This 31-page PDF was used to guide Jay Hartling and Laura Wells’ well-received workshop at NCDD’s 2006 conference in San Francisco. The lively lecture-style presentation and discussion examined action beyond dialogue, and the intersection of state institutions, civil society organizations and neighborhoods through preliminary research on the implementation of Venezuela’s new Law of Communal Councils. Presenters discussed the convergence of political will and pressure from grassroots communities to support a bold shift to a truly participatory democracy. The session also shared information on different approaches to democracy in other regions of the globe, particularly the global south.
Democracy is more than free and fair elections and the ability to choose leaders to represent our views. It is also about creating a healthy civil society, an active political culture, and providing ample opportunities for the incorporation of all people into the political, economic, democratic, cultural and participatory process. Venezuela has institutionalized representative AND participatory democracy in its constitution, its laws and in practice. This is a work in progress, as Venezuela moves away from 40 years of elite rule to an inclusive, democratic and participatory structure that facilitates the active involvement of all citizens in the development, implementation, management and evaluation of public policy. Jay Hartling and Laura Wells Download the document here
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Dialogue as Pedagogy: Deliberative Learning with Democracy Lab in High School and College Classes12/24/2008 This 10-page document was distributed during Jim Knauer and Paul Alexander’s workshop of the same name at the 2006 NCDD Conference in San Francisco. Deliberative dialogue can be used across the curriculum to integrate civic education without sacrificing disciplinary content or traditional learning objectives. The document not only outlines Democracy Lab (an online deliberation program for college students) and where it is headed, it also outlines existing research on dialogic pedagogy, describes William Perry’s Scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development, and explores the relationship between deliberative dialogue and learning.
Here is the full description of Knauer and Alexander’s workshop: If dialogue and deliberation are to lead to social transformation they must also become the basis for educational transformation. Drawing on three years of experience with Democracy Lab in high schools and colleges, presenters will share their experiences and explore a theory and practice of dialogic pedagogy. Dialogic strategies are used across the disciplines to improve the achievement of traditional teaching and learning objectives while also preparing students for active citizenship in a stronger democracy. Democracy Lab provides pedagogically structured dialogue on public issues for instructor adoption as a course requirement. Students participate in small asynchronous groups with others from several schools and from courses in various disciplines. A 10-week NIF-style agenda includes instructional modules, research tasks, group reports and action possibilities. Presenters will invite, share and discuss strategies for dialogic learning and the relation of dialogic learning to traditional objectives and to civic engagement. -- James T Knauer, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Founder of Democracy Lab. Paul Alexander, PhD is Director, Institute on the Common Good, Regis University. James T Knauer, PhD and Paul Alexander, PhD Download this resource What is the role D&D people play in society’s evolution? How can we call forth our potential for helping society evolve to be more conscious, effective, and wise? Tom Atlee and Peggy Holman asked these questions during their popular workshop at NCDD’s 2006 conference in San Francisco. Download their handouts – a 7-page paper by Tom, a 10-page chapter from The Change Handbook by Peggy, and a 3-page document featuring three diagrams….
Here is the full description of Tom and Peggy’s workshop: What is the role D&D people play in society’s evolution? How can we call forth our potential for helping society evolve to be more conscious, effective, and wise? For 13 billion years evolution, has been driven by the interaction of diverse entities — physical, biological, and social. A few hundred thousand years ago, language emerged and began evolving, and conversation began to arise out of and powerfully feed the evolution of human society. We D&D folks are the beneficiaries of thousands of years of learning how to do conversations well. We have know-how that can reduce human dependence on force, guile and chance. During the session we shall consider what it means to be evolutionary agents as we strive to address the crises around us. A bigger evolutionary Story is unfolding, in which D&D has a profound role to play. Join us for an experiential exercise, presentation, and dialogue. Here is the introductory paragraph from the 7-page PDF document written by Tom Atlee entitled “The Role of Conversation in Evolution“… Evolution and conversation are close cousins. Both are “process” — and they embody each other. Evolution is the ongoing process of change. If we want to consciously and intentionally change our social systems, we need to talk together about it. The more inclusive, wise and productive our conversations are, the more powerful and positive the changes will be. It is no accident that the conversational dimension of our work is usually called “process.” Conversation is our way of being in process and evolving together. Given the many crises that are emerging today, high quality conversation is an essential evolutionary force. A 10-page PDF of Part 3 Ch 66 of The Change Handbook (2006, Berrett-Koehler Publishers) entitled “From Chaos to Coherence: The Emergence of Inspired Organizations and Enlightened Communities” was also made available to participants. This chapter outlines Peggy Holman’s thoughts on the future. Also download the 3-page PDF document featuring these three diagrams:
As we did for the first NCDD conference, we conducted an online needs assessment to determine what people wanted to see and experience at the 2004 conference, which was held in October in Denver, Colorado. About 120 people from throughout the dialogue and deliberation community honored us by completing the survey, and the results are both interesting and informative.
