The Leading Edge of Democracy:Where to next for community

engagement?

IAP2 Australasia Leadership Forum

Melbourne, Victoria

October 12, 2012

Opening question

What are some inspiring examples of where community engagement has changed the way democracy happens?

The context:

How have citizens* changed?

More educated More skeptical – different attitudes

toward authority Have less time to spare Use the Internet to learn and

connect

* “citizens” = residents, people

Families with young children

Have the most at stake in community success Even more motivation to engage, but even less

time Want to engage in community, not just politics

20th Century institutions

Successful tactic: Proactive recruitment

Map community networks;

Involve leaders of those networks;

‘Who is least likely to participate?’

Use online as well as f2f connections;

Follow up!

Successful tactic: Small-group processes

No more than 12 people per group;

Facilitator who is impartial (doesn’t give opinions);

Start with people describing their experiences;

Lay out options;

Help people plan for action.

Successful tactic: Many levels of action

Successful tactic: Online tools

Particularly good for: Providing background information Data gathering by citizens Generating and ranking ideas Helping people visualize options Maintaining connections over time

In other (fewer) words, the key success factors are:

Diverse critical mass Structured Deliberative Action-oriented Online and f2f

Is this a democratic system – or just occasional democratic practice?

Successes: Making policy decisions, plansCatalyzing citizen actionBuilding trustFostering new leadership

Is this a democratic system – or just occasional democratic practice?

Challenges: Time-consuming (esp. recruitment)Unsustainable (not intended to be)Meets goals of ‘engagers,’ not always

‘engaged’Doesn’t change the institutions

Limited impact on equityTrust, relationships fade

over time

Hmm. What do you think of this?

Does this match your experiences with public participation? What would you add?

1. Sustain the benefits of participation2. Allow the ‘engaged’ to set the agenda3. Better address inequities 4. Increase community attachment and

economic growth5. Increase residents’ sense of legitimacy and

“public happiness”

Why is democracy a good idea?

What are the leading edges of democracy?

Community engagement planners should

consider some key building blocks::

“Democracy needs a place to sit down” Communities need places that are:

1. Permanent 2. Not just “open,” but actively

welcoming3. Centered on citizen needs and

priorities4. Powerful 5. Political, social, and cultural

Ingredient: Neighborhood online forums

More sustained Larger, more diverse numbers of

people Easier for ‘engagers’ – recruitment

doesn’t have to start from scratch More open to ideas from the

‘engaged’

“Sometimes you need a meeting that is also a party. Sometimes you need a party

that is also a meeting.” ─ Gloria Rubio-Cortès, National Civic League

Ingredient: Fun

Ingredient: Youth leadership

“Portsmouth Listens” Portsmouth, NH

Ongoing process since 2000 Several hundred participants each time Addressed a number of major policy

decisions: bullying in schools, school redistricting, city’s master plan, balancing city budget, whether to build new middle school

Jane Addams School for Democracy West Side of St. Paul, MN

50-200 people in “neighborhood learning circles” every month since 1998

Involves recent Hmong, Latino, Somali immigrants

Young people involved in circles and other activities

Cultural exchanges - food, crafts, storytelling

Has resulted in new projects, initiatives, festivals, and a changein INS policy

Participatory Budgeting in Brazilian cities

Commitment from gov’t to adopt budget;

Wide range of ways to be involved;

A carnival atmosphere;

Started small, now huge – 60,000+ people

“Kuna Alliance for a Cohesive Community Team” Kuna, ID

Recurring input-gathering process, used on all major decisions

Organized by Kuna Alliance for a Cohesive Team (Kuna ACT), in collaboration with local government

Issues include: school funding, downtown development, planning and growth

500 participants annually (city of 6,000)

“Kuna Alliance for a Cohesive Community Team” Kuna, ID

Outcomes: New comprehensive plan Passage of school bond issue

Improvements made to downtown

New strategy to market community as hub for “Birds of Prey” area

Concluding question

What inspiring ideas have you heard that would improve democracy? [feel free to Tweet them #iap2aforum]

Resources

• www.participedia.net• www.deliberative-democracy.net• www.soulofthecommunity.org • www.everydaydemocracy.org• www.publicagenda.org• www.kettering.org• On Facebook: “Deliberative Democracy

Consortium” group page• The Next Form of Democracy

Resources (continued)

• On YouTube: the DDC channel

• Using Online Tools to Engage – and Be Engaged by – the Public at http://bit.ly/iwjgqn

• Planning for Stronger Local Democracy at bit.ly/rWeHaU – and other resources at www.nlc.org