Category Archives: public participation

Participatory Budgeting Expands in NYC for ’14 – ’15

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We are excited to share the announcement from our friends with the Participatory Budgeting Project, and NCDD organizational member, that participatory budgeting is once again expanding in NYC to reach even more of its citizens. We encourage you to read PBP’s press release below about the expansion or find it on PBP’s website here.

22 districts will participate in next cycle to designate over $25 million

PBP-logoCity Hall— Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council announced the expansion of participatory budgeting to 22 districts that will designate over $25 million toward locally-developed projects, proposals, and initiatives in the next budgetary cycle. The expansion more than doubles the number of participating districts and represents a nearly 80% increase in funding allocated for participatory budgeting from the previous fiscal year.

“Participatory budgeting is a gateway to greater civic participation and leadership in our communities, encouraging collaboration between residents and local elected officials to find creative solutions to neighborhood needs,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “As we work toward a more inclusive, transparent city government, I am excited for 22 Council districts to take part in the participatory budgeting—more than doubling our participation from the previous cycle. This expanded process will give thousands of New Yorkers a hands-on role in making taxpayer dollars work for our communities.”

Participatory budgeting is a grassroots process through which district residents vote directly to allocate at least $1 million in capital funding toward proposals developed by the community to meet local needs. Through a series public meetings, residents work with elected officials for a year to identify neighborhood concerns and craft proposals to address them. Residents then decide which proposals to fund through a public vote.

Good government groups hail participatory budgeting as a powerful tool to increase civic participation and community engagement. The only identification requirement is proof of residency in the district; voting in participatory budgeting is open to all residents 16 years of age and older, removing traditional obstacles to full civic participation such as youth, income status, English-language proficiency and citizenship status.

Learn more about Participatory Budgeting and how you can get involved at http://council.nyc.gov/html/action/pb.shtml.

For the 2014-2015 cycle, the following Council Members are conducting a participatory budgeting process in their districts:

“The expansion of Participatory Budgeting to 22 districts in the City is a testament to the Council’s commitment to empowering New Yorkers and giving them the ability to decide where their tax dollars are spent,” said New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “For the first time in Western Queens we will give the residents of the 26th District the ability to fund projects that are meaningful to their communities. I am proud to be a part of this historic expansion of Participatory Budgeting. The growth of this inclusive process helps build a better informed, and empowered citizenry which will make our City’s democracy stronger. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the City Council and New Yorkers who will be participating in this process. Together, we will empower our communities and deliver the projects local residents vote to fund in their neighborhoods.”

“After last year’s incredibly successful Participatory Budgeting process in the 38th District, with the highest number of participants in the City, it is my pleasure to re-launch this program for the coming budget cycle!” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca. “I will again be allocating a full $2 million dollars to capital projects proposed, and voted on by community members that focus on the improvement of local schools, streets, parks, and libraries. This process is central to the civic engagement of our residents, and I am looking forward to my continued involvement with local stakeholders, and with my Council colleagues to secure the success of PB, and to expand this model in a meaningful way.”

“I am pleased to join my Council colleagues and have always planned on carrying out an effective and well organized participatory budgeting process that engages a wide range of residents of my district,” said Council Member Paul Vallone. “I look forward to engaging and working with my community in the coming months to have participatory budgeting that is successful and productive.”

“My constituents have loved the opportunity to vote on how their tax dollars are spent,” said Council Member Mark Weprin. “I am pleased that so many of my colleagues in the City Council have embraced the participatory budgeting process, as it allows residents to play an active role in their government.”

“Participatory Budgeting has put budgetary decisions directly into the hands of the people and I am excited to see it expand throughout New York City,” said Council Member Stephen Levin. “I was proud to bring Participatory Budgeting to the 33rd District two years ago and I continue to hear from constituents about how much they enjoy being involved in determining which capital projects get funded in our District. We have all worked hard to make Participatory Budgeting a success and I look forward to seeing this transparent and democratic budgeting process continue to grow under the leadership of Speaker Mark-Viverito.”

“I was proud to be the first elected official from Queens to give my constituents a real say in how their money is being spent and I’m thrilled that my colleagues will be expanding participatory budgeting throughout the five boroughs,” said Council Member Eric Ulrich. “This will provide a real chance for anyone who wants to have a voice in the decision-making process or has an idea for a project that would benefit the community, to step up and get involved. As I have always said, this isn’t my money, it is the taxpayers’ money and they should be allowed a say in how it’s spent.”

