"Making Every Voice Matter" conference resources now available
by
July 8, 2008
|
|
The "Making Every Voice Matter" national conference was a great success, thanks to everyone who joined us in Denver to share and learn the latest in dialogue-to-change innovations. We hope the event inspired and motivated you to continue creating "everyday democracy" in your community.
If you didn't have the chance to take part in every workshop you would have liked, or if you just couldn't make it out to Denver, this page is the place for you. You not only can check out great photos from the conference and read "live" conference commentary via DemocracySpace.org, but you can also download handouts, notes and PowerPoints from many of our workshops.
Workshop materials
On this page: Friday, June 13 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.| Friday, June 13 3:30-5:00 p.m. | Saturday, June 14 9:00-10:30 a.m.
DemocracySpace.org
Check out DemocracySpace.org for commentary, photos and more from the "Making Every Voice Matter" national conference.
More photos to come!
Friday, June 13 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Dismantling Racism: An Essential Element in Creating Community Change
Understanding structural racism will help you in every phase of organizing inclusive, dialogue-to-action programs. In this workshop, you will engage in interactive exercises that inform you of the ways that racism is embedded in our communities, and you’ll learn how to address these challenges. You will leave with an understanding of structural racism, and you will have some tools to dismantle its effects where you live and work.
Presenters
John Fenner, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Gwen Whiting, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Resources highlighted at the conference:
Workshop materials:
Laying a Strong Foundation for Working in Multicultural Settings
Preparing dominant and non-dominant cultural groups to work together is like designing a building sturdy enough to withstand an earthquake. A strong foundation is essential. In this interactive workshop, we’ll review the steps of Dr. Marcella La Fever’s ‘Seismic Design Model for Co-Culture Communication in Community Development’, and we’ll consider ways to build elements of this model into Everyday Democracy’s organizing advice. We will also look at the challenges and rewards of planning multicultural immigration dialogues and a bilingual action forum. Join us to explore solutions for organizing and facilitating dialogue in multicultural settings.
Presenters
Barbara Hauge, Executive Director, Center for Resolution, Jackson, Wyo.
Gloria Francesca Mengual, Program Director, Everyday Democracy
Gina Valencia, Participant, Jackson, Wyo.
Barbara Yasui, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Workshop materials:
"(I took away) a sense that the U.S. is on the verge of more democratic participation AND serious talk about race."-- Conference attendee
Orientation: Organizing Dialogue for Change
This workshop will introduce you to the principles and practices of Everyday Democracy. Learn how connecting community organizing, small-group dialogue, and action can lead to measurable community change. Take part in a brief dialogue. Hear stories about how communities have used this approach to tackle a range of public issues. And find out how Everyday Democracy can work with you and your community. Join us for this introduction and overview.
Presenters
William Lewis, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Nancy Thomas, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Mayor James Miron, Stratford, Conn.
Workshop materials:
Taking the Lead: Young People Organizing Dialogue for Action
Let young people inspire you with their stories and show you different ways to bring about change in schools, on campuses, and in communities. Learn how students in Waterford, Wis., brought a proposal to their school board to create a multicultural curriculum, and how student government associations in Montgomery County, Md., organize dialogues to address racial and ethnic barriers at their schools. Discover how the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network works to engage students in changing the dynamics of their campus climate. Join in a lively exchange of ideas and strategies young people can use to make their schools and communities a better place.
Presenters
Joe Altal, Class of 2008, Waterford Union High School, Waterford, Wis.
Omari James, Class of 2008, Sherwood High School, Silver Spring, Md.
Amina Makhdoom, Facilitator and Community Mediator, Montgomery County, Md.
Tessa Garcia McEwen, former Program Director of the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network in Washington, D.C., and founder of Sustained Dialogue at the University of Notre Dame
Workshop materials:
Why Addressing Racism is Key to Making Progress on Other Issues
Doing community building through the lens of “structural racism” can help you make progress in a new way (even if your community isn’t very diverse). Often, community problem solvers fall short of their goals because they fail to take into account the racial dimensions of the issues they’re working on. In this workshop, we will highlight effective practices that demonstrate how addressing racism can strengthen your efforts to help your community make progress on a wide range of issues. We will tell real-life stories of communities making progress, and give you some tools you can use where you live.
Presenters
Beth Broadway, Director, Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism, Interfaith Works of Central New York
Keith Lawrence, Project Coordinator, Structural Racism & Community Revitalization, Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, New York, N.Y.
Maggie Potapchuk, MP Associates, Baltimore, Md.
