Category Archives: upcoming events

4th Int’l Conference on PB in N. America Opens Call for Proposals

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Before you check out for the holiday this week, we encourage our members to consider responding to the call for proposals for the 4th International Conference on Participatory Budgeting in North America, which will be hosted in Boston, MA from May 20th – 22nd, 2016 by the Participatory Budgeting Project, one of our great NCDD member organizations.

The deadline to submit for the conference is December 18th, 2015, so don’t wait too long! You can read the full call for proposals here.

This year’s conference will coincide with the voting phase of the Boston’s youth participatory budgeting process, which adds an exciting focus on young people’s participation in deliberative processes to the gathering. Here is how PBP describes the conference:

The 4th International Conference on Participatory Budgeting in North America, organized by the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), will take place in Boston, Massachusetts, USA during the voting phase of their award-winning, city-wide, youth PB process.

The conference is a space for participants and organizers of PB processes to share and reflect on their experiences so far, alongside interested activists, practitioners, scholars, elected officials, and civic designers.

The PB Conference will be organized around three themes this year:

2016 Conference Themes

  • Youth power through PB: PB in schools, youth-only processes, and nearly every other PB process in North America uniquely gives real power to young people – as young as 11! What can we do to encourage even more youth leadership with PB?
  • PB in practice: What is working well? What has been less successful? What improvements can be made in the way the process is implemented? How can we do better and be more effective with existing PB processes and how can we put more processes in place across North America and around the world.
  • Measuring impact: How do we define a good PB process? What are the best ways to define success in this context? What are innovative, effective tools and methods we can use to assess the impact of processes that are currently underway as well as to shape new PB processes.

Any proposals for workshops, presentations, panel discussions or other creative formats focused on one of these three themes will be welcomed for consideration, and you can send in proposals via the submission form at www.pbconference.org/submit. For more information, email PBP at conference@participatorybudgeting.org.

Again, the deadline for submissions is December 18th, so send in your proposals soon! Registration for the conference is slated to open in January, and early registration will end in April. We can’t wait to see how this great gathering turns out!

For more information on the 2016 PB Conference, you can visit www.pbconference.org.

Sign Up for December’s Tech Tuesday on Common Ground for Action

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Registration is now open for December’s Tech Tuesday event featuring Common Ground for Action. Join us for this FREE event Tuesday, December 1st from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern/11:00am-12:00pm Pacific.

NIFI-CGA_Branded_LogoIn 2013, Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums collaborated with Conteneo, the developer of the San Jose Budget Games, to produce a platform that could allow truly deliberative online public forums. The result is Common Ground for Action, a simple, intuitive tool that allows participants to examine options for dealing with the problem, weigh tradeoffs, and find common ground, with beautiful visuals that let you actually see the shape of your conversation as it evolves. And because CGA works in any browser, there’s nothing to download, nothing to update – no technical mumbo jumbo.

CGA works not only for National Issues Forums issue guides, but also for localized adaptations of those guides, or in fact, any deliberative framework on any wicked problem.

On this call we will be joined by NCDD Members Amy Lee from the Kettering Foundation and Luke Hohmann from Conteneo, who will tell us more about how this tool was developed and demonstrate how it works. Amy will also tell us more about the current schedule of forums, and how you or your organization can utilize this FREE tool!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity – register today!

Tech_Tuesday_BadgeTech Tuesdays are a series of learning events from NCDD focused on technology for engagement. These 1-hour events are designed to help dialogue and deliberation practitioners get a better sense of the online engagement landscape and how they can take advantage of the myriad opportunities available to them. You do not have to be a member of NCDD to participate in our Tech Tuesday learning events.

 

More about Common Ground for Action…

CGA can be helpful for any conversation where you need:

  • the ability to convene people from diverse locations
  • the ability to convene people who may not be able or willing to participate
    in-person
  • the ability to let people talk together about an issue
  • visuals showing the group’s evolution in judgment
  • an easy-to-analyze record of the entire forum.

Other important facts about CGA:

  • It’s free!
  • It’s easy to become a moderator – 2 simple online sessions!
  • It can be used to augment in-person deliberations as well.

NIFI to Host 3 Online Health Care Deliberations in Nov.

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Our friends at the National Issues Forums Institute – an NCDD member organization – recently launched a great online deliberation tool call Common Ground for Action, and you’re invited to check it out for yourself in 3 forums this month about health care issues. The forums are part of NIFI’s larger project that will yield a report to federal policymakers, so we encourage you to join in! Read more below or find the original NIFI post on the forums here.