“Participatory budgeting is an exciting tool of empowerment the East Flatbush community has engaged in for the past three years,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. “It brings government closer to the people, and provides an open form of democracy that continues to gain momentum. I look forward to it expanding throughout the city, so that more New Yorkers can get engaged in the design and selection of capital projects that better their district.”

“I am proud to be bringing participatory budgeting to constituents in the Central Bronx. Local residents know what their community needs and should be directly involved in decisions around how their tax dollars are spent.” said Council Member Ritchie Torres. “It’s also through processes like participatory budgeting that we deepen the engagement of residents in our districts and cultivate effective civic leaders.”

“A new form of democracy is sweeping New York City, and I am proud that the City Council is taking the lead in growing this process,” said Council Member Donovan Richards. “I’m beyond excited to bring Participatory Budgeting back to my district this year. There is nothing like allowing the public to make decisions on how their community schools, parks, etc., should be improved.”

“When thousands of people get involved through participatory budgeting in making hands-on decisions about what our neighborhoods need, it models government as shared stewardship, in which we work together to tend the common good,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “I am very proud that the process has grown from just four participating Councilmembers to 22 – not bad for an idea that people dismissed as crazy just a short time ago. Participatory budgeting is a growing movement that is changing the way New Yorkers engage with their government: improving transparency, increasing voters’ say in how their money is spent and bringing neighbors together to be stewards of the public realm.”

“I congratulate Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and many of my colleagues for prioritizing the expansion of participatory budgeting in the FY16 budget, continuing successful efforts to get the program off the ground in NYC,” said Council Member Mark Levine. “Participatory budgeting gives people real decision-making power and empowers communities through the democratic process. I’m proud to join this growing movement by bringing participatory budgeting to Council District 7 this year, where we’ve already seen a huge outpouring of interest and ideas for projects to better our neighborhoods.”

“I am proud to join a growing list of my council colleagues who have made the commitment to participate in a progressive way of allocating fund,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. Participatory budgeting gives a direct voice to the residents of our districts and it is our job as their representatives to honor that voice. I look forward to a productive and engaging conversation with my constituents during this process of community empowerment.”

“This is a historic chance for residents across New York City to have a key role in deciding how their tax dollars are reinvested in their community,” said Council Member Mark Treyger. “I am proud to provide this great opportunity for community involvement in my district for the first time ever and to make sure that residents finally have a real voice in the budgeting process. I have no doubt that my constituents will use this unique chance to improve the quality of life throughout Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Coney Island and Sea Gate for years to come.”

“I am excited to bring PB to the 34th District this year,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso. “My community is very creative, and I’ve heard lots of great ideas from my constituents already. I am looking forward to seeing how they decide to spend a million dollars.”

“I am thrilled to be partaking in Participatory Budgeting for the 2015-2016 budget cycle,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen. “This innovative process will give my neighbors a direct voice in how their tax dollars are spent on projects that will address community needs. It is my hope that through this process, we will be able to give City residents more confidence in government and increase civic engagement. The more participation and higher turnout we have will ensure that our communities will benefit in the long run. I am looking forward to further implementing this practice and hearing all of the terrific ideas that my neighbors will propose.”

“Participatory Budgeting and Upper West Side involvement go hand-in-hand,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal. “The community is hungry to participate in this democratic process to identify and select projects for funding.”

“There is no greater vehicle galvanizing communities today than participatory budgeting,” said Council Member I. Daneek Miller. “It enables individuals to work together for common causes that will have a lasting impact on community needs. We have seen it in action already, members from across neighborhoods working side by side in harmony. I am proud to have begun the participatory budgeting process in my district this year and thank the Speaker for her assistance in getting this expansion off the ground.”

“The expansion of participatory budgeting (PB) to 22 council districts, and the institutionalization of the process in the City Council as a new way to govern, is truly exciting and a tribute to the success of the early cycles,” said Sondra Youdelman, Executive Director, Community Voices Heard. “Community Voices Heard is proud to have helped spearhead this process with Council Members, community organizations, and local residents. Looking forward, PB has the potential to engage new and diverse groups of people – including those typically most disenfranchised – more deeply in their communities and in the practice of governing. We’re anxious to see more people involved in the process and community power grow to influence more pots of money over time.”

