Before the national meeting, Everyday Democracy did a survey asking those who planned to rank the greatest challenges their communities face. Those original survey results are here. But participants in Friday's afternoon plenary got to add to the "greatest challenges" list, then re-vote. Here were the results (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest; new items suggested Friday are in italics):
Poverty 7.6 Cost of energy 7.4 Health care 7.4 Crisis in the public schools 7.3 Economic downturn 7.3 Lack of affordable housing 7.2 Growing gap between rich and poor 7.0 Role of race 6.7 Lack of infrastructure for real civic engagement 6.7 Moving from polarization to common ground 6.7 Failure of government to provide resources 6.4
Also on Friday afternoon, participants drew up a list focused on the question "What do we most need to work on?" See the results at our wiki.
The national meeting is now in full swing. Here are some highlights from our morning workshops and the lunchtime program:
At "Taking the Lead: Young People Organizing Dialogue for Action," graduating seniors Joe Altal of Waterford Union High School in Wisconsin and Omari James of Sherwood High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, shared their personal stories, while activists Amina Makhdoom and Tessa Garcia McEwen described their own journeys toward working for diversity. Participants in this workshop kicked off the event with a "Speed Dating" exercise during which everyone got about one minute to talk with someone else about each of these topics "Describe your community," "Does race and ethnicity play a role in your everyday life? How?", "What do you hope to learn at this workshop?" and "McCain or Obama? Why?"
This quote from Judith H. Katz was projected behind the speakers at the "Why Addressing Racism is Key to Making Progress on Other Issues" panel: "Unless we can imagine a world without oppression, we can't create one ..." During the session, Beth Broadway of the Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism in Syracuse told of a yearlong dialogue (held once a month) pairing Italian-Americans with recently arrived Southeast Asian immigrants. At the very first meeting, an Italian-American leader asked this as the very first question: "How come you people are coming in here and taking over our neighborhood?" But after a year of talking with one another and realizing that both groups had come to the United States to flee political oppression, they planted a peace garden together and take part in one another's social events. The year of dialogues "changed everything," Beth said.
Derek Okubo, vice president of the National Civic League, helped pay tribute to his former boss, the late John Parr, who led the NCL from 1985 to 1995 and who later founded the organization Civic Results. Derek described John as a dedicated mentor, a person of great humor, and someone who was fiercely intelligent but who didn't flaunt his smarts. He noted how John always seemed to have complete command over the seemingly chaotic stacks of papers in his office, and over his wide interests in everything from sports to politics to tractor repair. When Parr first talked about increasing public involvement in government 30 years ago, the notion seemed crazy - but now, it's well accepted. "The best way to honor John is to recognize that the wealth of the communities we serve is greater than us," he said.
The Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center accepted its $1,000 prize for Everyday Democracy's Making Every Voice Matter video contest. (See their video here.) Amy Tompkins of the INRC noted that they'll use the prize money to buy digital photography and videography equipment to encourage even more storytelling in their neighborhoods - a project that's already been launched among youth in the city's Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood.
Have you heard of TED? It stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and it's the name of an annual conference where some of the world's top thinkers and doers in all fields - not just those named above - are challenged to give "the talk of their lives" in 18 minutes. Each year, three of them are awarded this $100,000 prize, along with the chance to pursue their wish to change the world. One of the 2008 winners, writer Dave Eggers, won with this wish:
I wish that you - you personally and every creative individual and organization you know - will find a way to directly engage with a public school in your area, and that you'll then tell the story of how you got involved, so that within a year we have 1,000 examples of innovative public-private partnerships.
The 2007-2008 school year is winding down, but it's not too soon to think about ways you could help fulfill this wish for a school in your community. A new website, Once Upon a School, is powering this wish by recording the 1,000 examples. So far, they include a school literary magazine in San Francisco, an "ImagineSCIENCE" partnership between the Rochester (New York) Institute of Technology and the Rochester City Schools, a book drive for a New Orleans school that's still rebuilding its classroom libraries three years after Katrina, and an Indiana scientist who developed a classroom presentation called "My Beautiful Bucket of Brains."
You have until October 31 to get involved with a school near you and help meet the challenge of 1,000 success stories. Three projects will earn their originators a free pass to the 2009 TED Conference in California. Click here for more information on Once Upon a School.
