notice of the meeting to all legislators. He was not disappointed in the turnout, he said, because the General Assembly is not in session, a change from when he first scheduled the meeting.

Those who did come said they heard skepticism about civility efforts from other lawmakers.

LaRose said a couple of lawmakers told him they heard from some of their colleagues “at least dismissive — if not outright hostile — attitudes toward it.”

“But I didn’t hear who was saying that, nor would I really even want to know,” he said. “But I think some folks think that, ‘Well, this is just an esoteric idea, creating civility. However are you going to do that?’ ”

Principles maintained

LaRose said he will continue to argue that the project is constructive without compromising principles.

He said some people make the mistake of thinking that “civility” means lessening an aggressive defense of what a politician believes.

“You can still be an ardent supporter of a particular policy stance without being mean-spirited, or personal or negative or unfair in how you characterize each others’ views,” LaRose said.

Clyde said Ohioans are paying a price for political incivility.

She said that because of stridence between lawmakers, “a lot of legislation passes that is too extreme, that we are not together on.”

She also suggested that some witnesses before legislative committees appear to be less than open in their testimony for fear of attack and that some talented candidates might be choosing not to run because they don’t want to subject themselves and their families to incivility.

LaRose tried to put the issue into historical perspective, citing an example of a U.S. congressman who was caned on the House floor and the troubles during the Civil War.

But he added, “Things are bad and there is room for improvement.”

Safe districts

Asked about causes, LaRose cited legislative boundaries as a problem because they create candidates in “safe” districts that are dominated by a single party. He also he said term limits put legislators out of office just when they have gained experience for how to get along with political opponents.

The Beacon Journal is a participant along with three universities and the faith community in the ongoing Ohio Civility Project. Newspaper stories and a survey of area residents found a profound disgust with incivility on the part of politicians, the media and public in general.

Register for the Global Challenges Institute TODAY

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

We just heard about a great opportunity to participate in the American Democracy Project’s 2013 Global Challenges Institute on the National Issues Forum Institute’s news feed, and the deadline to register is fast approaching. (Please note: the NIF post lists the deadline as today, Friday Oct. 4th, but the conference website lists Oct. 9th. Either way, register ASAP!).

The two-day gathering focuses on the challenge of educating globally competent citizens, and is especially focused on those working in higher ed. You can read more about the gathering in below or check out the original NIF post by clicking here.

The American Democracy Project is pleased to announce that registration is now open
for the 2013 Global Challenges Institute, but it won’t be for long.

Friday & Saturday, November 8 – 9, 2013
Global Challenges Institute
Washington, D.C.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER: October 4, 2013

This two-day institute introduces participants to numerous tools for educating globally competent citizens. Global Engagement Scholars (faculty members) from 11 AASCU campuses describe how they have built courses and curricula around the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ 7 Revolutions Framework (population, resources, technology, information, economic integration, conflict/security and governance). Institute leaders demonstrate the teaching materials and resources they have found most valuable in the courses they teach (including introductory, first-year, discipline-based and honors courses) and guide participants in anticipating how these same tools could be used effectively on their home campuses.

To register, visit http://aascu.org/meetings/globalchallenges13 by October 4, 2013.

For more information about this year’s speakers, click on their names below:

• Mike Jeffress with the National Intelligence Council
• David H. Grinspoon, the current curator of Astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

To learn more about the Global Challenges, visit the following website: www.aascuglobalchallenges.org.

Citizens’ Initiative Review (Featured D&D Story)

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

If you haven’t heard of the Citizens’ Initiative Review before, you should have! We’ve featured it at two of our conferences, and spent a day introducing NCDDers to Healthy Democracy Oregon’s work back in August 2010. Healthy Democracy just won TWO of the core values awards presented at the IAP2 conference in Salt Lake, so their success is certainly no secret.

This mini case study was submitted by Lucy Palmersheim via NCDD’s new Dialogue Storytelling Tool, which we recently launched to collect stories about innovations in D&D. Add your story today to help spread the word about your great work!

