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Is anybody listening?

I came across this story a few days ago, and I thought it would be something you all would enjoy/appreciate/be inspired by/be touched by.

I was sitting on my couch last Friday night, with my roommates' dogs, Dakota and April, eating my quesadilla for dinner, watching the Newshour with Jim Leherer, and this story about an English class at the Village Academy High School in Pomona, California, came on. The students, after reading “The Great Gatsby” and contemplating the American dream, began to tell stories about how they felt the economic situation was thwarting their hopes to realize that dream. Their teacher offered to help them create a video through which they could tell their stories and then send it to the presidential nominees. They called it, “Is Anybody Listening?” (See video below.) President Obama mentions the students and their video in his speech on education, which you can see in the Newshour clip.

The students bared their souls -- their hopes, their fears, their worries. I sat on my couch, quesadilla in hand, sobbing. But, the students' action represents the story of democracy. As a result of this video, they realized they have the ability to help others and were empowered to create what they call the Village Project. Through this project they help students connect with services, or just give generously from what they have. It’s a sobering story, and a sobering video, but shows democracy at work in the lives of young people.

I hope you are as inspired by their stories as me.

Another Picture Of Democracy

America is anxious, for obvious reasons.  But in the chilly media stream that rushes over us every day, endlessly re-looping the litany of horribles, and what politicians and opinionistas say the government must do about them, no one ever turns the mirror around.

Never any headlines about what we-the-people need to do to become more effective partners in this great experiment called self-government.  To become more valuable as citizens -- wiser and better able to contribute to the sustainable solutions that politicians alone clearly cannot deliver.

Yes, there are rising calls to service, to volunteer in our communities.  And that is a very good thing indeed.  But as critical as volunteering and voting are, what's missing is any emphasis on the third leg of civic engagement -- which involves citizens keeping themselves well informed about the issues that shape all our lives, and actively engaged in political decision-making and problem-solving.  In those departments, according to all the research, we've got a lot of work to do.

So it's critical we shatter the silence about our third leg civic obligations.  And I can't think of a better way to start than by shining a bright spotlight on the incredible work being done in the deliberative democracy field.  

Which is one of the motivations behind "Song Of A Citizen" -- a non-profit venture I've launched to produce a slate of films and web videos with a singular purpose -- to inspire a radical upgrade in the concept of civic engagement in America by re-framing the role of the citizen in relation to political decision-making.  In other words, to re-link the self to self-government.

I'm currently in production on an innovative Video Op-Ed series for the Internet -- featuring brilliant thinkers from various disciplines -- each offering their take on what it really means to be a responsible and effective citizen, why it matters, how we're doing, and how we can do better.  All wrapped up in a very compelling visual style. 

Martha McCoy did one of these pieces called "Another Picture Of Democracy," and it's really powerful.  You can view it, and some others at: http://songofacitizen.blogspot.com

Martha's commentary in her video op-ed so inspired me that I thought I'd use her title for this blog post.  Because I'm all about alternative "pictures" as a way of communicating change.  And because Martha said something in her video that really got me thinking about the big "how" of bringing about big change.

Humbly referring to her work, she avers:  "there is no one magic bullet process that will make our democracy stronger and more alive."   But I actually think that deliberative processes are pretty darn close to a magic bullet.

Locally and nationally, we have a matrix of pressing problems, to say the least.  We urgently need solution-generating machines.  Not only to solve particular problems, but to empower citizens to keep the machine parts moving smoothly.  And deliberation does all of that.  Uniquely.  Powerfully.

So we need to find ways of scaling it up a thousand fold so that ordinary Americans everywhere can start transforming themselves from civic spectators into problem-solving participants -- from citizen slackers to citizen superheros.

And so America can recapture its capacity to dream big dreams.  And in so doing, give ourselves and future generations an inspiring new picture of what democracy can look like.