“Participatory Budgeting in New York City is the largest and fastest growing such program in the country,” said Josh Lerner, Executive Director of Participatory Budgeting Project. “It has become an international model for real grassroots democracy, and for making city government more responsive to the people. We look forward to continuing to work with the Speaker and other city officials to take participatory budgeting to the next level.”

“The data that we have collected over the past three years shows that participatory budgeting is a gateway to civic engagement for New Yorkers that are often left out of politics and government such as youth, immigrants, and low-income people,” said Alexa Kasdan, Director of Research and Policy at the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center. “With the expansion of PB in 2014-15, the Speaker and the NYC Council are creating even more opportunities for civic participation for the most disenfranchised New Yorkers.”

You can find the original version of this post at www.participatorybudgeting.org/blog/6049.

CM Call on Rural Design, August 20th

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CM_logo-200pxWe are pleased to invite NCDD members once again to join our partners at CommunityMatters for the next installation in their capacity-building call series, which is jointly hosted by the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design. This month’s call is titled “How Design Sparks Rural Development”, and it will be taking place next Wednesday, August 20th from 4-5pm Eastern Time.

The folks at CM describe the upcoming call this way:

Urban, not rural, places are usually thought of as hubs of creativity and innovation, but this month’s CommunityMatters® and Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™ webinar turns that notion on its head.

Emily Pilloton of Project H and Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert of Energize Clinton County, Ohio use the principles of good design to improve rural places, often in unexpected ways. Join us for an hour-long webinar highlighting community design that kick starts rural development. You’ll learn smart ways to introduce decision makers to design principles and find appropriate roles for “experts” and outsiders in resident-led design projects.

Register today by clicking here, and we hope to hear you on the call!

Before the call, we encourage you to check out the accompanying piece on the CM blog by Caitlyn Horose, which is cross posted below. You can find the original piece here.

Good Design Sparks Rural Community Development

Instead of focusing on developing products and services, now more than ever, architects, industrial designers, graphic artists, landscape architects, and other creative professionals are turning their attention to community development—working to solve bigger and messier problems. Just look at Human Centered Design from IDEO.org, a method for using good design to help people living in extreme poverty around the world. Association for Community Design, has supported community-based design and planning for more than three decades. Public Interest Design chronicles the growth of the community design movement in a cool infographic.

While this trend toward good design is exciting, it’s harder to find in rural community development. Many small towns aren’t bursting at the seams with graphic designers or architects.

Creative professionals are trained with an eye toward innovative and context-sensitive solutions to complex challenges. Without designers at our disposal we may fail to see all the great options for growing a village center, establishing welcoming public spaces or revitalizing downtown.

How might we encourage a greater emphasis on design in rural community development? Here are a few ideas from the forefront of rural design:

1. Introduce Elected Officials to the Principles of Good Design

Design Cents teaches public officials and community partners how to promote and implement good design to improve the quality of life in their communities. The workshop is offered by the Carl Small Town Center at Mississippi State University in Oktibbeha County (pop. 47,671).

2. Attract Creative People

Frontier Fellowship is a four-week program for creative professionals run by Epicenter in Green River, Utah (pop. 953). Fellows split their time between working on personal projects and contributing to a community improvement project.

3. Offer Pro Bono Design Services

By providing design services in the community decision-making process, Energize Clinton County in Wilmington, Ohio (pop. 12,448) aids conversations about local development proposals. Past projects include plans for a micro-brewery to catalyze business growth, design support for redeveloping historic buildings, and informational visualizations in community plan documents.

4. Design AND Build

Auburn University’s Rural Studio in Newbern, Alabama (pop. 181) emphasizes hands-on education. That’s why they didn’t stop at the blueprints when they designed a well-built, affordable housing alternative to the mobile home. The Rural Studio program designed and built 12 versions of the 20K House and is now exploring reproducing and designing on a large scale.

5. Community Education Through Design

Combining storytelling and story gathering with graphic narratives, the Beehive Collective in Machias, Maine (pop. 2,353) creates illustrations that are used for education—and conversation—starters around complex community issues.

While not a rural example (this one comes from New York City), we can’t resist mentioning the Center for Urban Pedagogy’s Envisioning Development toolkits. Using objects and plain language, participants learn about planning issues like affordable housing and zoning.

6. Balance Local Knowledge and Professional Expertise

The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™ (CIRD) offers annual competitive funding to as many as four small towns or rural communities to host community design workshops. The workshops bring together local leaders and national experts to develop actionable solutions to pressing design challenges.