Title of Project:

Citizens’ Initiative Review

Description

The Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) is Healthy Democracy’s flagship program. It is an innovative method of public engagement, passed into law in Oregon in 2011, that directly empowers citizens to deliberate and provide information to their fellow voters.

During the CIR, a randomly selected and demographically balanced panel — a microcosm of the public — is brought together and given the time and resources to fairly evaluate a ballot measure. The panel hears directly from campaigns for and against the measure in question and calls on policy experts during the multi-day public review.

At the conclusion of each review, panelists deliberate and then draft a “Citizens’ Statement” highlighting the most important fact-based findings about the measure and the most relevant arguments for and against the measure. In Oregon, the CIR is overseen by an independent commission, and each statement is published in the voters’ pamphlet as a new and easily accessible resource for voters to use at election time.

The Citizens’ Initiative Review is a major innovation in democracy, and in Oregon, one of the first states in the nation to enact the initiative and referendum, we’ve successfully developed the model, passed it into law, and tested it rigorously over three iterations. Major studies of the CIR in 2010 and 2012 (funded in part by the National Science Foundation and Kettering Foundation) have conclusively demonstrated that the CIR process provides voters with a fundamentally sound and easy-to-use source of trustworthy information to make better choices.

Studies found that a majority of voters read a CIR statement in 2012, and that roughly two-thirds – over 627,000 Oregonians – found it helpful when making voting decisions (statistically significant). Additionally, voters who read a CIR statement demonstrated greater knowledge leading to greater confidence about how to cast their ballot and learned more about the ballot measures than those who read official explanatory and fiscal statements or saw equivalent doses of paid pro and con arguments.

These results are incredibly exciting, and show us that the CIR is having a major impact on improving voters’ understanding of ballot measures.

Which dialogue and deliberation approaches did you use or borrow heavily from?

Citizens’ Juries

What was your role in the project?

Healthy Democracy provides project management and fundraising.

What issues did the project primarily address?

Economic issues
Education
Partisan divide
Planning and development

Lessons Learned

Healthy Democracy is extremely satisfied with the 2012 Citizens’ Initiative Reviews. A few factors that contributed:

Building on past success: We ran the CIR as a pilot program in 2010 and used our learnings to enhance the 2012 project. Some changes included providing feedback from campaigns to panelists on final statements and asking panelists on one side of a measure to provide feedback to those writing the statement for the opposite side. These changes ultimately improved the Citizens’ Statements produced and distributed to voters.

Assembling an effective team: We brought together a team of full-time and project-specific staff with deep experience in deliberation and project management. Our team was able to foresee potential obstacles and plan an effective program.

Planning for potential setbacks: We built contingency plans to ensure the CIR would be viable even if our original plan could not be carried out.

Maintaining objectivity: The CIR can be a very effective tool for public deliberation, but its credibility is dependent on maintaining a process that is free from bias. We built staff training, panelist selection, and expert testimony around objectivity. As a result, 96% of participants reported being satisfied with staff neutrality during the CIR process, with 76% of those reporting they were “very satisfied.” Furthermore, 89% of voters who read the voters’ pamphlet reported that they placed at least some trust in the CIR statements, which was higher than trust in paid pro and con arguments or the measures’ official fiscal statements.

Achieving media endorsements and publicity: We were pleased to receive several new newspaper endorsements in 2012, and independent research funded in part by the Kettering Foundation found that over 51% of Oregon voters knew about the CIR, an increase from 42% in 2010.

Measuring our work: We brought in researchers early in the process so that they were able to follow the 2012 CIRs from start to finish. They surveyed participants each day and followed up with broad polls of the Oregon electorate. This depth of research allows us to understand our impact, search for ways to improve our process, and will help us plan future expansion.

Where to learn more about the project:

You can find more information at www.HealthyDemocracy.org. You can also read the 2012 report by clicking here.

Migrant Farmworkers Project (Featured D&D Story)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

We are happy to share another great example of dialogue and deliberation in action, the Migrant Farmworkers Reading Project. This mini case study was submitted by Sarah Wenzlick via NCDD’s new Dialogue Storytelling Tool, which we recently launched to collect stories from our members about their work.