So, magic bullet?  Maybe not exactly.  But imagine deliberative forums in every community in the land -- all the time -- as a permanent fixture of self-governance.  That would bring its own kind of magic, don't you think?

So how do we bring deliberation to scale?  

My small contribution is to paint moving pictures -- and use the medium of the moment to spread the word.  Others want government to lead the way.  What are your thoughts?

A day of hope

"Last, but not least, there is a need for audacious hope… William James said it so well in that grand and masterful essay of his of 1879 called ‘ The Sentiment of Rationality,’ where he talked about faith being the courage to act when doubt is warranted. And that's what I'm talking about."
-- Cornel West, from the 1993 commencement speech at Wesleyan University

This morning, I started out to write something about the challenges we still face. And we know that there are many of them, and they are serious. 

And then I picked up my morning paper, the Hartford Courant, and I saw this “letter to Obama” on the front page:

“Dear President Obama, I was so happy when I saw you in Hartford, CT at the LX Center. I hoped that you would win, and you did. In your first year in office I want you to take out all the racial grouping in our school testing. I am not just black and I am not just white. I’m like you, both black and white. My school is Highland Park, Manchester, CT.” – Tyler Madden, 9 years old

P.S. In your time please come and visit.

As soon as I saw that, I knew that today is most of all a day to celebrate and deepen our hope. That hope will give us the courage to act, even in the midst of huge challenges. The amazing thing about the hope that most people are expressing is that it is so widespread. I’ve heard it even among many folks who didn’t vote for Barack Obama. It is grounded yet excited, optimistic yet realistic.

There is a sense of hope – that our country can make progress, that we can deal with deep-seated problems if we look to our core democratic principles, and that we can reach beyond the divisions that have beset us for so long.  Our new president is calling on all of us – of every creed and party and background – to play a part in making this happen. This vision of citizen participation and responsibility transcends party. 

I’ve decided to use today as an inauguration of renewed commitment to make our democracy stronger. Although there are many “dear Obama” letters being written, literally and figuratively,   our hopes also say something about what we aspire to be. So, in a spirit of all-partisan celebration, and as director of an organization that aspires to help create “everyday democracy,” here are a few of my hopes: 

I hope that we'll take to heart that change is up to all of us, not just our president or other political leaders.
 
I hope that when our problems get the toughest, we will remember to include everyone’s voice in our problem solving and decision-making.  
 
I hope that this milestone in our racial history will be a jump-start for continuing our national and personal journeys on race, and for actively closing the racial and ethnic disparities that continue.   

I hope that this passing of the torch to a new generation will help all of us become more aware of the decisions, actions, and policies that will have an impact on the generations to come.

I hope that we'll all face the challenges of the environment, health care, and the economy by realizing that the so-called "small stuff' of our lives and our communities is part of the answer, and that we will work with government at all levels (and government with us) to create solutions.

And lastly, I have a hope that probably falls into the “Dear President Obama” category. I hope that government will help invigorate democracy by making it ever more possible for people to become involved in the decisions that affect their lives.

Strides we make now have the potential of touching generations to come. Now that’s hope!

~ Martha McCoy

Students participate in democracy

The Democracy Prep Charter School, a public school in New York City for middle school students, is hosting an inauguration event today for the students at the academy as well as 3,500 of their friends! They’re calling it, “Inauguration of a DREAM: A Celebration of Choice, Voice, and Democracy in Harlem.” According to a Harlem World blog post, students from many schools throughout the city, as well as parents, elected officials, and community members, will join the non-partisan celebration.

The mission of the school is “is to educate responsible citizen-scholars in grades 6-12 to succeed in the college of their choice and a life of active citizenship.” The school takes seriously their mission, as a public education institution, to help students “become engaged democratic citizens”. They have organized this event as another opportunity to foster within the students what it means to participate in strengthening our democracy.

Here at Everyday Democracy we have also been watching the inauguration events, along with many communities, businesses, organizations, institutions, and schools, to honor both the outgoing president and the incoming president. We are hopeful that we as a country can work together to make our government and our democracy work for everyone.