NIF logoHave you tried a Common Ground for Action forum yet? We’ve got 3 exciting opportunities coming up in November for you to try National Issues Forums’ (NIF) new platform for online deliberation – and to be part of a national report that the Kettering Foundation will be making to policymakers about the results!

The three November CGA forums will all be using the NIF issue guide Health Care: How Can We Reduce Costs and Still Get the Care We Need?, which will become part of the forum data that Kettering will report to federal policymakers on in 2016.

If you’d like to participate in any of these forums, all you have to do is click the link below to register (so we’ll know how many moderators we need). Then, the day before the forum you sign up for, you’ll receive an email with a unique URL for your forum – all you do to join the forum is click that link no more than 10 minutes before the forum start time. That’s it!

Of course, in the meantime, you can check out the issue guide – which is FREE to download! Go for it now, and we’ll see you online!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email cga@nifi.org.

You can find the original version of this NIFI post at www.nifi.org/en/groups/do-you-want-try-online-forum-three-chances-november-deliberate-about-health-care-costs.

Join D&D Climate Action Network Launch Call Nov. 17

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NCDD is proud to be supporting an important new project being led by NCDD supporting member Linda Ellinor of the Dialogue Group aimed at connecting D&D professionals who are concerned about climate change. The network will launch with a conference call on Nov. 17 from 2-4pm PST for folks interested in being part of the core group, and its work could be quite impactful with the right supporters. Learn more about the network and how to get involved in Linda’s announcement below.

Announcing the D&D Climate Action Network (D&D CAN)

First Teleconference Call: November 17th, 2015

Are you a D&D practitioner or facilitator concerned about climate change? Are you looking to connect with like-minded peers who wish to use participatory processes or conversational leadership in helping to meet this challenge?

We invite you to join this NCDD-supported D&D Climate Action Network. Our goal is to help each other work more strategically within groups we are already involved in and to explore synergies between us for new actions and groups we might work with. We aim to build a community of practice that fosters mutual learning, sharing, and inspires collaboration around the complexities of climate change.

Initially, we will hold monthly 90-minute to 2-hour teleconference calls* using Zoom technology (a more advanced form of Skype) and communicating in between these times via Ning to share resources and advance our connections.

In these early meetings, we expect to focus primarily on building relationships with each other and exploring our respective work and aspirations. As we develop, we may dive more deeply into specific subjects and opportunities for action, some of us thinking, studying and strategizing together, inviting speakers, etc.. We will basically allow ourselves to self-organize around our unfolding interests.

If you are interested in joining this new network, we ask that you contact either Linda Ellinor at lellinor25[at]gmail[dot]com (707 217-6675) or Marti Roach at martiroach[at]gmail[dot]com (925 963-9631).

Our first teleconference call is scheduled for November 17th from 2 – 4pm PST.* We are limiting the initial calls to the first 16 people who sign up to help establish a core network, so please contact us soon to express your interest.

*Please note that while we will keep the formal teleconference calls to 90 minutes, you might want to plan for a total of 2 hours to allow for some follow-up networking after the formal call is over.

Co-hosting team: Linda Ellinor, co-founder of The Dialogue Group/Senior Associate with Applied Concepts Group; Marti Roach, Marti Roach Consulting, Rosa Zubizaretta, DiaPraxis, Nancy Glock-Grueneich, V.P. Research Intellitics and CII Fellow; Sharon Joy Kleitsch, The Connections Partners; Tim Bonneman, CEO and President of Intellitics.

Learn more by visiting http://ddclimateactionnetwork.ning.com.

Upcoming IAP2 Trainings from the Participation Company

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Make sure to note that the at The Participation Company – one of our NCDD member organizations – is offering more IAP2 trainings that NCDD members can get a discount $30-$100 on! The trainings use the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) framework and are a great opportunity to earn an official IAP2 certification. Learn more about the trainings in the announcement below or here.

IAP2 Training Events in 2015-2016

If you work in communications, public relations, public affairs, planning, public outreach and understanding, community development, advocacy, or lobbying, this training will help you to increase your skills and to be of even greater value to your employer.

This is your chance to join the many thousands of practitioners worldwide who have completed the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) certificate training.