National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, 2004 Download this resource Gwendolyn Grant of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City created this dialogue guide and workbook to accompany Jim Myers’ groundbreaking book “Afraid of the Dark: What Whites and Blacks Need to Know About Each Other.” According to Grant, “Afraid of the Dark defines with such clarity and simplicity so many of the issues that have created this gulf between blacks and whites. It brings to the forefront the stuff that we talk about within our black and white circles, but seldom, if ever across the color line.” Grant distributed this 12-page resource during her well-received workshop at the 2006 NCDD conference in San Francisco.
Gwendolyn Grant’s workshop at the 2006 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation was titled “Honest Talk About Race – Afraid of the Dark Reading & Dialogue Circle.” Here is the workshop description: Race lies at the center of many aspects of American life, yet it is difficult to talk about race in ways that bridge the gulf between African Americans and Caucasians. In light of recent events such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and rape charges filed against the Duke University Lacrosse Team, it is increasingly apparent that blacks and whites view things so differently, but seldom engage in dialogue about those differences in constructive and productive ways, especially when talking about education, crime, and law enforcement. Afraid of the Dark Reading & Dialogue Circles create a safe environment for authentic and candid dialogue that advances racial understanding in ways that diversity workshops cannot. With inquiry and dialogue, participants will learn how to use Afraid of the Dark Dialogue Circles to improve relationships across the color line and work more effectively to address many of the social challenges that face us. Gwendolyn Grant and Jim Myers, 2000 Download this resource This 5-page document was handed out at John Frank, Ed.D.’s workshop at the 2006 NCDD conference. The workshop, “Mapping A Culture of Peace: A Community Conversation Project of the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice,” focused on the experience of a remarkably successful and innovative project on Mapping a Culture of Peace in Florida.
Here is the first paragraph of the document: The primary purpose of the dialogue is to engage citizens of a given community in vibrant conversation about the meaning of a Culture of Peace. How do we define it? What does it look like? How is it practiced in the context of the social institutions of a given community? Would we know it if we saw it? The premise is proactive and suggests that peacemaking must be more than simply protesting war or posturing an elusive notion of lions dwelling with lambs and doves flying free among the clouds. For peace to be real it must be concretized in the context of the dominant culture, not separate from it. It must be enfleshed in the structures and systems of our social institutions, cutting through overlapping circles of human exchange as it impacts educational systems, business practices, religious institutions, government, the political economy, media, and family life. It needs to be manifested in our relationships, our workplaces, neighborhoods, and all institutions. The maps cut across the fabric of our lives, linking one community to another, creating a web of relationships that make the global, local and the local, global. Workshop description for “Mapping A Culture of Peace: A Community Conversation Project of the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice”: This session is grounded in theory and practice, drawing from transformational leadership and the function of values talk in the context of progressive civic discourse. The presentation focuses on the experience of a remarkably successful and innovative project entitled “Mapping a Culture of Peace in Florida.” Learning objectives include (1) sharing an innovative design for recruiting conversationalists across diverse progressive constituencies that are not previously connected; (2) discovering how conversation unpacks and gives fertile meaning to the phrase culture of peace; (3) learning how to map the organizational and institutional infrastructure of an emerging culture of peace in a given community; and (4) learning how to reframe peace/social justice/sustainability issues in a way that moves beyond a reactive approach to a more proactive agenda, and one that empowers local communities. The presentation will conclude by considering the potential for these dialogues to impact the broader political discourse. John W. Frank, Ed.D. Download the resource here In October 2004, over 300 people came together at Regis University in Denver, Colorado for the second National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation. The main purpose of the gathering was to encourage conference attendees and planners, together, to continue developing this important, growing field of practice. Networking, experiencing different methods, sharing learnings, hearing from leaders in the field, exploring key issues facing the field – all of these are field-building activities, and all were given a place at the 2004 NCDD Conference.
