Category Archives: upcoming events

Join us Sept 16th for an online town hall on veterans’ mental health

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I want to invite all members of the NCDD community to join us next Monday, September 16th, for a day-long online town hall (10am-7pm Eastern) on veterans mental health on the Civic Commons. This Creating Community Solutions event will be hosted by Congressman Ron Barber (AZ), and is part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health.

RonBarberJoin us on the 16th at www.theciviccommons.com/mentalhealth.

United States Army Veteran Matthew Randle will be joining Congressman Barber to help inform and inspire our online discussion, and NCDD supporting member Kim Crowley will be serving as our lead moderator for the town hall.

The Veterans Mental Health Online Town Hall will be a national conversation in which anyone can participate to discuss veterans’ mental health. Post questions, share your stories, and participate in this online dialogue with the Congressman.

This special event will be publicized heavily by our partners, and we hope it will draw in many more participants to the 6 discussion topics we’re already running at the Civic Commons on mental health, with a great group of volunteer moderators from NCDD.

Why a town hall on veterans’ mental health?

  • Because many of our veterans return home with battle scars that can’t be seen
  • Because families and loved ones sometimes don’t know what to say or how to help
  • Because an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day
  • Because veterans might not know where to find help
  • Because we don’t often get the chance to talk about this important public issue civilly and openly online
  • Because there’s a lot we can learn from each other

For more information…

Visit the event page on the Creating Community Solutions site.  Or just join us on the 16th anytime after 10am Eastern.

All-America City Award to spotlight healthy communities

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Our friends at the National Civic League (an NCDD organizational member) recently announced the 2014 All-America City Awards.  This year’s awards will spotlight healthy communities. The year-round program will culminate in a multi-day peer learning forum and competition for civic activists and community problem-solvers to be held June, 2014 in Denver, Colorado.  I’d love to see some of you enter your cities and towns into this year’s competition!

On August 20th, the National Civic League (NCL) announced the 2014 All-America City Award will spotlight healthy communities. The year-round program will culminate in a multi-day peer learning forum and competition for civic activists and community problem-solvers to be held June, 2014 in Denver, Colorado.

“We’re very excited about the spotlight on healthy communities,” said NCL President Gloria Rubio-Cortes. “It will highlight the important issues of our time and how people come together to address health issues.”

Rubio-Cortes invited applications from communities that are playing a leadership role in making their communities healthier by addressing obesity, health equity, disease prevention and health promotion, health access, healthy eating, regional transportation and other challenges.

To obtain a 2014 All-America City Award application, send an email to AAC@ncl.org or call 303-571-4343. Applicants may be neighborhoods, towns, cities, counties, or regions. Twenty applicants will be named finalists and invited to present their challenges and best practices to a national jury in June 2014 in Denver. Each applicant is asked to describe three community projects to address local challenges with one focusing on healthy efforts.

“For more than 20 years NCL has been a leader in helping communities become healthier,” said Rubio-Cortes, who noted that the 25th anniversary of the “healthy communities” movement would be celebrated in an upcoming special edition of the National Civic Review, NCL’s quarterly journal.

Immediately recognizable for the stars and bars shield logo found on water towers and city limits signs across the country, the All-America City Award is given to ten winners each year for community-based problem solving, grassroots civic engagement and joint efforts on the part of the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

The honor has been achieved by more than 650 communities across the country. Some have won the award multiple times. Learn more about the award program and follow events leading up to the June 2014 Denver event on our All-America City blog and the All-America City Awards Facebook page.

NCL is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that strengthens democracy by increasing the capacity of our nation’s people to fully participate in and build healthy and prosperous communities across America. Find out more about the National Civic League at www.ncl.org.

Invitation to October 2013 International Dialogue Education Institute in Baltimore

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This post was submitted by NCDD supporting member Michael Culliton of Global Learning Partners via the Add-to-Blog form.

NCDD folks, please Join us in Baltimore, MD, October 24-27, 2013, for the 2013 International Dialogue Education Institute!

The Institute is an intensive and engaging conference for educators, facilitators, coaches, consultants, trainers, and others from around the world who are interested in Learning & Change, and in Dialogue Education.

Highlights of the conference will include:

  • Plenary keynote session on the biology of learning with Dr. Jane Vella
  • Variety of 90-minute and 3-hour active sessions (you won’t be sitting and listening much!) on topics related to learning and change
  • Interactive poster gallery where you can showcase your own ideas, tips and tools related to learning and change

See our list of 19 reasons to consider attending.

The Institute is hosted by Global Learning Partners, Inc., an organization dedicated to using an approach called Dialogue Education to create effective learning and change in the world.