President Obama said, “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works…”, a question many communities who we’ve worked with have asked themselves, and have responded by making their local governments work better. He also reminded us of our history as a country, of facing trial, hardship, and oppression, and emerging victorious:

“We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”

While many communities and our country face high rates of unemployment, blighted neighborhoods, under-resourced educational institutions facing more resource cuts, all the while aware of the war we are still fighting, this is an opportunity for us to think about how we want to participate in shaping how we as a country exercise the values we hold so dear.

The students at Democracy Prep are celebrating their first inauguration, but have many more to look forward to. We at Everyday Democracy have all seen a number of inauguration ceremonies, each one of which holds the possibility that democracy will be strengthened, and that each one of us will have more of a voice in the decisions that affect us.

Vermont gathers leaders for important dialogues

In June, we included a note in an open thread about a meeting called “Vermont Leadership at the Crossroads,” which drew about 40 “historical leaders” from the city to discuss the future of leadership in the rapidly changing community of Burlington, Vt. Wanda Hines, the co-coordinator of the Burlington Legacy Project and head of the Social Equity Investment Project (SEIP), discussed how drastically Burlington has changed since her youth. When she was young, there were few black families in the community. Now, 25% of the students in the public schools comprise ethnicities other than white European and over 45 languages are spoken in the schools. Because of this, the community is expected to continue to become even more diverse, especially because they are a refugee resettlement community. Wanda organized a meeting in November between the “historic leaders,”  those who have traditionally held leadership positions in the community, and the “emerging leaders” within the community, those who may have traditionally been overlooked for historical leadership positions, but who are taking the lead within their communities to make them work for everyone. The reason she brought these two groups together was to look at how the leadership can adapt to the incoming members of the community, many racial and ethnic minorities, and ensure that everyone has a voice in the decisions that affect them. Wanda sent us an update about how this project is going, and we wanted to share it here.

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On Nov. 25, 2008 the Social Equity Investment Project (SEIP) hosted their second gathering to benefit the Vermont Leadership Institute’s  Social Equity Scholarship Fund (SESF). The event was organized by Wanda Hines and the SESF planning committee. SESF is committed to those constituencies that have traditionally been excluded, underserved, or marginalized in our communities.

The theme was: Vermont Leadership Promoting Inclusion. The event featured co-facilitators Hal Colston, director of NeighborKeepers and founder of Good News Garage, and Thomas R. Tremblay, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety and former Burlington police chief. The host sponsor was Main Street Landing along with co-sponsors Burlington Legacy Project, United Way of Chittenden County, Opportunities Credit Union, andSnelling Center for Government.

Approximatley 50 dedicated community leaders attended including individuals from the Burlington School District, law enforcement, the judicial system, Association of Africans Living in Vermont, University of Vermont, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont House of Representatives, the City Councilor, and many more.

The event was extremely successful and reconfirmed the importance of providing new and emerging leadership with the tools to create communities that work for everyone.

Before leaving, community leaders were asked to share what they thought the groups next steps should be. They included:

• Organizing social gatherings
• Expanding the dialogue to communities that are still struggling to come together
• Investing in the infrastructure to strengthen the workforce in the community, especially through building bridges with employers to address issues of racism in issues of employment
• Organizing monthly breakfasts to keep the dialogue going
• Deciding on a strategic project that will engender/develop community leadership
• Developing relationships between historical and emerging leaders in order to build a solid foundation to address the many problems facing our communities
• Walking our talk by supporting the non-traditional leaders within the group

Two important questions were also posed: How do we get the pulse of different communities? Where will we get the resources to gain this information?

Vermont is not unlike many parts of the nation where demographic change is occuring rapidly. We are seeking to foster new leadership that will include those leaders who may not be identified as typical leaders. The group was encouraged by the conversations throughout the day and left feeling hopeful that they can continue to foster important conversations around the difficult issues facing Vt. communities. Leaders in Vt. are committed to working toward communities where everyone has a voice and the community works for everyone.

