Register for Public Lands Seminar in Yellowstone

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We want to make sure that our higher ed NCDDers know that there are a few more spaces left for a great program on dealing with public issues being held in beautiful Yellowstone National Park this July 27 – August 1. The program is hosted for higher ed professionals by the AASCU. We’ve shared the NIFI announcement about the program below, and you can learn more from the program page here.

How does a democracy manage competing but often equally legitimate positions over public resources? How are the rights of all citizens protected in conflicts over public lands? How do universities design courses and programs to help undergraduates develop the understandings and skills necessary to think about, and become engaged in conflict management and resolution? How do we help undergraduates become more thoughtful, more engaged citizens for our democracy?

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is creating new strategies to answer that question. For the past ten summers, faculty and administrators from American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) campuses have spent a week studying political disputes in the iconic first national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park. The first year, 2005, we studied wolf re-introduction. Twenty-six (26) faculty members from 19 campuses spent a week in the Park, first studying the biology and the politics of wolf re-introduction.

But the most innovative part of the program is when we traveled outside the Park to talk to citizens and activists on both sides of the issue, to understand the controversy from their point of view. At the end of the week-long program, we considered ways that faculty might develop programs on their own campus that focused on (1) national public resource issues such as wolf re-introduction and (2) local public resource issues such as oil drilling on national seashores, wind turbines in state parks, and restoration efforts in wetlands.

For the last ten summers, we expanded the focus of the program to examine a variety of conflicts in the entire Yellowstone region, including bison and brucellosis, winter use, wolves, and grizzly bears. Our program is entitled Politics and the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In this program, we spend six (6) days in Yellowstone National Park in a combination of activities, beginning with a study of the science and history of the controversies, listening to scientists and Park rangers. Then we interview local citizens on both sides of the issues, including political activists, business people, ranchers, and other citizens.

The goal of this project is to develop new strategies and new approaches that colleges and universities can use to help undergraduates become thoughtful, informed, and engaged citizens. In a world too often filled with bitter partisan politics, this non-partisan project seeks to move beyond rhetoric and confrontation, providing students with new models that promote understanding and resolution. In a political environment where special interest groups tend to push people to polarized positions, we often try to seek common ground.

The program, held at Mammoth Hot Spring Hotel at the northern end of the Park, begins late afternoon on Monday, July 27th and ends at noon on Saturday, August 1st. The cost of the program is $1,395, which includes five (5) nights individual room lodging at Mammoth Hotel (each participant will have a separate hotel room or cabin); all instruction and instructional materials, AV rental, classroom rental; in-park transportation; and reception and dinner the first night, as well as several other meals. Space does not allow for guest participation in the full program. However, family members or guests may attend some classroom lectures, a few field trips, and evening films and presentations.

For more information on this program please contact:

George Mehaffy 202.478.4672 mehaffyg[at]aascu[dot]org

Jennifer Domagal-Goldman 202.478.7833 domagalj[at]aascu[dot]org

You can find the NIFI announcement on this seminar by visiting www.nifi.org/en/groups/registration-open-politics-and-yellowstone-ecosystem-july-2015-seminar-yellowstone-national. You can find the AASCU seminar’s page at www.aascu.org/programs/adp/SPL.

PCP Launches “A Better Question” Series on Hot Topics

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

Recently there has been a lot of talk on our NCDD discussion listserv about how to have good conversations around the current vaccine debate, and so we wanted to share this timely piece from our friends with the Public Conversations Project. PCP is launching a new blog series aimed at helping folks have better conversations on controversial topics called “A Better Question,” and they dealt with vaccinations as their first subject.

We encourage you to read their piece below or find the original on the PCP blog by clicking here.

A Better Question: Vaccinations

For the past 25 years, Public Conversations Project has been helping people navigate deep differences in identity. It is understandable when people reach out to ask us to comment on a current crisis in our world. How can communities like Ferguson, Missouri resolve the tension tearing them apart? What can dialogue do for the people of Paris after the latest shootings? How do we resolve our differences about same-sex marriage?