Workshop materials:
Friday, June 13 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Big Steps toward Reducing Poverty in Small Communities
Every community, however rural, isolated, or poor, has resources. When people have the right tools, they can put those resources to work. Ten thousand people in over 150 communities across seven states and 14 Native reservations are promoting community development and reducing poverty. How? They’re combining large-scale deliberative dialogue, leadership development, visioning, and coaching to help each community implement action plans. Presenters will focus on the role of civic engagement in community development. We’ll also look at the challenges and opportunities facing American Indian reservation communities as they work to build economic success that is interwoven with their cultural values and traditions.
Presenters
Jon Abercrombie, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Cornelia Butler Flora, Director, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Ames, Iowa
Al Nygard, President & CEO, ANC-Management Consulting and Training, Bismarck, N.Dak.; Project Director, Sitting Bull College Horizons Project, North Dakota
Workshop materials:
"(I learned that) not a single small community is too small to create change/reclaim its town."--Attendee's take away from national conference
Bringing Action Ideas to Life: Action Planning, from Day One
How can you increase the likelihood that ideas for action will be implemented? Start planning for action, on Day One! Join us to learn about strategies, tested and proven by leaders in the field. Hear how one community has taken an idea and converted it into a manageable project that is becoming a reality. Share your challenges and successes with action planning and implementation. And take part in small-group discussions to explore ways to clarify goals, decide what success would look like, develop strategies for overcoming obstacles, identify allies, and decide on individual steps that can help your group achieve its goal.
Presenters
John Fenner, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Gloria Francesca Mengual, Program Director, Everyday Democracy
Bernard Standard, Executive Director, Hopkinsville Human Relations Commission, Hopkinsville, Ky.
Workshop materials:
Nobody Told Me There Would Be Conflict When I Got Involved in Dialogue for Change!
Have you ever thought of conflict as an asset? It can be, if the energy it generates can be focused on positive change. In this workshop, we will explore ways to use conflict creatively in public life. We’ll look at examples of conflict that have occurred throughout the process of organizing and taking part in large-scale, public dialogue programs, and we’ll ask participants to share their own experiences with handling conflict. Participants will learn about different conflict management styles and assess their own personal approaches to managing conflict productively. Finally, we’ll review basic conflict resolution skills, including an interactive problem-solving process that we’ll apply to several real-life situations selected by workshop participants.
Presenters
Charlie Pillsbury, Director, Community Mediation, Inc., New Haven, Conn.
Gwen Whiting, Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Workshop materials:
Making the Web Work for You
Would you like to know how to use tools like YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and blogs to showcase and expand your community’s dialogue-to-change programs? Web tools can help you attract participants, engage young activists, record your progress, network with other organizers, and have fun. In this workshop, we’ll show you ways that community organizers like you are using the Internet. And you’ll learn how to hook up with Everyday Democracy’s own blog, wiki, and more.
Presenters
Julie Fanselow, Online Organizer, Everyday Democracy
Anita Raddatz, Utah State University Assistant Extension Professor, FCS/4-H Agent, Sanpete County, Utah
Workshop materials:
Saturday, June 14 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Dismantling Racism: An Essential Element in Creating Community Change
Evaluation for Learning and Change
We are “evaluating” any time we set goals or collect and analyze information about what we are doing. This workshop will share processes and tools organizers can use to track and reflect on progress, and document successes and challenges. We will explore ways to use information to motivate, engage, and be accountable to various audiences. We’ll practice storytelling, data analysis, framing, and meaning-making as part of evaluation. We will also look at evaluation and moving dialogue to action through various lenses—privilege, and structural, institutional, and cultural racism.
Presenters
Linda K. Bowen, Executive Director, Institute for Community Peace, Washington, D.C.
Sally Leiderman, President, Center for Assessment and Policy Development, Conshohocken, Pa.
Workshop materials:
"I loved the computer polling in the general sessions. It helped me to step outside my own perspective to realize others' views."--Conference attendee
Getting Real about Results: Using Communication to Help the Public Know What to Expect
So, you’ve gotten people through the door. Dozens, or even hundreds, of people are signed up for small-group conversations. What do they expect will happen as the result of their talk? That will depend on how well you’ve communicated from the beginning. Your job is to set the context, promote the program, tell the stories, and help people understand what kind of change is possible. That’s a tall order! In this workshop, learn strategies for setting realistic expectations and supporting the change people want to see. You’ll leave with a three-step plan for creating and delivering communication that is targeted to support your strategies.
Presenters
Matt Leighninger, Executive Director, Deliberative Democracy Consortium; Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy
Amy Malick, Communication Director, Everyday Democracy
JoAnn Martin, Director, Department of Communications and Marketing, City of Lynchburg, Va.
Workshop materials:
Back to the top
Tell us your story now!