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Since their November meeting, Wanda has organized a casual gathering of the group in March so they can build relationships. She is also planning another meeting for June that will continue the conversation from Nov. The group is also planning a fall retreat, "Vermont Inclusive Transformational Leadership," where the group will look at how to practical implement power sharing, how to restructure their racial equity lens, how to include nontraditional leaders in decision-making, and how to continue to learn and grow rather than maintain the status quo. Overall, Wanda and the other leaders in this group are interested in fostering transformational leadership - leadership that will ensure that all concerns and views are considered in the dialogues that occur through the process of making their community work for everyone.

A week for service

Jesse Kornbluth, in his post titled Ignore Your New Flatscreen. Put Down Your Wii. Use the Week After Christmas to volunteer, shares his thoughts about this holiday season and the awareness he has that many people throughout the US are suffering from even more difficult times than usual. The message of the holiday season we see is: Material goods will make your holiday joyful and fulfilling. He challenges this type of idea, saying “…it would be wonderful if a counter-message got sent during a week of service. And if it got big and loud, because the idea that people matter is more than a charity slogan, it's something fundamental.” Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, points to some interesting web resources to look for opportunities to serve. One of these includes VolunteerMatch.org, a website that matches volunteers’ interests and abilities to areas of service need. Another of these is DonorsChoose.org, a website where teachers ask for exactly what they need. This is for the already over-committed and time-crunched individual who still wants to make a difference.

However, I have to wonder what good one single week of service would do for those who are having their homes foreclosed or going to empty food pantries for food. Kornbluth’s desire to be of assistance to the “less fortunate” is well-intentioned, but I’m not convinced that this particular view of service will lead to systemic change and to a lessening of the great divide between those with material wealth and those without it. The opportunities Newmark highlights, while very good ideas, are for people with resources to spare, and can potentially further highlight the divide between the “have’s” and the “have-not’s.”

I am not saying, however, that service and volunteerism are useless, but rather we need a paradigm shift on what service means. Peter Levine offers this shift in a post on work, not service. He says that rather than separating the ideas of work and service into two separate spheres of our lives, “the two ideas should be combined, and ‘work,’ not ‘service,’ should be the hallmark of ‘active citizenship….’”

This reflects an interesting shift in focus from service being something you do “after work, on special occasions, or during adolescence or retirement,” to something that you invest your time and abilities toward everyday for a specific outcome that must get finished. This is called work. This is the type of service we need in our communities to see our communities work for everyone.

Everyday Democracy believes that democracy is not for just one week of service, but also the other 51 weeks of the year. Service and change work needs to be embedded in the fiber of our communities and in people’s sense of civic duties—all year round, an attitude of serving others rather than an activity we engage in when we have time. But the volunteer/service week is a great impetus for getting people started this path!

What will we do differently?

Many who voted in the election last week felt the need for change. And while many candidates may not have used “change” as their campaign mantra, they all talked of the need for some type of change.

Regardless of who we voted for, we all have a president-elect who based his campaign on the belief that everyone’s voice mattered. He elicited the assistance of people who had never volunteered in a campaign before. On barakobama.com there was a section where anybody could make suggestions on Obama’s policy platforms, and this continues on his transition web-site, change.gov, in the “Of the People, By the People” section of any policy issue, and at the Office of Urban Policy Feedback Forum.

