Dear friends,
I view the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) as one of the most important groups supporting the emergence of democratic participatory wisdom to help societies evolve and thrive in the coming century.
I want to encourage everyone in my U.S. networks to seriously consider attending one of NCDD's budget-friendly one-day regional events coming up during the next two months:
• Denver, Colorado – The Wellshire Inn on Friday, October 22, 2010
• San Francisco, California – De Anza College on Friday, October 29, 2010
• Boston, Massachusetts – UMass Boston on Friday, October 29, 2010
• Austin, Texas – St. Edwards on Friday, November 5, 2010
• Portland, Oregon – Concordia University – November 13, 2010
Phi Beta Iota: Each listed separately at Events Page above.
All five events will focus on the rise of public engagement. The Co-Intelligence Institute is partnering with NCDD and others in the Denver and Portland events, which will be attended by CII board members.
In addition to tapping into local knowledge and innovations, these regional events will build on what has been learned since early 2009 from NCDD's involvement in the White House's Open Government Initiative, and through efforts like the NCDD-sponsored creation of the Core Principles for Public Engagement. (One of my proudest achievements was being a major catalyst in the highly participatory formulation of these principles — accessing the wisdom of the whole field on behalf of the whole field.)
With the increase in national and local attention to open government and public engagement, members of the dialogue and deliberation community are focusing in on three critical topic areas:
• Quality Public Engagement: What is quality public engagement and how do we educate others about it so it becomes broadly adopted?
• Online Engagement: How can online technology enhance public engagement?
• Collaborations that Work: How can we strengthen connections between public administrators, engagement practitioners and the public?
NCDD's regional events will focus on connecting practitioners, community leaders and public managers locally to help build knowledge and capacity around these three topics.
To find out more and register, go to
http://www.ncdd.org/events/
If you are in the Pacific Northwest, we may bump into each other at the Portland NCDD event.
For some of my thoughts on the potential role of public engagement, see “Expanding ‘Public Participation' in Hard Times.”
Blessings on the Journey.
Coheartedly,
Tom
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Tom Atlee, The Co-Intelligence Institute, POB 493, Eugene, OR 97440
http://www.co-intelligence.org / http://www.democracyinnovations.org
Read THE TAO OF DEMOCRACY – http://www.taoofdemocracy.com
Tom Atlee's blog – http://tom-atlee.posterous.com
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