We don’t know. Public Conversations Project doesn’t presume to know what any community should or shouldn’t do without the deep preparation, collaboration, and local awareness that has made our work effective for so long. So, what can we offer the conversation about these highly visible, hotly contested issues without being prescriptive?

A better question. A better question than “should we or shouldn’t we?”A better question than “How can you think that way?” A better question than you’d be likely to hear on TV or social media.

We have decided to offer this as a new series on our blog – it will appear from time to time when a polarizing conversation seems like it could benefit from “A Better Question.” The series is meant to inspire people to have a better conversation in their communities, with their friends and family. It is meant to help bring a little more understanding and a little less demonization. We believe the best conversations are the ones that start with questions, and that most conversations are only as good as the question that starts them.

The first entry is a set of questions that relate to the issue of vaccination in children, a hotly debated issue that has come to prominence in recent months since the outbreak of diseases we thought long vanished. The conversation is a difficult one: it’s about our children, our health, and some of our deeply held values. Rather than shaking your head, or your fist, at someone who doesn’t share your view on vaccination, we invite you to start a conversation with some better questions:

What are the core values or commitments that frame your views on vaccination?
What do you take into account when deciding which information sources you trust about vaccinations?
What have you heard said about your views that leaves you feeling mischaracterized?
What do you want folks on the other side of this issue to most understand about your thinking and motivations?
Where, if at all, do you feel pulled in different directions, have mixed feelings, areas of less certainty, etc.?
How have you learned about those whose viewpoints differ from yours? What else might you want to find out about them?
What do you think the media, government or others could do to help or hurt this current situation?

What other questions would you add to this list? Let us know and join the conversation.

You can find the original version of this Public Conversations Project blog piece at www.publicconversations.org/blog/better-question-vaccination#sthash.mfovN2Qh.dpuf.

Update on Pastor-Scientist Dialogue Series from PA

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We have been watching the development of a fascinating series from the good folks with NCDD member organization Public Agenda wherein they are bringing together evangelical Christians and scientists for dialogue. We’ve shared their latest blog posts on how the dialogues have gone, and we encourage you to read it below or find the original here.

Diffusing Tension Through Dialogue – and a Touch of Humor

Public Agenda is partnering with AAAS to facilitate a series of dialogues between scientists and evangelical Christian pastors throughout the summer and fall. The purpose of the project is to improve dialogue, relationships and collaboration between these two communities, often viewed as staunchly divided. This blog is one in a series from our public engagement team, who write to reflect on their experiences moderating the dialogues. Read more about this project here and here, and download the discussion guide used during these conversations here. For more information, email Allison Rizzolo.

A few weeks ago in Atlanta, I found myself in a room surrounded by church pastors, evolutionary biologists, theology professors, mathematicians and a former Vietnam veteran turned evangelical Christian. I was there for the third dialogue in the Perceptions Project, which brings together individuals who self-identify as belonging to the evangelical Christian community or (though in some cases “and” is more appropriate) the scientific community.

Many of the participants seemed nervous at the start of the dialogue. Though I served as a co-facilitator and was not technically a participant, I admit that I too approached the conversation with a hint of reticence. Before boarding my plane to Atlanta, a friend told me to “watch myself” since he claimed that there was “no way those two groups could manage to be civil toward one another, especially down in the Bible belt.”

What I found, however, was quite the opposite of that presupposition.

The group certainly tackled some tricky topics – evolution, stem cell research, and abortion, to name a few. Still, the group my colleague Susan and I led was filled with some of the most empathetic, curious, and kindest people I had met in quite some time.

For example, one of the scientists in the room brought up the Institutional Review Board process. Through this process, scientists present their research projects to a group of their institutional colleagues, who determine whether or not that project is ethical and can proceed. The board is responsible for deciding whether the welfare of human participants is protected, among other things.

One pastor was shocked to learn that all scientists must go through this process, saying, “I had no idea that scientists actually cared about the sanctity of life.”

A biologist quipped, “We have morals too!”