Registration for the Institute is $479 and covers all Institute materials; a Thursday evening reception with hearty hors d’ouevres; breakfast, lunch, and snacks all day on Friday and Saturday; and breakfast on Sunday morning. Dinner Friday and Saturday are on your own. Lodging is at the Marriott Waterfront, where you’ll get our discounted room rate of $185/night (a $300/night value).

FREE registration for next Tuesday’s Virtual Gov’t Innovators Summit

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Steve Ressler sent an announcement to the NCDD Discussion list tonight.  Steve is Founder and President of GovLoop.com, an online social network with over 60,000 members.

We at GovLoop are hosting a big free virtual conference next Tuesday (September 10th) — the Virtual Government Innovators Summit.

Figured it might interest folks who:

  • Are curious about running a virtual conference and want to see one (also happy to talk more about our lessons on virtual engagements any time)
  • Are interested in the topics (one of the trainings is on data-driven citizen engagement)
  • Might want CPEs (giving up to 4 away depending how many sessions you attend)

Free RSVP at  http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=651438&s=1&k=89097BB360D1F3883E99C5E03D9AB47D&partnerref=YP

Connecting our dialogue and deliberation processes to governance

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CoffeeHour-mug-logoOur weekly Coffee Hour calls on Thursdays from 12-1pm EDT have ranged from 6-12 people, and the conversation has been quite stimulating.

Usually all topics are welcome.  In light of the situation in Syria, the theme for this week’s Coffee Hour is “Connecting our Dialogue and Deliberation Processes to Governance (i.e our elected representatives).”

Here is the link to past notes and the easy instructions for participating.

I’d like to see this piece of NCDD’s infrastructure grow into something even more exciting and collaborative.  If you have thoughts or suggestions about it, please do reach me at lucas@athenabridge.com or in the comments below.

Workshop on Building Trust through Civil Dialogue at National CSG meeting

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This post was submitted by supporting member Ted Celeste, former Ohio State Representative and initiator of the Next Generation initiative of the National Institute for Civil Discourse.

TedCelesteAfter a year of development, I will be co-facilitating a workshop and introducing several new practical modules at the annual national meeting of the Council of State Governments in Kansas City this month. This hands-on workshop was developed specifically for legislators around the country. Learn more at the CSG website at www.csg.org/2013nationalconference/Civility.aspx.

Ted Celeste served in the Ohio Legislature from 2007-2012. Known for working effectively “across the aisle” whether he was in the majority or the minority, he has lived his belief in respectful dialogue. One of the only candidates for state office who insisted on running a positive campaign, he won each of his 3 races with a comfortable majority in a swing district.  He was recognized for his emphasis on civil dialogue with the John Glenn Public Policy Institute’s Outstanding Public Service Award in 2011. Celeste lives in Columbus, Ohio, is married and has two daughters and 3 grandchildren.

Here is a description of the workshop:

The National Institute for Civil Discourse has developed an active discovery process, “Building Trust through Civil Discourse,” designed tobuild a new set of skills and attitudes about civil engagement with a goal of improving personal and group productivity. This interactive workshop, facilitated by present and former legislators, has been piloted in Nebraska and Ohio. This is your chance to experience the workshop, as well as preview several other skill-building modules available to your state.

Established in February 2011 at the University of Arizona, the National Institute for Civil Discourse is dedicated to integrating research and practice to support: a legislative and executive branch working to solve the big issues facing our country, public demand for civil discourse and media that informs and engages citizens.

Online dialogues on mental health with Zilino

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This post was submitted by Tim Bonnemann of Intellitics, Inc., an NCDD organizational member, via the Add-to-Blog form.

By now I’m sure everybody here has heard about the Creating Community Solutions initiative, part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health (if not, check the NCDD blog to catch up).

Zilino-ImageMy company, Intellitics, is working on an offering to support communities across the country that want to host online dialogues on the issue that are time-bound and outcome-oriented and closely follow the official discussion guide and other materials.

We’ll be hosting a Zilino online demo this Wednesday, September 4 to preview some of what this might look like:

Zilino Online Demo “Creating Community Solutions”
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
11am-12pm Pacific Time (2-3pm Eastern)

Register now at http://zilino-demo-20130904.eventbrite.com if you’d like to participate.

Hope you can join us!

World Cafe Learning Program offered via Fielding Graduate University

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This announcement was submitted by NCDD supporting member Amy Lenzo of The World Cafe & weDialogue via the Add-to-Blog form.

A World Cafe Signature Learning Program, “Hosting World Cafe: The Fundamentals” is offered in association with Fielding Graduate University.