CIRD has convened more than 70 workshops in all regions of the country. Follow the CIRD blog to keep up on the 2014 workshop communities.

7. Engage Youth in Community Design

When Project H founders Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller wanted to bring design to a rural town, they started in an unlikely place: the poorest county in North Carolina. Bertie County had no licensed architect and more than one unfortunate statistic—24 percent of residents dropped out of high school and 65 percent of youth were unemployed.

Using education as a vehicle, the Project H team incorporated good design in improvements to the school computer lab and playground. The team’s next step was to rethink shop class, teaching design with construction and fabrication skills focused on building a farmers’ market. Project H then facilitated a summer youth employment program, paying students to build the 2,000-square-foot building, making the market a reality.

Watch the video below to hear Emily talk about the project, then head to the Project H website for a toolbox to bring design thinking into any classroom.

On Wednesday, August 20, Emily Pilloton of Project H and Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert of Energize Clinton County join CommunityMatters® and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™ for an hour-long webinar on design in rural community development. They’ll highlight additional examples of how community design has catalyzed rural economies, with thoughts about introducing decision makers to design principles and the role of experts and outsiders in community-led design projects. Space is limited, so register early!

Surprising Results in Online Commenting Study

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NCDD has been part of an ongoing conversation about whether online comment sections can be spaces for dialogue and if there are methods or tools we can use to make those spaces more civil. One of our NCDD organizational members, the National Institute for Civil Discourse, recently released on a study on the topic that has some surprising, though not exactly encouraging, results. You can read NICD’s announcement about the study below or find the original here.

NICD_logo3A new study confirms that incivility is common on online news websites. Researchers at the University of Utah and the University of Arizona analyzed more than 6,400 reader comments posted to the website of The Arizona Daily Star, a major daily newspaper in Arizona. They found that more than 1 in 5 comments included some form of incivility, with name-calling the most prevalent type.

“We tracked six different kinds of incivility, but name-calling was by far and away the most common,” said Kevin Coe, a faculty member in the Department of Communications at the University of Utah and one of the study’s authors. “Many people just can’t seem to avoid the impulse to go after someone.”

The study also showed that incivility in comment sections does not fit the stereotype of a few angry individuals who spend hours at their computers flaming other commenters and making baseless claims. In fact, incivility was more common among infrequent commenters than frequent ones. Equally surprising, uncivil commenters were just as likely to use evidence in support of their claims as were civil commenters.

“The results of our study run counter to several popularly-held beliefs about incivility” said co-author Steve Rains from the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona. “In the comments we examined, incivility was pervasive and not simply the product of one or two individuals with an axe to grind.” As might be suspected, stories that focused on well-known leaders with clear positions garnered more uncivil comments. “Strong partisan recognition activates incivility,” said co-author Kate Kenski, an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona. “When articles quoted President Obama, incivility in the discussion comments rose significantly above the average found in other discussions.”

Like many other online news outlets, The Arizona Daily Star now requires commenters to log into a personal account on Facebook before they can comment on a story.

The study, published in the Journal of Communication, was funded by the National Institute for Civil Discourse, a nonpartisan center for advocacy, research, and policy housed at the University of Arizona. The Institute’s honorary co-chairs are former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Link to the full published study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcom.12104/abstract or http://nicd.arizona.edu/research-report/online-and-uncivil-patterns-and.

The original version of this post can be found at http://nicd.arizona.edu/news/national-institute-civil-discourse-announce-0.

Parker Palmer’s book “Healing the Heart of Democracy” now out in paperback

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One of NCDD’s most well-known and well-loved members, Parker Palmer, alerted me today that one of his newest books, Healing the Heart of Democracy, is soon to be available in paperback.

Here’s what U.S. Congressman John Lewis, had to say about the book: “We have been trying to bridge the great divides in this great country for a long time. In this book, Parker J. Palmer urges us to ‘keep on walking, keep on talking’—just as we did in the civil rights movement—until we cross those bridges together.”

The paperback edition includes a detailed discussion guide with links to 40 brief online videos where the author talks about key issues in the book. You can download the discussion guide, the videos, tips for organizing a discussion group, and more at www.couragerenewal.org/democracyguide.

HealingHeartDemo-coverThe Guide makes it easier and more attractive for people to gather in families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, etc., and learn to talk with each other across lines of political difference. That’s what “We the People” need to do to reclaim the power of civic community in an era of divide and conquer politics.