Within a moment, laughter filled the room. The participants began to ease up, and suddenly the stage was set for true, honest, and constructive dialogue. Everyone in the room seemed to start abandoning their preconceived notions of the “other’s” theoretical identity and began to view one another as real people who deserved credit for having their own unique perspectives, all varying in scope and range. Not one person in that room fit the mold of a cookie-cutter stereotype. And the truth is, no one ever does.

One of the biggest takeaways of Public Agenda’s partnership with AAAS is that no barrier is ever too big to break down. Participants exchanged business cards across communities and made plans to continue the conversation after the workshop was over – a true sign of a successful event. While some participants agreed to disagree, they did accomplish one major feat, as the beloved Aretha Franklin would put it:

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me…”

And that, in my opinion, is exactly what happened in Atlanta.

You can find the original version of this piece by visiting www.publicagenda.org/blogs/diffusing-tension-through-dialogue-and-a-touch-of-humor#sthash.VEdpzNjV.dpuf.

Join Everyday Democracy’s Orientation Webinar on Feb. 12

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

If you’re not already familiar with the work of Everyday Democracy, one of our founding NCDD organizational members, we highly encourage you to register for their upcoming orientation webinar on Thursday, February 12th at 2pm Eastern.

EvDem has been honing its dialogue-to-change model for years in a huge variety of communities and has developed a wide ranging suite of tools to support the communities they work with, and this webinar is a great opportunity to get an overview of what resources they have to offer and how you can engage with their great work.

Here’s how the folks at EvDem describe the webinar:

Are you new to Everyday Democracy? Do you want to hear about success stories of communities that have used dialogue to create positive change? Join us for a webinar on Thursday, February 12 at 2pm ET for an orientation of our approach to change…

During this webinar, we will explore Everyday Democracy’s approach to change through dialogue and action. We will give an overview to how the process works, what kinds of results we’ve seen from using our approach, and share a few stories of some of the communities we have worked with.

Not familiar with Everyday Democracy’s work? Here’s a bit of how they describe what they do:

We help communities build their own capacity for inclusive dialogue and positive change. Our ultimate aim is to create a national civic infrastructure that supports and values everyone’s voice and participation.

Because structural racism and other structural inequities affect communities everywhere, we help community groups use an “equity lens” in every phase of dialogue and change – coalition building, messaging, recruitment, issue framing, facilitation, and linking the results of their dialogues to action and change. We provide advice, training and flexible how-to resources on a wide range of issues – including poverty, racial equity, education, building strong neighborhoods, community-police relations, violence, early childhood, and community planning.

This webinar will be a great chance to learn about the work and resources of one of the leading D&D organizations in the field, so we hope you will consider attending. You can learn more about the webinar on EvDem’s website by clicking here, and you can register for it by visiting https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5362336164849502721.

We hope to “see” you online next Thursday!

3 Questions for Navigating Conflict in Dialogue from PCP

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We thought our members would resonate with this piece from the blog of our friends with NCDD organizational member the Public Conversations Project that offers key questions you can ask as you seek to address conflict. The post came from a discussion on the NCDD discussion listserv, and we encourage you to read it below or find the original by clicking here.

At Public Conversations Project, we work with groups torn by deep divisions over issues related to different identities, beliefs and values – divisions that tear apart communities and block progress toward shared goals. One of the most important preparatory measures we take as dialogue practitioners is crafting opening questions that promote understanding and reduce stereotyping.

We’ve found that asking questions that promote reflection and elicit personal speaking is especially critical if some of the participants have come to see each other in unidimesional ways, perhaps even as the cause of, or sustaining force behind, the “problem.”

Here are three questions we’ve developed that cultivate a sense of curiosity and encourage participants to view each other – and even themselves – in a richer and more nuanced manner:

1. “How has this conflict had an impact on you and your life?”

We begin by inviting participants to share a story from their life experience. We typically invite a “story from your life experience that might help others understand how you have come to the perspectives you hold on the issue at hand.” The effect of this question is quite powerful; it de-stereotypes individuals in each other’s eyes and allows people to be seen in their living, breathing complexity (rather than as bearers of slogans). We sometimes precede that question with another. For example, we sometimes ask participants to share a story that might help others understand the impact of the conflict in their lives.