Title of Project:

Migrant Farmworkers Reading Project

Description

High school students from Oxbridge visit with the children of migrant farmworkers every other Friday to help them with homework and reading. The children are elementary students in the Lake Worth, FL area–an area with a large migrant population that follows the different agricultural harvests depending on the growing season. Oxbridge’s students help to encourage the elementary school students to focus on their academics, the importance of staying in school, trying your best, becoming bilingual, and show them that many people care about their progress.

We’ve seen an enormous increase in attendance from the elementary students, great enthusiasm and energy from Oxbridge’s students, and improvement in reading (aloud) abilities both in Spanish and in English from both sets of children.

Which dialogue and deliberation approaches did you use or borrow heavily from?

Intergroup Dialogue
Compassionate Listening

What was your role in the project?

Organizer, Facilitator

What issues did the project primarily address?

Race and racism
Economic issues
Education
Immigration
Youth issues

Lessons Learned

My students have gained a better understanding of what other peoples’ lives are like, especially those of young migrant farmworkers. They have become more appreciative of what they have, such luxuries as constant transportation, parents with stable jobs, access to technology, access to food and clothing, among other things.

Report Back on Mental Health in Kansas City

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

As you may know, NCDD is involved in the Creating Community Solutions mental health project, and we hope you will take a moment to read a recent update that our partners at AmericaSpeaks shared on their blog.

On Saturday, September 21, the Creating Community Solutions effort of the National Dialogue on Mental Health hosted a successful all-day town meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. The meeting was part of the collaborative effort lead by the National Institute for Civil Discourse. It was organized and managed by a veteran of dialogue and deliberation, Jen Wilding, with the support of a small but dedicated team and a large and diverse planning committee.

The Mayors of both Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas opened and closed the event and spent the entire day participating. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius also helped open the event that generated lots of good news coverage:

Kansas City Start Article
Fox 4 News Video

Like the events before it in Sacramento and Albuquerque, the organizers successfully recruited a large and diverse audience of 360 participants with pretty good representation of the community along lines of age and race. And like previous meetings, higher educated people were over represented, but this is hard to overcome given the number of health professionals involved.

Click here for a full report on the meeting including data about the participants and the outcomes of all the table discussions.

It was a great pleasure to work with the team in Kansas City to help them produce an AmericaSpeaks 21st Century Town Meeting and support the on-going National Dialogue on Mental Health.

Collaborative Master Planning (Featured D&D Story)

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

Today we’d like to feature another great example of dialogue and deliberation in action, Collaborative Master Planning. This mini case study was submitted by Karen Wianecki via NCDD’s new Dialogue Storytelling Tool, which we recently launched to collect stories from our members about their work.

Title of Project:

Collaborative Master Planning – The Difference Between Consultation & Engagement

Description

We were retained to develop Master Plans for three very special and very unique communities in Ontario, Canada. In developing the Master Plans, we made a commitment to work with the community and to embrace a co-creative and collaborative mindset, at the process.

We recognized early on that whole community engagement was critical and moreover that those who called these communities home knew more about their communities than we did. We were there to learn. The process was designed with participants. Each community determined the approach they wanted to see unfold. In each case, an open, inclusive, engaging, iterative and evolutionary approach was used.

The Master Plans that emerged received broad support from the community members – full time residents as well as seasonal residents. In one case, the community offered the Mayor and Members of Council a standing ovation. A number of major milestones were put in place and some real tangible results have emerged including the infusion of funds from upper levels of government, the acquisition of a signature waterfront site, and the development of a much needed public park, boat launch and beach area.

Which dialogue and deliberation approaches did you use or borrow heavily from?

Appreciative Inquiry
Conversation Cafe
Charrettes

What was your role in the project?

Primary Facilitator

What issues did the project primarily address?