In his email this morning, Parker wrote, “I know you’re as concerned as I am about the sad state of American democracy. ‘We the People’ are the only answer. But there can be no ‘We’ until more of us learn to value our differences, hold them creatively, talk across our divides and seek the common good so we can hold our leaders accountable. That’s what this book is about and that’s why I’m eager to get the word out, especially as we approach mid-term elections.

Among the many positive reviews, “Democracy & Education” called the book “one of the most important…of the early 21st Century.” In a Starred Review, “Publishers Weekly” said, “This beautifully written book deserves a wide audience that will benefit from discussing it.”

You can pre-order the paperback version at Amazon here, and you can visit the book’s website at http://lp.wileypub.com/healingtheheartofdemocracy/ where you can watch a video, read the Prelude, and find purchasing options.

Have you already read Healing the Heart of Democracy? Let others know what you thought of it in the comments!

Citizens’ Initiative Review Process Launches in Colorado

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Our friends at Healthy Democracy, an NCDD organizational member, recently made an announcement that I am personally excited about, and that we wanted to let you know about too: the Citizens’ Initiative Review Process is expanding to Colorado!

As a Colorado resident myself, I couldn’t be more pleased that this innovative democratic process is coming to my backyard, especially given how popular ballot initiatives are here in CO. In their recent announcement, Healthy Democracy had this to say about the expansion:

The Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) has been giving Oregon voters information they can trust since 2010, and other states are taking notice. In fact, this fall we’re helping local organizations bring fact-based ballot measure analyses to Colorado!

Ballot measures in Colorado drive some of the state’s largest policy decisions, yet 75% of voters say they often find measures too complicated or confusing to understand. Accurate and unbiased information is not only difficult to come by, it is often obscured by misleading statements and advertisements by both sides of an issue.

2014 marks the first year the Citizens’ Initiative Review will be conducted in Colorado, and if successful, the program could expand to multiple ballot measures in future election cycles.

The Colorado CIR expansion effort is being supported by Colorado NCDD organizational member Engaged Public as well as the Civic Canopy and, of course, Healthy Democracy.

Colorado has had important and controversial initiatives on the ballot during almost every election in recent memory, including our now-famous Amendment 64 that legalized recreational marijuana. But many Colorado voters – including myself – can still find the language and framing of these initiatives confusing, even when they’ve heard about them before Election Day. So with two initiatives already slated to be on the 2014 ballot in Colorado and others still possible, there has never been a better time for the Citizens’ Initiative Review to take hold and help voters get clear on the issues in this important swing state.

We wish the folks stewarding the roll out of the new Colorado CIR process the best of luck, and we look forward to seeing the results this Fall!

For more information on the Colorado CIR expansion, visit www.healthydemocracy.org/colorado-citizens-initiative-review.

“Civility in Action” Dialogue Series Launches in AZ

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Our friends with the Institute for Civil Dialogue, an NCDD organizational member, will be hosting a series of public dialogues across Arizona on hot button issues this Fall that are aimed at fostering more civility. We are excited to see how the series goes, and we encourage you to learn more in ICD’s press release below or at www.civil-dialogue.com.

“Civility in Action” events start September 9

CAREFREE, Ariz., (July 30, 2014) – Valley citizens will have a new opportunity to discuss hot topics with cool heads this fall. The Institute for Civil Dialogue, in association with the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University, will present a five-part series of free public dialogues focused on provocative issues that emerge during election season. The five-part series, called Civility in Action, will be presented at various venues throughout the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, September-November, 2014.

“As political campaigns heat up, candidates will give us their opinions on the most important issues of our times, and media pundits will give their opinions on the candidates. Civility in Action events will give citizens a chance to voice their own opinions through our unique Civil Dialogue format,” said John Genette, president of the Institute. “The Civility in Action series is not a political rally, it’s for the whole community. It’s designed to foster civility, which is sorely lacking in today’s public conversations. All points of view will be welcome and respected.”