By locating the fears associated with the conflict in real lives, the question supports better understanding of the views of the other, even if those views conflict with one’s own. Another option for a preceding question is to elicit stories about the values or motivation that brought participants into the room, or a way in which the community or organization has had significant meaning in their lives. Responses to these questions underscore their shared commitment to the group, and highlights the worth of what is at stake for each person if the community remains blocked.

2. “What is at the heart of the matter for you?”

The middle question that we often use allows people, with this expanded sense of connection as a backdrop, to speak briefly about what most deeply matters to them in relation to the issue. This question elicits a more heartfelt presentation of core concerns, visions and values than questions about positions.

3. “Within your thinking about the issue, do you have some gray areas or uncertainties, or are there times when some of your values related to this issue bump up against other values you hold?”

This is a very powerful antidote to views of “the other” as simple-minded, and allows each person to “own,” for others and themselves, the views and values normally set aside or suppressed in the polarized battle. These questions offer a solid foundation for fostering a constructive conversation on a divisive issue, but they’re not a recipe for all situations. The most crucial question we ask ourselves as dialogue practitioners is: “What questions will best serve the shared purposes of this group, at this time, and in this setting?”

This blog is adapted from a listserv entry that Founding Associate Maggie Herzig wrote on the listserv of the National Coalition on Dialogue and Deliberation. Want more tips from Public Conversations Project? Check out our resource library or upcoming open enrollment workshops.

To find the original version of this piece, please visit www.publicconversations.org/blog/3-questions-open-constructive-conversation#sthash.MppNwawE.dpuf.

Job Opening with the Consensus Building Institute

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We want to make sure that our members know about an exciting job opening with the Consensus Building Institute, one of our great NCDD organizational members. We know that some of our NCDDers would be a great fit for the position, so check out the announcement below or find out more here.

The Consensus Building Institute is seeking a talented, experienced and entrepreneurial Senior Associate for our Washington, D.C. office. CBI is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to empowering leaders around the world to collaborate, negotiate, and resolve conflict. CBI conducts its work in the U.S. and internationally. We have offices and staff in Cambridge, MA, Washington D.C., New York, San Francisco, and Santiago, Chile.

We are seeking a Senior Associate with five to ten years experience in work related to multi-stakeholder problem solving, multi-party negotiations, public policy dispute resolution. Prior employers could include collaborative service firms in mediation, facilitation and multiparty convening, or in related fields such as land use and environmental planning and management, public policy development and analysis, or citizen participation.

If interested, please send a letter of interest and CV to Ronee Penoi at rpenoi@cbuilding.org.
Women and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply.

For the full position description visit: www.cbuilding.org/sites/default/files/CBI_SENIOR_ASSOCIATE_JOB%20ANNOUNCEMENT_JAN_2015.pdf.

Public Engagement Training from Annette Strauss Insitute Feb. 25-27

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We hope that NCDD members will take advantage of a great public engagement training being offered this February 25th-27th by the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life – one of the NCDD organizational members who partnered with us to sponsor NCDD 2014. The early bird registration deadline for the trainings is January 30th, so make sure to register ASAP!

NCDD would like to thank the Annette Strauss Institute for their continued support of our work and for their leadership in the field. You can learn more about the training from ASICL’s announcement below or by clicking here.

Facilitating Civic Dialogue and Consensus Seminar

Are you often in a position where you’re making decisions that affect large populations? Do you frequently feel political pressure from multiple directions? Do you feel as if you are often unsure of what the public wants, or perhaps you only hear from the same, small group of citizens?

The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at The University of Texas at Austin is offering a 3-day seminar that will help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to enrich your engagement with the public. Join us to boost your skills on:

Creating customized strategies for engaging the public;
Facilitating difficult conversations involving competing viewpoints;
Bringing an array of stakeholders to consensus; and,
Utilizing innovative technology for public engagement.