The people who volunteered for, donated to, and voted for Obama, believe that, as a president, he will listen to them and help all Americans work together to deal with some of the difficulties we face as a nation. Jonathan Wolfe, in his post titled Remembering the "We" in Yes We Can at Social Citizens Blog, points out that in Obama's acceptance speech, “[H]e stressed that the real accomplishment isn’t his being elected to office, but the people’s ability to make it happen. And it’s this collective ability and power that can effect real change. It’s truly ‘we’ the people who have shown time and again what we are capable of.” To make this change, 'we' can work to tear down the political walls that we have allowed to divide us, and agree to work together despite our differences. Peter Levine points out in a post titled a moment for inclusion, reflections on the election, that "it's important to remember that many people did not vote for him, and some certainly had principled reasons not to." Those who voted for and celebrate Obama's victory must remember that he emphasized that he will be the president even of those who did not vote for him.  The only way 'we' can work on 'fixing' our problems, is by realizing that we all want the same thing: a society that exemplifies the ideas of freedom and justice for all.

This makes me wonder: What is the role of a president? Is the president supposed to “fix” everything, or is a president supposed to encourage us in times of difficulty to work for a better world? Obama’s message seems to be that the government plays a role in working through the many problems we face as a nation, but that we all have a stake and a role in “fixing” our country.

Peter Levine emphasizes this idea on his blog. He points out that Obama said in one speech, “…the most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen,” an idea he attributes to Justice Louis Brandeis. Because we are a democracy, the credit for improving the situation in which we now find ourselves will belong to every citizen if we take this idea to heart.

Lawrence Downs, in his article titled Obama’s Call to Change: What is Everyone Waiting For? at the New York Times, highlights a quote from Obama’s acceptance speech that speaks to this idea. “I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.” Obama has emphasized the need for service and a commitment to making possible more service opportunities for citizens in this country. Regardless of political persuasion, it is exciting that the president-elect recognizes the importance of our participation in strengthening our democracy and working to change the problems we all face. But Downs gives us a challenge – “[S]o why wait until January to get started?”

Allison Fine at Social Citizens Blog had an interesting idea. In her post Making Our Own Transition Plans, she ruminates on the idea of creating a personal transition plan. She points out that “…even if today isn't the right time for you to have a career built around [an] issue [that you care about], you can still create a Cause on Facebook to show and share your support for it, you can blog about it, join a Meetup about it….” Obama’s call to action on the night he was elected was to every citizen.

What is most important to you as we move forward as a country? How can you be involved? What is in your transition plan? What are some ideas you have to affect change in our country? What are you going to do to help strengthen our democracy?

Friday digest-open thread 9/26/08

Happy Friday, everyone. At post time, it remains uncertain whether John McCain and Barack Obama will meet in their first presidential debate tonight. If it happens, there will be several new and interesting ways to interact with the event. VoterWatch.org has launched BloggingTheDebates.com, on which it plans to aggregate a diverse range of instant commentary online as the debates unfold and in the days afterward. Current TV and Twitter are taking things even further by inviting all twitter users to send messages (they're called tweets) to Current for real-time posting in a project they call "Hack the Debates." A brave new world? For sure! And if these interactive mediums don't engage young voters, maybe this will.

Update from The New York Times: "Senator John McCain’s campaign said Friday morning that he will attend tonight’s debate with Senator Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi, reversing his earlier call to postpone the debate so he could participate in the Congressional negotiations over the $700 billion bailout plan for financial firms." (More here.)

The civic blogosphere has a new player with the National Civic League's recent launch of its National Civic Blog. As chief blogger and National Civic Review editor Mike McGrath wrote last week:

Politics is supposed to be the art of the possible, but it often seems as if leaders at the top of the national food chain view politics as the extension of war by other means. When did legislation become a means of accentuating our differences and setting up opponents for the next election instead of an exercise in consensus-building and problem-solving? ... None of which is not to say that national politics is futile or unimportant or that we shouldn't be giving it our fullest attention in these final, nail-biting weeks of the campaign season. But it might make a nice contrast for compulsive consumers of political blogs to read about what's going on in communities.

DemocracySpace says "welcome aboard" to Mike and his colleagues. We look forward to keeping up with news from the National Civic League and exchanging stories with you.