Economic issues
Environment
Planning and development

Lessons Learned

Engage, do not consult. For many, the only message that emerges from consultation is the ‘con’ part.
Engage early and often.
Say what you mean and mean what you say. commitments. 5. Follow up and follow through.
Value the voices of all.
Build a ‘whole team approach.’ All of us have some of the answers; none of us have all of the answers.
Process is as important as product.
Recognize that collaboration and partnership can produce results that are truly remarkable.

Where to learn more about the project:

www.e-planningsolutions.ca

Disaporas in Dialogue (Featured D&D Story)

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Roshan Bliss

Today we’d like to feature another great example of dialogue and deliberation in action, the Diasporas in Dialogue project. This mini case study was submitted by Dr. Barbara Tint via NCDD’s new Dialogue Storytelling Tool, which we recently launched to collect stories from our members about their work.

Title of Project:

Diasporas in Dialogue

Description

This project consisted of four years of work conducting assessment, dialogue groups, dialogue training, and community reconciliation capacity-building efforts in multiple African diaspora communities in Portland, Oregon, USA. Predicated on the belief that historical conflicts from home regions were travelling with migrant populations and being left unattended in the diaspora, we saw the need and the opportunity to provide a safe forum for community members to come together to address their fractured past, their difficult present, and their uncertain future.

The African Diaspora Dialogue Project (ADDP), generously supported by the Andrus Family Fund, was a collaboration between the Conflict Resolution Graduate Program at Portland State University and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, serving Oregon and Washington.

The outcomes of the project included transformed communities, healed relationships, new joint ventures and coalitions among community members, newly trained in-community dialogue facilitators and a book about the work.

Which dialogue and deliberation approaches did you use or borrow heavily from?

Appreciative Inquiry
Public Conversations Project dialogue
Sustained Dialogue
Technology of Participation approaches
Intergroup Dialogue
Restorative Justice approaches

What was your role in the project?

Founder and Director of the Project. Dialogue facilitator. Author of the book.

What issues did the project primarily address?

Partisan divide
Immigration
Youth issues

Lessons Learned

Dialogue was successful and transformative.
Participants were yearning for new skills and knowledge around these issues and often wanted teaching along with dialogue.
Recruitment took much longer than expected and was initially challenging due to suspicions and complicated identity affiliations.
We needed deeper understanding of community needs and desires. Some of our initial thinking had been challenged by what we learned in dialogue.
Organization and logistics were extremely difficult.
Everything took much more time than we expected.
We needed more time for planning and reflection.
As groups had been conducted in English, our ability to involve certain community members was limited.
Status differences in dialogue groups (age, gender, community role) could be both an asset and a challenge.
Community members felt empowered and engaged through this process, and many emerged as leaders for reconciliation.
Working with youth was an important and powerful dimension of reconciliation within the diaspora.
The elders in the communities were invaluable in contributing to the success of the project.
Dialogue facilitation was a deeper skill than we could effectively train for in the time we had allowed.
Other community and refugee groups from different regions were also interested in participating in dialogue.
Ripeness and readiness had a great deal to do with who engaged and benefited from the process.

Where to learn more about the project:

For more information about the Diasporas in Dialogue project and book, please see www.pdx.edu/research/profile/dialogues-deep-change and www.pdx.edu/diasporas-in-dialogue/

Civic Studies

An intellectual community of researchers and practitioners dedicated to building the emerging field of civic studies

Author Archives: Roshan Bliss

Urban Matters: National Parks and Urban Settings (Featured D&D Story)

Healthy Democracy Wins IAP2′s 2013 Project of the Year

International Core Values Awards celebrate Excellence in Public Participation

Opinion, Choices, and Health Care Reform

We Must Help, Not Hinder, the Public on Understanding Health Care Reform

Reducing Incivility in Ohio Legislature

State legislators begin effort to reduce incivility in politics

Register for the Global Challenges Institute TODAY

Citizens’ Initiative Review (Featured D&D Story)

Migrant Farmworkers Project (Featured D&D Story)

Report Back on Mental Health in Kansas City

Collaborative Master Planning (Featured D&D Story)

Disaporas in Dialogue (Featured D&D Story)