1. BUILDING
COMMUNITY
THROUGH
ENGAGEMENT
AND DIALOGUE
Newport, VT February 4, 2013

2. How do we move from this…

3. To this…

4. Challenges we’re facing…
 Disillusionment with public institutions
 Partisan politics fostering “us against them”
attitudes
 Social fabric strained by disconnection, isolation
and “echo chamber”
 Complex, growing challenges no one entity can
solve
 “Customer” view of government
 Few places where people can build their “civic
muscle” in ways that feel safe, practical and
productive

5. What we need more of…
 Processes that encourage participation,
personal responsibility, cooperation and action
 Moving from a “deficit” based perspective of
community to one that sees and leverages
“assets”
 Deliberative conversations that consider
diverse views and values, and weigh carefully
the tradeoffs of possible actions
 Opportunities to strengthen relationships
through meaningful dialogue about issues that
matter

6. Core Principles for Public
Engagement
 Careful planning  Transparency and
and preparation trust
 Inclusion and  Impact and action
demographic  Sustained
diversity engagement and
 Collaboration and participatory culture
shared purpose
 Openness and
learning
From National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation

7. Core Principles for Public
Engagement
 Careful planning  Transparency and
and preparation trust
 Inclusion and  Impact and action
demographic
diversity  Sustained
 Collaboration and engagement and
shared purpose participatory
 Openness and culture
learning
From National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation

8. Asset-Based Community
Development
INCLUSION
& “ABCD helps us see people and
DIVERSITY places not as problems for experts
to solve, but as being full of hidden
assets, skills and strengths that
can be harnessed.”
- Kretzmann & McKnight

9. Asset-Based Community
Development
It is the capacities of local
people and their
associations that build
powerful communities.
ABCD is a place-based
approach focusing on the
assets of an identified
geographic area. The focus is
on identifying the individuals
that already care about issues
and mobilizing their action.

10. Three “Acts” of ABCD
Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

11. Asset Mapping
Is NOT just another list of resources.
It IS:
 A strategy to identify assets that are available
from within the community
 A process for connecting and engaging the
community and using the talents of people to
help solve problems and build a better
community

14. Asset Mapping Steps
 Create a Resident Leadership Team
 Select the geographic area for action
 Draw first Asset Map
 Identify individual gifts and passions
 Draw second Asset Map
 Connect people with the same passions to act
collectively
 Celebrate
Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

15. Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

16. Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

17. Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

18. Identify individual gifts and
passions
 Conduct a gift inventory
 Interview people you know
 What gifts, skills or abilities are they’re willing to
share?
 What issues do they care about?
 What associations to they belong to?
 Who else do they know in the neighborhood
and would they be willing to interview them?
Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

19. Create a Second Asset Map
 Group and map by passions
Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

20. Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

21. Map by passions
Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

22. Connect people with the same
passions to act collectively
Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

23. Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

24. Source: ABCD Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org

25. Examples of initiatives since
2008:
Physical Health:
• New fitness classes
• Weight-loss and fitness
competitions
• Development of walking trails
Social Health:
• Adding healthy foods to
community events
• Created Scottish Festival
Economic Health:
• Created microenterprise loan
program Fellow Dan Dunchan www.hddabcd.org
Source: ABCD

26. Deliberative Forums
IMPACT
& Deliberation is “the kind of reasoning
ACTION and talking we do when a difficult
decision has to be made, a great deal
is at stake, and there are competing
options or approaches we might take.
It means to weigh possible actions
carefully by examining what is most
valuable to us.”

27. DEBATE VS. DELIBERATION
DEBATE DELIBERATION
• Searching for • Searching for strength
differences in another position
• Seeks to prove others • Seeks common
understanding
wrong
• Reveals assumptions
• Defends assumptions for reevaluation
as truth • Listen to understand
• Listen to find flaws and find meaning in
and counter agreement
arguments • Goal is to find
• Goal is to win common ground for
action

28. Strategies for changing the
conversation
 Structured conversation with ground rules
 Authentic framing or discussion guide
 Neutral and trained moderator and recorder
 Committed participants
Deliberation is based on the premise that many
people have pieces of the answer and that
together they forge new approaches and
solutions.

29. Why a Deliberative Forum?
 Learn the concerns people have about an
issue.
 Foster willingness to examine all sides of
possible choices.
 Identify the consequences, costs, and
benefits associated with various approaches.
 Work through the inherent conflicts and
identify shared values
 Find a shared sense of direction or common
ground for public action.

