#CLDE16 DEMOCRATIC DIALOGUE & DELIBERATION INSTITUTE: INTRODUCTION TO DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY

The 2016 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (CLDE) Meeting organized by the American Democracy Project (ADP), The Democracy Commitment (TDC), and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, have created a special pre-conference workshop with content provided by the National Issues Forum (NIF).
Join us on Wednesday, June 1st to engage in planning activities and hear from experts in the field in the Democratic Dialogue & Deliberation Institute: “Introduction to Deliberative Democracy Theory & Practice”.

This pre-conference institute, supported by NIF, is intended to help colleges and universities as they provide students, administrators, faculty, and community members to talk productively about a difficult issue that concerns all of us. This workshop is a brief introduction to the theory and practice of deliberative democracy using the National Issues Forums (NIF) model. This forum outlines several alternative ways of looking at the issue, each rooted in a shared concern. It provides strategic facts associated with each approach, and suggests the benefits and drawbacks of possible solutions. We encourage individuals from a variety of roles on campus to participate in this endeavor so that skills learned can be further developed back on your respective campuses.

Register Today as space limited.

Organizers:  Bill Muse, President Emeritus of the National Issues Forums Institute; Windy Lawrence, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, University of Houston-Downtown (Texas); Lisa Strahley, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, SUNY-Broome Community College (N.Y.).

Wednesday, June 1 | 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Half-day Pre-conference Workshops
Democratic Dialogue & Deliberation Institute: Introduction to Deliberative Democracy Theory & Practice
Fee: $75/person

The most familiar concepts of politics either acknowledge that politics is a competitive struggle for power, or aim at a harmonious consensus on the common good. The political theory of deliberative democracy seeks an alternative that is more public than adversarial politics, but allows more room for disagreement than a harmonious consensus on the common good. In the context of a sustained crisis of political polarization, the task of promoting thoughtful public discourse on controversial issues is more urgent than ever. The numerous activities and approaches that constitute civic engagement in higher education offer great promise, but without careful attention to theory and practice they may miss the mark when it comes to promoting deliberative discourse. This workshop is a brief introduction to the theory and practice of deliberative democracy using the National Issues Forums (NIF) model. Workshop topics will include trends in our democracy and the rationale for deliberation; the strengths and weaknesses of deliberation as an approach to civic engagement; naming and framing issues for deliberation; convening and moderating deliberative forums; and resources for deliberative civic engagement. Participants with no prior experience in the use of deliberation are especially welcome.

 

New NIFI Issues Guides: Climate Change and Human Trafficking

 

Check out the following two new Issues Guides from our friends at The Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums Institute:

This new issue guide titled Climate Change: How Should We Meet the Challenges of a Warming Planet?  from the Kettering Foundation and the North American Association for Environment Education is available free download. The Environment and Society Series is designed to promote meaningful, productive deliberation, convened locally and online, about difficult issues that affect the environment and communities.

All around is evidence that the climate is changing. Summers are starting earlier and lasting longer. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. Dry regions are getting drier and wet regions are seeing heavier rains. Record cold and snowfalls blanket some parts of the country, while record fires ravage forests across the West.

Climate disruptions have some people worried about their health, their children, their homes, their livelihoods, their communities, and even their personal safety. They wonder about the future of the natural areas they enjoy and the wild animals and plants that live there. In addition, there are growing concerns about our national security and how climate change might affect scarce resources around the planet and increase global tensions.

Other links:

• Climate Choices: How Should We Meet the Challenges of a Warming Planet? – Post-forum Questionnaire
• Climate Choices: How Should We Meet the Challenges of a Warming Planet? – Options Chart

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This 8-page issue guide, titled Human Trafficking: How Can Our Community Respond to This Growing Problem? and compiled by the Maricopa Community College (a TDC campus) with guidance from Dr. Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, Director of the Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research in Arizona State University is available as a free download and a video overview is available to watch online. The guide presents three possible approaches for consideration:

• Approach 1: Focus on Families’ and the Community’s Roles;
• Approach 2: Focus on Schools, First Responders and Other Professionals;
• Approach 3: Reform Laws and Policies.

Many Americans are unaware of the extent to which human trafficking is an issue in their communities. Others may be aware of some aspects of the problem, but may feel powerless to do anything about it. But as law enforcement and others document a growing industry in human trafficking across the country, what can and should our community do to combat the problem?

New NIFI Issue Guide: Making Ends Meet

Special Offer From NIFI:
Download a Free Making Ends Meet “Forum in a Box”

This new issue guide titled Making Ends Meet: How Should We Spread Prosperity and Improve Opportunity? from the Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) is available as a free download. The guide will be the focus framework for a national deliberation between January and May, 2016. Results of the deliberation will be reported to policy makers and elected officials in Washington, DC. on May 5, 2016.

The public is invited to join in this national deliberation by convening forums where participants can use the guide to assist their deliberations. The pdf version of the issue guide is available to all as a free download. Additionally, materials are available as part of a promotional offer:

1. SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up to receive a “forum in a box”-20 copies of the new issue guide, questionnaires, and discussion starter DVD. This is a special offer available to the first 100 conveners to sign up. More than 65 moderators have already taken advantage of this special offer, so act fast.

The following is excerpted from the issue guide:

For many Americans, the recovery from the 2007 recession, a recovery that officially began in 2009, feels very remote, or nonexistent. Even as the stock market surges and millions of jobs have been created, they see a very different picture. Many Americans still believe in the basic notion that anyone who works hard should be able to support a family and get ahead. What can we do to make that happen?

More and link to download the issue guide…

Call for Grant Proposals: NIFI’s Taylor L. Willingham Grant for Community Public Engagement Projects

Apply Now for a Taylor L. Willingham Grant

Could you use some funding to plan or kickstart a public engagement project in your community?

Applications for small grants will be accepted until December 31, 2015, and recipient(s) will be announced by January 15, 2016.

Grants are provided to individuals to enable them to develop an understanding of deliberative democracy and launch one or more deliberative dialogues in their communities and organizations in order to advance National Issues Forums Institute’s(NIFI) overall mission, which is to promote public deliberation about national issues.

Read more and for link to download an application…