Today is the 40th anniversary of the death of Robert Kennedy, which seems to be passing more quietly than the April anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination. Nick Bryant, author of The Bystander: John F Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality, penned this remembrance of the president's younger brother for BBC News. He starts with Kennedy's own reaction to Dr. King's death, and how he stood on a flatbed truck and appealed for calm, saying, "What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black." Two months later, Kennedy was assassinated, too. The video above recounts both Kennedy's speech and his killing.
Last month, more than 400 people in Jacksonville, Florida, took part in a Dinner With a Difference and got a taste
of dialogue-to-action study circles on race and racism. Jacksonville's
Project Breakthrough received more publicity recently when six dialogue
participants sat down to tell of their individual experiences in the
full round of study circles that recently concluded in Jacksonville.
Here are their stories.
The Girl Scouts of America are stepping up efforts to welcome more Hispanic girls into their activities. Ari B. Bloomekatz of the Los Angeles Times wrote in a story this week:
Reflecting an increased effort by the Girl Scouts to attract young
Latinas and their mothers, the Spanish Trails Council in Montclair is
offering a bilingual camp for the first time this summer. The one-day
"Las Divas de Hoy" will be held twice over the summer. Many of the
planned activities are the same as other Girl Scouts camps -- painting
nails, crafts and fashion shows -- but there will also be salsa dancing
and flower arranging. Most important, said Idalia Silva, the council's
community partnership manager, is that Spanish will be the predominant
language.
Read more here, and see the Girl Scouts' Spanish-language website here.
The Associated Press reported today that young Americans view Barack Obama's race as an asset and a non-issue. Martha Irvine writes: "For young voters, Rosa Parks' refusal to sit at the back of a bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955 is schoolbook history. Even the racially charged 1992 riots in Los Angeles are a distant memory. The United States is far from a blueprint for racial harmony, but for today's young adults — all born after segregation was outlawed in the mid-1960s — race is not the issue it once was." Read more here.
In other election-year news, Michael Waldman (author of the new book Return to Common Sense: Seven Bold Ways to Revitalize Democracy) writes in this Newsweek essay that the United States can build on the enthusiasm of this year's record-breaking primary voter turnouts by enacting public financing of congressional campaigns; eventually abolishing the Electoral College; and ending voter registration "as we know it," granting the right automatically to every citizen. After all, he notes: "Former presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter chaired a commission that concluded, 'The registration laws in force throughout the United States are among the world's most demanding … [and are] one reason why voter turnout in the United States is near the bottom of the developed world.' Today, some 50 million eligible American citizens are not on the rolls."
What news stories piqued your interest this week? Please offer your comments below. The Friday digest will be back two weeks from today, after Everyday Democracy's Making Every Voice Matter national meeting next week in Denver.
The primary election season will wrap up tomorrow in Montana and South Dakota, and all eyes will turn toward November's general elections. As we reportedlast fall, the youth vote may be the decisive factor in this year's elections, as the Millennial Generation becomes active in ever-greater numbers - not just by voting, but by encouraging civic participation. Here are two more signposts that this is happening:
Mobilize.org has launched a Mobilize the Polls effort aimed at recruiting at least 500 young poll workers to help out at voting locations this November 4. As it says on the effort's Facebook page, "The shortage of poll workers on Election Day has been a problem for many years now. A 2005 study published by the United States Election Assistance Committee (EAC) found that during the 2004 Presidential Election, 5.8 percent of polling places and 4 percent of precincts did not have the minimum number of required poll workers."
On top of that, new technology is making it tougher for some older poll workers and voters - but members of the Millennial Generation know technology backward and forward, and their skills can make it easier for others in the community to understand the changes. If you are a young adult who is registered to vote and you can spend Election Day helping others and your country, contact Kaelan Kennedy at Mobilize.org.
Meanwhile, The National Council on Black Civic Participation is reminding everyone about its Black Youth Vote outreach program, which is a national grassroots coalition of organizations and individuals committed to increasing political and civic involvement among black men and women aged 18-35. "Because black youth under 35 represent nearly 50 percent of the black American electorate, coalition members agree that youth empowerment is the key to impacting the many serious problems confronting the black community," the group's website says. This year, Black Youth Vote will focus its energies on registration drives in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Texas. Learn more here. (Hat tip: African American Political Pundit.)
The Education Week website is holding an online chat from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern today (Monday, May 5) on achievement in urban schools. From the edWeek website (where the chat will occur later today):
Public school students in the nation’s largest cities are scoring higher than ever before on state and national tests, according to the annual Beating the Odds report from the Council of the Great City Schools. But only about half of students in those cities are graduating from high school, as reported in Cities in Crisis, prepared by the EPE Research Center.