Foundations in Public Participation (5-Day) certificate program: PLANNING for Effective Public Participation (3-Days) and/or *TECHNIQUES for Effective Public Participation (2-Days)

  • November 3 – 5, 2015 in Fort Collins, CO — 3-day Planning
  • December 9 – 11, 2015 in Great Falls, MT — 3-day Planning
  • December 14 – 18, 2015 in Chicago, IL — 3-day Planning & 2-day Techniques
  • February 1 – 5, 2016  in Arlington, VA — 3-day Planning & 2-day Techniques
  • February 2 – 3, 2016 in Fort Collins, CO — 2-day Techniques
  • February 25 – 26, 2016 in Fairmont, MT — 2-day Techniques
  • February 29 – March 4, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ — 3-day Planning & 2-day Techniques

Austin, TX and Santa Fe, NM coming soon. Please check our website for updates to the calendar.

*The 3-Day Planning is a prerequisite to TECHNIQUES

The Participation Company (TPC) offers discounted rates to NCDD members. Visit www.theparticipationcompany.com/foundations for more information and online registration.

Register for Oct. 28th Confab on Nevins Democracy Leaders Program

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NCDD member organizations, be sure to join us next Wednesday, October 28th from 2-3pm Eastern/11am-12pm Pacific for a special NCDD Confab Call that can help your organization build capacity and contribute to the field!Confab bubble image

This call will feature a discussion with long-time NCDD member Dr. John Gastil, who will be sharing about the amazing opportunity for organizations in the D&D field to host a bright Penn State fellow next summer through the McCourtney Institute‘s Nevins Democracy Leaders Program! Stipends and living expenses are provided to the students through the program.

This is a rare opportunity for our field, and the Confab will be one of the best ways to find out more about how your organization can benefit, so make sure to register today to secure your spot on the call!

The Nevins Democracy Leaders Program – recently founded after a gift from NCDD Sustaining Member David Nevins – provides education and ­training in transpartisan leadership skills by exposing participants to a variety of viewpoints and philosophies and teaches the tools of dialogue and deliberation as well as critical thinking. But perhaps most uniquely, the Nevins Program works to grow the next generation of democracy leaders by placing students in unique fellowship position in organizations focused on D&D, transpartisan dialogue, and civic renewal – that means organizations like yours!

Mccourtney Institute LogoNCDD is partnering with the McCourtney Institute to help identify FABULOUS organizations that can host Nevins fellows (among other roles we’ll be playing).

On this Confab, John Gastil will provide an overview of the Nevins program and its aims, discuss the training that the future fellows are going through, and share more about how your organization can take advantage of this great chance to help cultivate the next generation of D&D leaders while getting more support for your work – all for FREE! You really don’t want to miss this call!

Our confabs (interactive conference calls) are free and open to all NCDD members and potential members. Register today if you’d like to join us!

Online Facilitation Unconference 2015, Oct. 22-24

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We are pleased to share the announcement below about a great online event this Oct. 22-24 that NCDD members get a 30% discount on. NCDD Member Tim Bonnemann of Intellitics shared this announcement via our great Submit-to-Blog Form. Do you have news you want to share with the NCDD network? Just click here to submit your news post for the NCDD Blog!

As some of you may know, the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) is organizing International Facilitation Week this coming week, October 19-25. Its purpose is ”to showcase the power of facilitation to both new and existing audiences and to create a sense of community among facilitators and their groups worldwide.”

For the third year in a row, Intellitics is involved in organizing a parallel online unconference focused on “the art and practice of facilitating in virtual environments”. Topic brainstorming will kick off early next week, and sessions will take place over the course of a 48-hour window between Thursday evening and Saturday. All sessions will be documented and the results shared with all participants.

While the event remains participant-driven and not-for-profit, we’re making a few changes to the funding model this year, asking all participants for a small monetary contribution. The regular price is $24/person. However, you’ll have until Monday evening at midnight Pacific Time to take advantage of discounted early bird rates. NCDD members can use the discount code “NCDDonline” to get 30% off any available ticket.

Details and registration here: http://ofu15.eventbrite.com 

If you click through our 2013 event site, you’ll find the list topics that emerged then. Some really interesting and useful stuff there.

Whether you’re already an expert or still completely new to online facilitation, this is a great opportunity to share, learn and make new connections. Once again, it’s shaping up to be a very international crowd.

Hope to see you there!

International Facilitation Week 2015 is Here!