This seminar will help you develop the knowledge, tools, and skill sets to enrich your engagement with the public. You’ll learn how to identify stakeholders and create customized strategies for engaging them; how to facilitate difficult conversations involving competing viewpoints; and how to bring an array of stakeholders to consensus. You will also examine some of the most cutting-edge technology for public engagement.

Module One – Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Powerful, Productive, and Prudent: A New Paradigm for Public Engagement + Technology and Civic Engagement.

Module Two – Thursday, February 26, 2015
Designing Civic Engagement Processes

Module Three – Friday, February 27, 2015
Dealing with Difficult Civic Topics and Stakeholders

For more information on this the training or to register, please visit http://moody.utexas.edu/strauss/public-engagement-training.

Public Conversations Project Rolls Out New Website

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

We are pleased to share that our partners with the Public Conversations Project – one of our great NCDD organizational members that helped sponsor NCDD 2014 – just announced the roll out of their brand new website this week.

PCP’s new website is dynamic, user-friendly, and home to a good deal of content that NCDD members will find useful, including free dialogue resources, stories of dialogue across the world, and information on their approach. They sent out an email announcing the change today, and here’s what PCP had to say:

Public Conversations Project is excited to celebrate the new year with a new website, at www.publicconversations.org. Our 25 years in the field of dialogue have taught us the value of a fresh perspective, and we are proud to share our new look with friends and supporters.

Check out our free dialogue resources, meet our staff, explore stories of dialogue across the world, and get information about our practitioners and upcoming workshops.

We invite you to join the conversation and let us know what you think of our new look. Reach out to us via email at marketing@publicconversations.org or find us on social media.

We encourage you to check out the new and improved PCP website soon and to stay tuned to their social media for continued updates on the new features of their website. And congratulations to the PCP team on the accomplishment!

Community-Police Dialogue Resources from ED

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

The tragic killings of two NYPD officers last month has continued to ripple through our communities and our conversations as the officers’ funerals finished this weekend. As the incident and the #BlackLivesMatter movement continue to drive conversations about police-community relationships in our country, we want to highlight the resource below from Everyday Democracy – an NCDD organizational member – for those using this moment to have these much-needed conversations.

You can read ED’s post below or find the original here. We also encourage you to look into ED’s other police-community conversation resources by clicking here.

Strategies to Take Action and Build Trust Between the Community and the Police

EvDem Logo In the wake of recent events in Ferguson and New York City, there has been a call for a new way of building relationships with the police. Leaders want to provide ways for people to have a voice, work across divides and establish equitable policing that is accountable to the community.

In our work over the past 25 years, Everyday Democracy has partnered with several diverse coalitions that have created large-scale dialogue and change processes to address community-police relations. Though there is much to be done in communities across our country, we know from experience that change is possible.

While recognizing the complexity of the issue, we want to share some strategies you can use to create positive change in community-police relations where you live:

1. Join with others who want to create change on this issue

Community change happens when we all work together. Join others already working toward change on this issue, or start a new group to organize community dialogue and action on community-police relations. Check out stories from South Bronx, N.Y., Stratford, Conn., and Lynchburg, Va., to see what’s possible when communities come together after a tragic incident involving a community member and police officer.

As you join with others, think about how you can:

Include all voices in the community, especially those who have been marginalized or excluded. Think about the neighborhoods, racial/ethnic groups, people with various viewpoints, and people who work in specific sectors who may be affected by this issue; invite them to take part in community conversations and action steps. Community conversation and action work best when people from all parts of the community come together.
Involve local officials and members of the police community. Having these groups take part in the conversation and action steps will begin to open a different form of communication between police and residents.
Involve young people. The disconnect between police and the community is particularly wide between police and young people, especially youth of color. That’s why it’s essential for young people be involved from the beginning both in decision-making and implementation of change.
Work with bridge-building organizations and leaders in your community. Find local organizations and people to partner with who have trusting relationships with both the police department and community members.

2. Create opportunities for genuine community engagement

Having a structured process for people, institutions, and government to work together can lead to real change. Our discussion guide, Protecting Communities, Serving the Public: Police and Residents Building Relationships to Work Together helps to create a space for community members and police to talk about trust, expectations, policing strategies and tactics. This allows residents to communicate their concerns and allows the police community to communicate how residents can play critical roles in effective partnership strategies.