What does the research tell us about education reform in cities, achievement gaps, and the road ahead for urban schools? Join Christopher B. Swanson and Michael Casserly as they take your questions on public schools in the nation’s largest cities.
You can submit a question in advance here. Also, have a look at this recent research from the Annenberg Institute showing how grassroots community organizing efforts are building stronger schools. Everyday Democracy has tools to help your district do this sort of hands-on organizing, no matter what your school district's size.
It's not every day that low-income youth get their voices heard in the nation's capital, but it's happening this week. Last night, nearly 500 youth held an "Our America" town hall at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington to unveil a "Declaration of Inter-dependence” informed by their life experiences. Today, about 100 of them are on Capitol Hill to advocate for change in six key areas of the declaration: the
public school system, family supports, economic development in
low-income communities, the justice system, the environment, and the role
of young people in society.
Participants in the town hall included young people from 28 states who have had setbacks such as dropping out of high school, being homeless, having a teen pregnancy, or doing time in jail, but who are rising above such difficult challenges. The town hall was sponsored by YouthBuild USA, Think.MTV.com, and dozens of other national organizations with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. MTV News correspondents Sway Calloway and Kim Stolz served as emcees.
“We have gathered in Washington DC to bring attention to the conditions facing young people in low-income communities, and to call upon our elected officials and presidential candidates to join with us in finding solutions,” explained Antonio Ramirez, President of YouthBuild’s National Alumni Association, and a speaker at the event.
“We wrote the Declaration of Inter-Dependence because we believe it is our responsibility as young leaders to think through the important issues facing our communities and our nation, and to make proposals that can lead to changes and improve these conditions," said Verondha Henry, another YouthBuild graduate. “We recognize that there is an interdependence between young people in low-income communities and the future of America. In the Declaration, we voice our views about the public schools, the justice system, the system of family supports, the economy of our local communities, and how to improve these systems to break the cycle of poverty.”
“This is a unique gathering of low-income young people whose voices are too often overlooked and have been absent from policy decisions on issues that directly impact their lives and futures,” said Dorothy Stoneman, president and founder of YouthBuild USA, a national nonprofit in which low-income youth work toward their GEDs or high school diplomas while rebuilding affordable housing for poor people. “Their leadership and commitment demonstrate that young people should be part of the conversation and they should be encouraged to take action to transform America’s most pressing problems."
To keep the momentum going, YouthBuild now has an "Our America" group page on ThinkMTV.com described as a place that's "open to ALL youth who want to amplify their voices and share ideas for tackling poverty in this nation." Elsewhere on the Think.MTV.com site, users can share their views on a wide range of issue-oriented forums, including poverty. Check out the full list here. And while you're on the MTV site, have a look at the Teen Hero Awards page for info on how teens you know can try to win grants for their charities of choice.
This week saw the creation of the world's newest democracy in Bhutan. The question is, can a democracy function without an opposition party? In Monday's vote, all but two of the 47 seats in the new Bhutanese parliament were swept by the pro-royalist Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT). Today, however, Reuters India is reporting that the opposition People's Democratic Party "said the country's first ever general election had been unfair and they would resign from parliament." Bhutan is perhaps best known for the Gross National Happiness index that values the well-being of people above any other profit measures. Will the good vibes continue as the nation grapples its way toward democracy? Stay tuned, and weigh in if you like at the Deliberative Democracy's Consortium blog on the subject.
Speaking of the DDC, today's email brought one of my favorite monthly reads, the DDC eBulletin. Many of the items collected by editor Lars Hasselblad Torres and his international cast of contributors find their way into posts here each month. You can email contributions here and read past issues and subscribe here.
There's been a lot of ink spilled and bytes - well, whatever bytes do - this election season over the rise of youth in American politics and public life. Adam Fletcher begs to differ. Writing at his Younger World blog, Fletcher says this is "No Country for Young People" because we are far more occupied with our middle-aged and senior populations than we are with children and young adults. He notes that youth involvement in civic life is far more robust overseas, and that "instead of being an occasional, one-off activity or an underfunded, underutilized grassroots movement, these efforts are systemic, operationalized and powerful." Read more here.