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As we mentioned earlier this year, we are encouraging our NCDD members to participate in International Facilitation Week, a week-long event showcasing and celebrating the power of facilitation that is catalyzed by the International Association of Facilitators. The week starts today, October 19th and runs through October 25th, so we wanted to send out a little reminder to our community to join in!

If you’re looking for events in your region, you can check out the running list of happenings that IAF created by clicking here. The good folks at Intellitics – one of our of NCDD organizational members – is also hosting an Online Facilitation Unconference from Oct. 22nd-24th, so make sure to check them out too!

We also encourage you to follow this week’s conversation and events on Twitter! You can follow the handles @FacWeek and @IAFacilitators, and search the hashtag #FacWeek to join in.

Here’s to a great IFW 2015!

PCP Interfaith Dialogue Leaders featured in TV Documentary

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We are quite excited to encourage our members to take the rare opportunity this Monday to check out D&D work on TV! The team at Public Conversations Project – an NCDD member organization – shared that two interfaith dialogue leaders that they work with will be featured in part 2 of a 7-part documentary series presented by Oprah beginning Oct. 18th. We encourage you to learn more about this great series or read PCP’s original announcement here.

Interfaith Dialogue Partners Featured on Oprah’s “Belief”

PCP new logoOn Sunday, October 18, Oprah Winfrey presents the landmark television event “Belief,” a week-long documentary series airing over seven consecutive nights that depicts how people with a wide range of beliefs search for deeper meaning and connection with the world around them.

Through vivid, emotional storytelling and cinematic visual imagery, Belief illuminates the best of faith and spiritual practices from around the world – the rituals, stories and relationships that bind us all together as human beings. This groundbreaking original series invites viewers to witness some of the world’s most fascinating spiritual journeys through the eyes of the believers.

Public Conversations Project partners Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa, of the Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) in Nigeria, are featured in Episode 2 (on Monday, October 19, entitled “Belief: Love’s Story”). The two men have pioneered interfaith dialogue training across northern Nigeria, enhancing peace and stability in a region marred by outbreaks of religious violence. Over the past five years, Public Conversations, and our partners at UMass Boston and the IMC developed a new model of dialogue based on shared tenets of the Bible and Koran, and have trained hundreds of community leaders to facilitate dialogue about religion and other divisive issues in their neighborhoods and places of worship.

Read about our work on interfaith dialogue in Nigeria, and check out the new hybrid model of dialogue we developed together, as well as a story in The Christian Science Monitor.

Traveling to the far reaches of world, and to places cameras have rarely been, Belief searches the origins of diverse faiths and the heart of what really matters. From the epic to the intimate, webbed throughout each hour are stories of people on spiritual journeys, taking them to sacred spaces. These stories and others will all lead us to ask: “What do you believe?”.

The series will premiere on Sunday, October 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.

Check out the trailer!

You can find the original version of this PCP blog post at www.publicconversations.org/news/interfaith-dialogue-partners-featured-oprahs-belief#sthash.xoSFSVnk.dpuf

Join a Confab Call on Brain Science in D&D THIS Thursday!

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As we announced last month, NCDD is hosting another one of our ever-popular Confab Calls this Thursday, October 15th from 2 – 3pm Eastern.  This call is titled Planning from the Inside Out: How Brain Science Supports Constructive Dialogue and Deliberation and will feature the insights of two of our long-time NCDD members on how lessons from brain science can help us plan D&D processes that use emotions skillfully to help groups find common ground while helping us as practitioners be better prepared to play our roles. Confab bubble image

Make sure you register today to save your spot!

Our presenters, Mary V. Gelinas of Gelinas James, Inc. and Susan Stuart Clark of Common Knowledge, both apply the principles and teachings of brain science regularly as part of their D&D practices, and in this interactive discussion, they will share how a better understanding of key brain science topics can help us understand what’s going on “in our heads” when we participate in public meetings so that we can design better processes. The call will cover:

  • Triune brain theory;
  • What emotions are, along with why and how they get evoked in meetings;
  • Some key lessons from brain science for designing and conducting effective group processes;
  • How brain science can increase our ability to be instruments of change

Mary and Susan will share examples of the brain science they use in their work to provide a starting point for call participants to ask questions and share their own insights and experiences, so come with your questions and stories!

This Confab Call promises to be both interesting and highly applicable, so you don’t want to miss it! Make sure to register today, and invite a friend who might be interested! We look forward to talking with you all on Thursday!