DemocracySpace.org

Friday digest-open thread 9/12/08

Just a reminder: Next Wednesday, September 17, we'll have a water cooler session here at DemocracySpace on the nuts and bolts of starting a dialogue-to-change program. From picking a topic to training facilitators and recruiting participants ... if you are new to this sort of community work, or even if you're just thinking about it, this one's for you. Join us online right here at DemocracySpace from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern on September 17, and tell your friends.

The presidential campaign hit the "pause" button for a day yesterday as John McCain and Barack Obama both visited Lower Manhattan on the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Later in the day, both candidates attended the Service Nation Summit at Columbia University, a day before Sens. Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch expected to introduce a new, bipartisan bill to dramatically expand national service. Of Thursday's event, The Wall Street Journal reported:

Sen. McCain, who took questions first based on a coin toss, insisted throughout his appearance that government was not the answer to service. "Government can't do it all, the essence of volunteerism starts at the grassroots level," he said. "Let's not in any way stifle what's already going on, it's very, very successful in America."

In contrast, Sen. Obama said government -- and the president -- should play a role in helping push people toward community service, both in military and non-military roles. The Illinois senator touted his proposals for a $3.5 billion National Service Plan to sponsor volunteerism, a $4,000 tuition credit to college students who agree to do community service after graduation and a Clean Energy Corps.

"We need an all hands on deck approach," Sen. Obama said. "I believe firmly that government should expand avenues of opportunity."

Peter Levine of Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service has several video clips and commentary at his blog. There's also extensive coverage of the event - which continues today - at ChangeWire, the Service Nation blog. And check out the Service Nation website for information on the planned September 27 Service Nation Day of Action and the coalition's mission, which is "uniting Americans in common cause, tackling our greatest social challenges, and citizens giving back to community and country."

You can read more about the candidates' national service plans at their websites (McCain, Obama). And check out these essays from both candidates written for Teaching Tolerance, the website and magazine of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Obama writes about "Choices for a Rising Generation," and McCain describes how service can help bring about "A More Peaceful and Prosperous World."

At his Redeeming Hope blog, Richard Harwood of The Harwood Institute reflects on the dispiriting tone of our national conversation and asks us all to consider "Seven Questions for Ugly Times" as a way of addressing how to counter the prevailing rhetoric. He writes: "At issue is how you and others of goodwill can change the dynamics of how we're living and where we're headed. How can you gain some semblance of control over current affairs? What can you do to feel that your good values and authentic hopes are better reflected in these ugly times?" Read more here.

As seen on our Everyday Democracy website: Neighbors in Bloomington, Illinois, see gardening as one way to build community ... the Office of Multicultural Affairs in Chattanooga, Tennessee, held an Everyday Democracy meeting yesterday to start planning dialogue-to-change efforts in their city ... Yes We Can! Dothan (Alabama) is wrapping up a series of conversations on improving the community's schools.

DemocracySpace strives to deliver news of people making a difference in their communities all the time, not just when service is in the spotlight. Would you like to receive each DemocracySpace post straight to your email box? It's easy: Just use the "subscribe" box at the top of the right-hand side of this page.

Friday digest-open thread 8/15/08

Classes will be back in session soon in most of the nation's schools. Earlier this month, The Oprah Winfrey Show focused on the unequal state of education in the United States, and how schools in both inner cities and rural areas often fail to provide the same sort of experiences enjoyed by students in wealthier districts. Explore the episode's website to get insight from author Jonathan Kozol, who says "We are now operating a school system in America that's more segregated than at any time since the death of Martin Luther King," and from Bill and Melinda Gates, who - together with former basketball star and education advocate Kevin Johnson - have launched a new campaign (Strong American Schools/ED IN '08, formerly StandUp) to address the crisis. Also, explore the tools available from Everyday Democracy to help launch action-oriented dialogues about education in your community - like the 500 folks in Dothan, Alabama, who recently did just that.

The Census Bureau reported this week that, by 2042, white people will no longer comprise a majority in the United States. Projections now estimate that the United States will have 439 million people in 2050 (up from about 305 million now). By mid-century, whites will make up 46 percent of the population, Hispanics will make up about 30 percent (double the current numbers), blacks will make up 15 percent (about the same as now), and people of Asian heritage - now 5 percent of the population - will be at about 9 percent. White non-Hispanic people today make up about two-thirds of the U.S. population, but only 55 percent among children younger than 5. "The white population is older and very much centered around the aging baby boomers who are well past their high fertility years," William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, told the Associated Press. "The future of America is epitomized by the young people today. They are basically the melting pot we are going to see in the future." Again, Everyday Democracy offers resources - such as our discussion guides Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation and  Changing Faces, Changing Communities - to help us all navigate these shifting demographics.

The DemocracySpace water coolers are taking an August break, but we'd like to know what topics you want to see featured in our mostly monthly live blog sessions later this year. If you have ideas, put 'em in the comments below or email blog manager Julie Fanselow. Thanks for reading!