Meanwhile, in another topic of keen interest to young Americans, the next edition of the public radio show Justice Talking will ponder whether college admissions are becoming more elitist than ever. Here's the description: "The college admissions process has changed significantly in recent years, particularly for students seeking to get into the nation’s most elite universities. Should these schools' admissions policies favor athletes and children of alumni? Should low-income and minority students be a priority? Or should top schools only enroll the smartest and most academically accomplished? We also talk about the obstacles and misconceptions facing students who attend community college. Tune in to this edition of Justice Talking as we ask how money and privilege affect the college admissions process and whether reforms are necessary." Click here to find a station airing the show near you.
Many of us here at Everyday Democracy are fans of Parker Palmer and his Center for Courage and Renewal, which (according to its website) works "to help teachers, physicians, clergy and others 'rejoin soul and role,' renewing their passion for their work, reclaiming its basic values and deepening their service to others." Palmer recently spoke to the Commonwealth Club of California on "How to Build a Democracy." The 53-minute presentation can be heard here via American Public Media's Word for Word program. So sometime this weekend, why not get comfy on the couch and hear what he has to say?
Today is Leap Year Day. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a leapling - someone born on February 29, whose birthday comes only once every four years? Fun facts: The last time February 29 fell on a Friday was 1980. The next time will be 2036. Here's a special website for folks born on February 29, and a list of Leap Year events all around the world. Are you doing anything special to mark the occasion?
Writing on his blog yesterday, Peter Levine (director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement) mentioned a new CIRCLE study which found dramatically different voting patterns based on whether or not young adults have attended college. From the CIRCLE website: "Although half of young Americans ages 18-29 have never enrolled in college, 79 percent of the young voters on Super Tuesday attended college, according to new CIRCLE research. This gap was also evident in youth turnout rates: one in four eligible young voters with college experience voted on Super Tuesday, compared with one in 14 eligible young voters with no college experience." Peter writes: "One important reason is unequal civic education. The activities in school that help people to participate are basically reserved for our more successful students." The Associated Press and National Public Radio did stories based on the findings.
Last weekend was the annual State of the Black Union conference in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, National Association of Realtors President-elect Charles McMillan, himself a black man, noted that his organization "is committed to removing disparities in homeownership and making the face of homeownership in this country look more like America.” According to the Census Bureau, slightly less than half of black households own their own homes, while about three-quarters of European-American families do.
Registration is open now for "American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life," the 2008 conference from Americans for the Arts, set June 20-22 in Philadephia. Planners say: "At this convention, Americans for the Arts will come together to share the strategies and the secrets of leading creative communities. We'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first percent for art ordinance in the city that created it. We'll visit traditions in arts education that date back to the founding of the country and continue on the cutting edge." Get more info here.
The Center for Community Change and its Movement Vision Lab are holding a Community Values & Immigration video contest now through February 29. Create and share a video that offers a message about immigration and answers the question: "What would it mean to value everyone equally, no matter where they come from and how they got here?" The winning filmmaker will get $1,000 from the Center for Community Change. Click on the image above to learn more, or go here to get more information.
Also, stay tuned later this month for word of another video contest - this one from all of us here at Everyday Democracy - that will give you a chance to showcase the positive steps your community is taking to address issues including racial equity, the achievement gap, immigration, education, and more. And mark your calendar for 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, February 21, when our monthly water cooler will focus on how community organizers are using tech tools like YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and blogs to communicate key messages, celebrate their work, and attract new support.
At her Smart Communities blog, Suzanne Morse reflects on the big Super Tuesday voter turnouts and wonders whether the surge of political activity among young Americans will last. "This is the year that we need to turn around voting patterns forever. We saw some positive movement in 2004 but there is still a long way to go," she writes. "While a number of groups run by younger people are pushing and encouraging, I think those of us in the 'most likely to vote' category (ages 45 and above) need to do more ourselves. For example, every high school should have easy ways for students of age to register to vote; employers of young people should encourage but also give time off to vote; and community colleges and four-year colleges should make this as much a priority as winning a football or basketball game. We need the national food chains involved in this. Why can't McDonalds, Burger King, or Chick-Filet offer a discount on voting days to people who wear that 'I voted' sticker? Everybody has got to get into this act."
This week's tornadoes in the South have killed 57 people. (Tornadoes killed 81 people in all of 2007.) Network for Good has a page spotlighting tornadoes and some of the agencies that work to aid survivors of these freak storms. Click here to see how you can help.