3. Address the history of mistrust and disconnection between the community and the police

Tragic incidents don’t happen in a vacuum – there are hundreds of years of history and policies that have shaped our communities today. Our Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation discussion guide can help you have a conversation with your community to begin to dismantle stereotypes, understand the impact of structural racism, build mutual trust and respect, and develop strategies for changing institutions and policies.

4. Link dialogue to action and community change

With appropriate planning and organizing, the buy-in of local officials and the police community is possible. A dialogue initiative with community residents and police can become a springboard not just for building relationships, but also for transforming the practices and policies of our public institutions. We must address the systemic roots of the recurring tragedies in our communities and work toward inclusive, equitable communities where everyone has voice and opportunity.

You can find the original version of this Everyday Democracy post at www.everyday-democracy.org/news/strategies-build-trust-and-take-action-wake-ferguson#.VKncNivF_Ze. You can find ED’s other resources on community-police dialogue at www.everyday-democracy.org/resources/police-community-relations#.VKnj6ivF_Zc.

Build Peace 2015 Conference: Peace through Technology

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Roshan Bliss

We want to make our network aware of an exciting community and conference that we know will interest many of our NCDDers, especially those of us oriented toward conflict resolution and technology.

Build Peace is a community that brings together practitioners, activists and technologists from around the world to share experience and ideas on using technology for peacebuilding and conflict transformation as well as an annual, international conference. The Build Peace 2015 conference will be taking place April 25th & 26th in Nicosia, Cyprus, and we want to encourage anyone who might be interested to consider attending.

Build Peace 2015 is titled Peace Through Technology: By Whom, For Whom and will be focused on alternative infrastructures for peace. Here is how the conference planners describe the gathering:

Where Build Peace 2014 aimed to demonstrate the potential of using technology for peacebuilding in terms of ‘breadth’ of initiatives and ideas, Build Peace 2015 will begin to examine issues of ‘depth’: How is the use of technology resulting in the creation of alternative infrastructures for peace? To this cross-cutting theme, the program adds three sub-themes:

Empowerment. One key reason to use technologies in peacebuilding is that they can empower a larger number of people to engage and participate. But there are also tensions between state uses of technologies for surveillance and security implications of some grassroots uses. Who is empowered, by whom and how?

Behavior change. And empowered to do what? Technological tools can affect behaviours that pertain to patterns of violence and peace: by shaping the peace and conflict narratives, through training or education, or by helping shape alternative identity formation processes.

Impact. Another assumption underlying the use of technologies is that it can help ‘improve’ peacebuilding, with the caveat that there are associated risks and ethical issues. What are the actual or possible impacts of using technologies for peacebuilding? How can we measure them?

We have designed the program to weave these guiding themes through the different types of content. Because the themes are interrelated, some sessions are guided by more than one theme. Different sessions are designed to offer different modes of interaction. Keynotes aim to be thought provoking and allow for deeper exploration on one aspect of a theme or themes. Panels offer an overview of one theme and permit interaction with the audience on the broader questions raised by that theme. Short Talks provide concrete evidence of practice and/or research in a particular theme. Working sessions are more practitioner-oriented and will produce a concrete output that contributes to practice in one thematic area.

We know that there a plenty of folks in our NCDD network who would gain and contribute a lot by attending this great gathering, and we hope that some of you can make it! You can learn more at www.howtobuildpeace.org/program or get registered for the conference at www.howtobuildpeace.org/tickets.

Want to really contribute to the gathering? It’s not too late to apply to be a short talk speaker, to host a stand at the Technology Fair, or give a presentation during the Peace Lab at Build Peace 2015! But you have to act fast, because the deadline for application for speakers, stands, and presenters is this Monday, January 5th, so visit Build Peace’s call for speakers today!

We hope that some of our NCDDers will be able to take advantage of this great opportunity, and we thank Build Peace for inviting us to be part of it!

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Category Archives: conflict transformation