The events are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Each event will cover two topics, determined from election coverage and announced in advance. Events will be held in various venues throughout the Valley:

  • Sept. 9, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., The Empty Space, Arizona State Univ., 970 E. University, Tempe
  • Oct. 1, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Grace Lutheran Church, 1124 N. 3rd St., Phoenix 85004
  • Oct. 29, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Willo Room, Phoenix College, 1202 W Thomas Rd., Phoenix
  • Nov. 4, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Room FSH102, Scottsdale Community College, 9000 E. Chaparral Rd., Scottsdale
  • Nov. 11, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Dayspring United Methodist Church, 1365 E Elliot Rd., Tempe

Civility in Action events will employ a unique facilitated format, Civil Dialogue®, which was created by Genette and two members of the Hugh Downs School faculty, Jennifer Linde and Clark Olson. The trio serve as founding directors of the new Institute. “In a Civil Dialogue, we draw a distinction between ‘disagreement,’ which is healthy for democracy, and ‘demonizing,’ which alienates us from one another,” said Linde. “Civil Dialogue is the alternative to the traditional win-lose debate format,” adds Olson. “There is no attempt to change minds or reach consensus, the purpose is to help people of different political stripes, including those who may be neutral or undecided, to interact on hot topics with cool heads. It’s an eye-opening experience.”

For directions to Civility in Action events and more information about Civil Dialogue, visit the Institute’s website at www.civil-dialogue.com.

Fall Public Participation Trainings from LET

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There are some great trainings being offered this Fall by the League of Extraordinary Trainers, an NCDD org member and sponsor of the 2014 NCDD conference. We want to make sure NCDDers know not only that these great IAP2 certificate trainings are happening, but there is a discount on registration for NCDD members! Make sure to take a look at LET’s announcement about the trainings below or to find their full training schedule here.

LeagueOfExtraordinaryTrainers-logoIAP2’s Certificate Program has been revitalized to incorporate more international perspectives and to address and incorporate many thoughts and ideas provided as feedback from more than 6,000 participants who have taken the program since 2000. The updated curriculum, newly named Foundations in Public Participation, launched July 1, 2014. The Planning for Effective Public Participation course has been extended to three days, incorporating communications planning into the Planning course. An increased focus on deliberative dialogue, plus the addition of web-based and social media engagement tools were added.

Public anger is an increasing fact of society. Growing global citizen outrage causes government gridlock, lawsuits, stopped projects, election losses, loss of time, money, and destroyed credibility. Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation is a two-day workshop that builds on IAP2’s global best practices in public involvement and the work of Dr. Peter Sandman, a foremost researcher and expert in public outrage and risk communication. This course will help you move people from rage to reason and engage stakeholders in building consensus for better decisions.

If you work for or are involved in public participation and community engagement outreach projects in: government – municipalities, state and federal agencies; corporations; utilities; environmental agencies; community organizations; universities; advocacy and lobbying these courses can broaden your toolkit and bring greater creativity to your approach. The hands-on design of these courses and the expertise of the IAP2 Licensed Trainers ensure that you’ll be receiving the best public participation and community engagement training available globally.

LET Event Dates, Locations, Brochures and On-Line Registration are always available at to view www.extraordinarytrainers.com/schedules.

Certificate Program – Foundations In Public Participation (2 courses) –

Planning – (Mon-Wed, 3 days) Techniques – (Thu-Fri, 2 days)

  • Fort Worth, Texas – September 8-12
  • Chicago, Illinois – October 27-31

Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation – Moving from Rage to Reason (2-Days)

  • Las Vegas, Nevada – October 6-7
  • Austin, Texas – October 16-17
  • Chicago, Illinois – December 4-5

LET offers Early Bird Registration Discounts. Dues-paying NCDD members receive a discounted rate on all trainings. Email us directly to receive a Promo Code for the NCDD member discount: info@extraordinarytrainers.com.

New Job Opening at Public Agenda

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PublicAgenda-logoWe are excited to share that our organizational partners at Public Agenda are hiring!

PA is seeking a Senior Public Engagement Associate to work with them in New York City, and we know that many of our NCDD members could be a great fit for the position. The position is described like this:

The Senior Public Engagement Associate works with the Public Engagement (PE) team to develop, coordinate and implement engagement projects across a range of issues areas around the country. The senior associate will lead various types of field-based engagement projects – including project design, field logistics, research, facilitation, report writing and evaluation. The PE Department is busy and fast moving. The applicant must be comfortable leading multiple projects independently with minimal supervision, while maintaining an ability to work as part of a team. The Senior Public Engagement Associate contributes to Public Agenda’s mission to create opportunities for collaboration and to facilitate problem solving for our nation’s most pressing issues. We are looking for a highly motivated individual who is interested in contributing to our work across the country. This position reports directly to the Director of Public Engagement Programs.

You can find the full job description and info on how to apply by clicking here. Good luck to all the applicants!