Conference attendees enjoyed a variety of plenary sessions that introduced them to large-group dialogue methods while enabling the community to explore issues relevant to the field. They each had to choose four of 57 two- and three-hour workshops delivered by their peers. And through the use of graphic facilitation and playback theatre, they experienced how the arts can enhance dialogue and deliberation. The conference focused on three broad questions: “How can we have a greater collective impact on the challenging issues of our time?”, “How can we develop intelligently and wholeheartedly as a community of practice?”, and “What do we need to know and do individually to enhance our capacity to do this work?” In this report, Heierbacher recognizes all of the people and groups who made the 2004 conference a success, She outlines the “history” of the 2004 and 2002 gatherings and what happened in between, and talks about how the 2004 conference was different from the 2002 event. She describes the main elements of the 2004 conference, outline what was learned from the 2004 event and what NCDD is doing about it, and lists some other actions that need to be taken to ensure the sustainability and success of this burgeoning field. Also check out the report from the 2004 conference Assessment Team, which is quite a long document because it includes all results and comments from the Satisfaction Survey administered on the final day of the 2004 conference. Assessment Team members include Theo Leverenz, Jen Murphy, Miriam Wyman (team chair) and Sandra Zagon. Sandy Heierbacher National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) (2005) Download this resource This great 2-page handout was created for a workshop at NCDD’s 2006 conference called “Inquiring Minds Want to Know: What Do the Arts Have to Do With Dialogue?” Presenters Leah Lamb, Ellen Schneider, and Pam Korza list challenges, offer strategies for effectively engaging audiences in civic dialogue at arts events, provide examples of how dialogue professionals can learn to incorporate art to support their dialogue goals, and more.
Also feel free to download Selected Art and Cultural Resource – a 2-page resource list that was also handed out at this workshop. Learn much more about the interplay between the arts and civic dialogue at www.animatingdemocracy.org. Excerpted from Civic Dialogue, Arts & Culture: Findings from Animating Democracy by Pam Korza, Barbara Schaffer Bacon, and Andrea Assaf. Washington, D.C.: Americans for the Arts (2005) Download this resource Please note: We are providing the following material in the format provided to us by the session leader. Most of the materials are MSOffice documents.
Materials from the Pre-Conference Trainings Deliberative Democracy and Higher Education: A Workshop on Innovative Democratic Education and Leadership – Practicing What We Preach, presentation by Bruce Mallory [download file] – Venues for Democratic Leadership and Decision Making [download file] – Venues for Teaching and Learning Deliberative Democracy [download file] Materials from the Concurrent Workshops Attracting Conservative Citizens to Dialogue Events: Liberal-Conservative Campus Dialogue & Mormon-Evangelical Interfaith Initiatives – Slide Presentation [download file] – Summary [download file] Exploring How our Work in D&D Contributes to Social Change – Overview [download file] – D&D Handbook promo [download file] University and College Centers as Platforms for Deliberative Democracy – Handout 1 [download file] – Handout 2 [download file] How to Teach a Course on Deliberation – Presentation [download file] Compassionate Listening: D&D from the Inside Out – The Five Practices of Compassionate Listening [download file] Beyond the Tools: Applying D&D Principles to Online Engagement – Handout [download file] Tools for Dealing with Uncertainty, Ambiguity, and Paradox: Reflective Methods for Group Development – Handout [download file] How Can WE Revitalize Democracy with D&D? – Part 2 – Notes from Workshop [download file] Additional Materials Closing Remarks by Harold H. Saunders, Chairman and President of the International Institute of Sustained Dialogue [download file] |
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