And now, a bittersweet note: I am leaving Everyday Democracy next week to take a new job. I started working with the Study Circles Resource Center in 2002, when I had the privilege of interviewing SCRC founder Paul J. Aicher and telling the story of how the organization came to be. Since then, I've had  six years of inspiring, energizing work with the organization that became Everyday Democracy, sharing the stories of innovative communities and the passionate people who make change happen. It has been delightful. And never fear: Everyday Democracy's online outreach will continue, featuring an even wider range of voices in the months to come, all telling stories of the work to create a democracy that works for everyone.

Riding a surge in democracy

A conference call was held today by a coalition of about 20 organizations working to set a new policy agenda for the next presidential administration. One of the speakers was Miles Rapoport, president of Demos, former Secretary of State for Connecticut, and a board member of the Paul J. Aicher Foundation, which oversees the work of Everyday Democracy. Drawing on an essay he wrote with colleague Stuart Comstock-Gay, Miles spoke about the importance of capturing the current surge in democracy. He called attention to three key areas:

Voting is on the upswing following 30 years of decline after Watergate, and the United States ought to encourage this trend by allowing Election Day voter registration, permitting felons to vote after they've completed their sentences, setting national standards so people have confidence in our elections, and reducing the role of money in politics.

Civic engagement also is on the rise, and the next president ought to encourage this trend of people actively taking part in government beyond Election Day, whether by participating in community dialogues or providing feedback on pending legislation.

We need a change in how people view government. Citing decades of anti-government rhetoric, Miles called for an end to the denigration of government and recognition of the positive things it has done and can do in society. "We're seeing now in the massive bailout what happens when government abdicates its responsibility for regulation," he added.

In related news, delegates are now being sought for the first-ever Transpartisan National Convention, set for the weekend of Abraham Lincoln's birth bicentennial, February 11-15, in Denver and sponsored by the Transpartisan Alliance. From the website: "For four days political pioneers from all sides will come together in search of effective strategies for empowering a unified political voice that can restore a healthy balance of power in America.  ... We will engage in a new type of political dialogue that respects and values all points of view. Together we will utilize tools that enable conservatives, liberals, independents and unaffiliated citizens to get along and communicate effectively. We will demonstrate that we can work together and cooperate for the good of us all."

September 30 is the early-bird registration deadline; delegates accepted before that date will pay a reduced rate of $395. To learn more, click here.

Real help for the elections

Election Day is just six weeks away. It's high time to focus on the major issues facing our nation. The presidential debates that start this week will give voters our best chances yet to draw real, side-by-side contrasts between the two major candidates. Yet if history is any guide, the candidates will speak mainly in sound bites and we'll still barely scrape the surface of the most pressing issues our nation faces now and in the future.

Public Agenda - a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to strengthen our capacity to tackle tough issues - has just the information we all need right now in its Voter's Survival Kit, which you can download from Everyday Democracy's Issue Guide Exchange or Public Agenda's own website.

The kit has six parts: climate change; the economy; foreign policy in Iraq and beyond; health care; immigration; and taxes, spending, and debt. Each presents background basics on the issue (under headings of "The Fix We're In" and "How Did We Get Here," then offers several choices on how best to address the problems, along with arguments for and against each idea. And to keep things light, each guide has topical quotes from the likes of Dave Barry, Will Rogers, and even Montgomery Burns from "The Simpsons."

Since there are six weeks (including six weekends) left until Election Day and six parts to the guide, the Voter's Survival Kit could be used by families, book clubs, friends meeting for coffee, or any other group to think and talk about the issues before it's time to cast our ballots. Or download one topic each week and commit yourself to studying the issues on your own. Also, stay tuned for news of opportunities to discuss the guides online.

We've all heard how each election is "the most important of our lives." This year, with so much uncertainty across so many facets of our domestic and foreign policies, it may actually be true. It's up to each of us to focus on the issues and make wise choices based not just on what the candidates and pundits say, but on the best available independent information. Check out the Voter's Survival Kit and the other resources on the Public Agenda website to stay on top of the latest in election news that really matters.