Six Simple Changes for Better Public Engagement

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NCDD supporting member Jennifer Wilding of Consensus and her team have been working to increase civility in Kansas City, and we love their infographic on what KC residents told them officials can do to improve public engagement. Learn more about Consensus’ Civility Project at www.consensuskc.org/civilityproject/ and in Jennifer’s write-up below the image.

SixChangesForOfficials-infographic

Old Habits for Engaging the Public Make it Harder to Be Civil

Americans have talked a lot about civility the last few years. Along with exploring the way individuals behave, it’s important to pay attention to the processes that are used to engage the public. Outmoded habits are ineffective with a population that increasingly expects to be consulted, and can be disastrous in situations where values are in conflict.

It’s possible to change these habits, though. Specific, relatively simple changes can move people’s behavior from angry to productive. The Civility Project helps inform and advocate for building new habits that increase civility.

Consensus, a Kansas City-based nonprofit that focuses on public engagement, launched The Civility Project out of frustration with the way the 2009 health-care town hall meetings were conducted. Using the public hearing model meant that meetings intended to give people a voice ended up driving them further apart.

The project so far includes awards for people who bring civility to life and a one-day class on building civility into public engagement based on findings from 20 focus groups with local citizens. In addition, Consensus has held public forums co-sponsored by KCPT Public Television, the Congressional Civility Caucus and the Dole Institute.

Consensus held 20 focus groups across metro Kansas City and in Lawrence to talk about civility in public life and how it affects our ability to solve problems. The groups represented the entire political spectrum, but were in perfect harmony when they described what concerns them about our public processes and what would make things better.

Detailed findings are available at www.consensuskc.org/civilityproject, and we have distilled what people want into six simple changes elected officials can make to engage their constituents more productively.

For more information: Jennifer Wilding, jenwilding@consensuskc.org.

 

Jefferson Center Hosts Rural Climate Dialogues

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Our NCDD organizational members at the Jefferson Center recently shared a write up on a series of deliberations on climate issues in rural Minnesota. The project produced positive results and a detailed report with recommendations for moving forward. We hope you will read their write up below or find the original version by clicking here.

JeffersonCenterLogoWay back in March, we talked about our plans to engage citizens in rural communities in Minnesota to discuss climate and extreme weather. Our first conversation, the Morris Area Climate Dialogue, took place at the beginning of June. Fifteen Morris Area residents came together in a Citizens’ Jury to study and deliberate on the local impacts of extreme weather and shifts in climate. Community members heard from local experts on weather and climate trends, energy & energy efficiency issues, insurance industry concerns, potential changes in agricultural production, impacts on local infrastructure, and opportunities to build a stronger, more resilient community.

Community members analyzed the knowledge gained during presentations and prioritized critical concerns, key opportunities, and potential action steps. Principal concerns include limited public awareness of changes in extreme weather and climate, disproportionate impacts on low- or fixed-income residents, and strains on local agricultural production. Opportunities for community responses include adapting local agricultural systems, developing new economic opportunities, and utilizing the skills and resources of community members. You can read their full statement, along with community action recommendations, in the MACD Final Report. You can also find more information at our Morris Area Climate Dialogue page.

Briefly, here’s what a few participants thought of the event:

“I’d like to say thank you for the information. I kinda came into this warily, but I enjoyed the presentations and information. I also really appreciated the level of intelligence and the intensity that everybody put into this. It was thought-provoking, it was challenging at times with the subjects that were coming at us, and yet everyone was very professional, very open, and very intelligent.”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it’d be a bunch of people who were very adamant about this topic and would want to get together and “hurrah” about it. I was very impressed with this group’s ability to come together as community members, as neighbors, and talk about these things in an open, civil, and friendly manner. I thought the whole thing was very well coordinated and run in a very unbiased way. A way that definitely encouraged that openness.”

“I was impressed with the group and how we worked together, everybody contributed.”

The priorities and recommendations of citizens are only the beginning. Along with our partners at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, we’ll continue to work with participants, community members, local partners and community organizations, public officials and agencies, and other interested stakeholders to pursue and realize the ambitions of the Morris Area community as citizens work to address climate and weather issues.

For more information about the Morris Area Climate Dialogue, including daily summaries and the full list of community concerns, opportunities, and actions, check out the Dialogues page of the Rural Climate Network.

You can find the original version of this blog post at http://jefferson-center.org/morris-area-climate-dialogue.