Providing a fundamental understanding of The World Café theory and method, this course applies the World Café design principles to bring forth the creative power of conversation and engage questions that matter. Participants will develop the capacity to use the World Café in their own lives and work, and gain a basic understanding of World Café hosting practices.

WorldCafe-logoDETAILS:

  • 8 weeks; 6 CEUs; 19 CCEUs
  • Cost: $750 US Early Bird Registration (before Sept 15); $800 after that (costs include all required reading materials in e-format)
  • Presented by Bo Gyllenpalm and Amy Lenzo

Learn more at www.theworldcafe.com/learning-fundamentals.html. Register at https://secure.fielding.edu/forms/WC-reg.htm (registration closes September 22nd).

The course will be delivered online in asynchronous learning forums, designed as World Cafe tables, with required opening and closing “real time” sessions on September 29th and November 17th.

Juanita Brown will be hosting a World Café for the class on November 10th, and video-enhanced study groups with David Isaacs and other senior World Cafe hosts will be held on October 5, 19th, 26th, and November 5th, from 9 – 10:30am Pacific Time.

Questions? Contact us via email: learning@theworldcafe.com.

Group Facilitation Skills workshop with Sarah Fisk

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The Community at Work course, “Group Facilitation Skills: Putting Participatory Values into Practice” is being offered both October 1-3 and December 10-12, 2013. The course is taught by Sarah Fisk, PhD, and will be administered at Community At Work in San Francisco. NCDD members receive a 25% discount.

COURSE SYNOPSIS
This course teaches participants how to put participatory values into practice. Skill building is emphasized, with practice sessions in the following areas: stand-up skills; group-oriented listening skills; brainstorming technique; tools for prioritizing long lists; facilitating open discussions, breaking into small groups; using structured go-arounds; understanding and working with group norms; handling conflict respectfully; consensus-building technique; dealing with difficult dynamics; goal setting;agenda design; and procedures for making final decisions. Participants are exposed to more than 200 tools and techniques. Everyone receives a copy of the Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making.

FOR A COURSE OVERVIEW
Go to www.CommunityAtWork.com/groupfac1.html

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP LEADER
Sarah Fisk, PhD, is a nationally-known specialist in group facilitation and collaboration. She is a co-author of the internationally acclaimed Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making. Sarah has been a featured speaker at the annual conferences of the International Association of Facilitators and the National Organization Development Network, and she holds an adjunct professorship at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Sarah’s corporate clients have included Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab & Company, Symantec, and many other Fortune 500 Companies. Her public sector clients have included the City of Edmonton Canada, Special Olympics and March of Dimes. Since 1996 Sarah has been a senior consultant with Community At Work, a San Francisco-based consulting firm that specializes in designing and facilitating participatory approaches to solving complex problems.

MORE INFORMATION
Contact Duane Berger: duane@CommunityAtWork.com or 415-282-9876

Register for NCDD’s next Tech Tuesday event — on Zilino

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Our second “Tech Tuesday” event will take place on September 17th from 4pm-5pm Eastern (1pm-2pm Pacific). We’ll be taking a look at Zilino, a web-based solution that enables practitioners to host deliberative online forums and other types of well structured, well facilitated engagement processes.

Tech_Tuesday_BadgeThe webinar will be hosted by Tim Bonnemann, founder and CEO of Intellitics, Inc., a long-time NCDD organizational member and co-sponsor of the 2012 NCDD Conference. Intellitics is a digital engagement startup based in San José, CA that helps its clients apply technology to support, enhance and extend participatory processes.

Intellitics is currently working with a non-profit on the East Coast to translate their in-person citizen deliberation process (National Issues Forum approach) into a meaningful online experience using Zilino. This session will provide a brief overview of the tool and present insights from this ongoing project.

As with our first Tech Tuesday, we”ll be using GoToWebinar.  Please register today to reserve your spot:

Tech Tuesday is a new initiative from NCDD focused on online technology. Many in our field are curious about how they can use online tools to support their engagement work, and many tool creators are excited to talk to this community about their innovations.

These one-hour events, designed and run by the tool creators themselves, are meant to help practitioners get a better sense of the online engagement landscape and how they can take advantage of the myriad opportunities available to them.

If you have an idea for a Tech Tuesday event you’d like to run (or a tool you’d like to see featured), email NCDD’s Director, Sandy Heierbacher, at sandy@ncdd.org — or leave a comment here. Please note that unlike our “Confab calls,” which NCDD runs, promotes, and archives, we ask Tech Tuesday presenters to run these events on the platform of their choice. This frees us up to hold more events, and allows the presenters to use the platform that makes the most sense for their tool.