30. Why a Deliberative Forum?
 Helps people more deeply understand their own
views and those of others
 Creates new opportunities for collaboration
 Helps people see new possibilities for action
 Strengthens relationships
 Gives policy makers clarity on priorities and
tradeoffs people are willing to accept

31. Eanes Community Dialogues
© 2012 E3 Alliance

32. Goals:
1. Identify what needs to be done to successfully prepare our
students for their future
2. Prioritize those needs, compare our resources, and provide
guidance to our leaders
3. Improve communication between the various elements of our
community
4. Further develop our infrastructure of volunteers
© 2012 E3 Alliance

33. Background:
1. Organized by individuals in the Eanes community and
facilitated by E3 Alliance
2. Steering Committee of 33 volunteers lead extensive outreach
efforts and managed logistics
3. EISD supported costs and logistical needs
4. Over 200 individuals attended over the four nights
© 2012 E3 Alliance

34. Process:
• Structured, moderated small-group forum process using
discussion guide
• Participants explored common values, examine options, offer
new ideas and foster a solution-based discussion
• Trained 45 volunteers to moderate and record
• Four 2.5 hour weekly sessions which built on each other
© 2012 E3 Alliance

35. Process Overview:
Deliberate in small groups; exchange information as a whole
Night 1: Provide data on EISD and the economic impacts of
education on Central Texas. Exchange perspectives and
examine first of three potential approaches to preparing
today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs
Night 2: Exchange perspectives and examine approaches
two and three
Night 3: Examine themes that emerged from nights one and
two and develop action plans
Night 4: Identify barriers and enablers to actions that
emerged on night three, identify opportunities to get
involved and support student success © 2012 E3 Alliance

36. Key Insights
• “Meta-theme” was the need to maintain academic
rigor while creating a more balanced, well-
rounded educational experience for students
• Importance of “soft” skills - creativity, problem
solving, critical thinking, communication, teamwork
• Create opportunities and support for all students
with a range of college/career aspirations
• Tap into existing resources within the community
– parents, businesses, community members, etc.
and look to best practices and build on existing
programs to advance new ideas
© 2012 E3 Alliance

37. Outcomes…
• Significant alignment with District’s current strategic direction
• Need for consistency and pervasiveness of programs that integrate
community goals
• Review campus plans; host meetings between admin and
community to learn from each other; speakers bureau
• Strengthen relationships with community members with no kids in
school; Veteran’s Day event
© 2012 E3 Alliance

38. Community Dialogues
“Dialogue is a process of genuine
SUSTAINED
interaction through which human
ENGAGEMENT beings listen to each other deeply
enough to be changed by what they
learn. Each makes a serious effort to
take others’ concerns into her or his
own picture, even when disagreement
persists. No participant gives up her
or his identity, but each recognizes
enough of the other’s valid human
claims that he or she will act
differently toward the other.”
- Harold Saunders, A Public Peace Process

40. Interfaith Community Small-group
Dialogues open to the conversations on topics
public. Hosted by such as:
Interfaith Action of
Central Texas since • Civility and
2009 Polarization
• Reconciliation
• Religion and the State
• Authenticity
• Security
• Wisdom
• Connectivity

41. Conversation Café
 The Circle
 The Host
Simple and  The Agreements
Elegant Design:
 The Talking Object
 The Rounds
From Conversation Café – www.conversationcafe.org

42. The Agreements
Open-mindedness: Listen to and respect all points
of view.
Acceptance: Suspend judgment as best you can.
Curiosity: Seek to understand rather than persuade.
Discovery: Question assumptions, look for new
insights.
Sincerity: Speak from your heart and personal
experience. From Conversation Café – www.conversationcafe.org

43. The Process
The Circle – Rounds of 6 to 8 people
The Topic – A question, theme or topic the group
will explore
Host – Introductions, Agreements, Process
Talking Object – To foster deeper listening and
speaking
Rounds – First Round, Open Dialogue, Final
Round
From Conversation Café – www.conversationcafe.org

44. The Benefits
 Simple, effective model that is easy to
implement
 Moves people from “small talk” to
conversations that matter
 Helps people have experience of being
heard and having civil, thoughtful
conversation
 Fosters understanding and builds
relationships
From Conversation Café – www.conversationcafe.org

45. From

46. Resources and Contact
information
 National Coalition for Dialogue &
Deliberation
www.ncdd.org
 National Issues Forums
www.nifi.org
 Conversation Café
www.conversationcafe.org
 Asset Based Community Development
www.abcdinstitute.org
Diane Miller, (512) 971-3033, dmiller@civiccollaboration.com