NYC civic engagement thought leaders forum

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New York City Civic Engagement Thought Leaders Forum New York City Fund for Public Advocacy New York, NY November 27, 2012

description

Slides for a presentation to New York City civic leaders on ways of strengthening local democracy at the neighborhood and city level.

Transcript of NYC civic engagement thought leaders forum

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New York City Civic Engagement

Thought Leaders Forum

New York City Fund for Public Advocacy

New York, NY

November 27, 2012

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Which engagement strategies have you personally experienced in New York City?

a. Large town hall meetings with community residents

b. Smaller meetings with government and community leaders

c. Issue-based task forces with government, community leaders and residents

d. Online/social media community-based interactions

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Describe your personal experiences with civic engagement in New York City

a. Frustratingb. Upliftingc. Productived. All of the above

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How strongly do you believe that civic engagement strategies can positively impact

economic and social issues in New York City?

a. Lowb. Mediumc. High

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The Deliberative Democracy Consortium

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Slides available at:www.slideshare.net/mattleighninger

Guides:http://bit.ly/M1pvMp

http://bit.ly/iwjgqn

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The context: How have citizens* changed?

More educated More skeptical – different

attitudes toward authority Have less time to spare Better able to find

resources, allies, information

* “citizens” = residents, people

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The context:Families with young children

Have the most at stake in community success

More motivation to engage, but even less time

Want to engage in community, not just politics

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The context: Increased use of the Internet

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Three minutes at the microphone

Retrieved from Cincinnati.com, July 27, 2012

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“What drove me to try planned, structured public engagement was my awful experience with unplanned, unstructured public

engagement.” ─ John Nalbandian,

former mayor, Lawrence, KS

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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!

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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.

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Successful tactic: Framing an issue

Give people the information they need, in ways they can use it

Lays out several options or views (including ones you don’t agree with)

Trust them to make good decisions

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Successful tactic: Many levels of action

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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

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Questions or comments?

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

Diverse critical mass Structured Deliberative Action-oriented Online and f2f

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Strengths of quality public engagement

Good for: Making policy decisions, plansCatalyzing citizen actionBuilding trustFostering new leadership

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Limitations of quality public engagement (as we practice it today)

Lots of work for temporary gain Inefficient – every organization on its own Community moves back to ‘politics as usual’ ‘Engagers’ set the agenda, not the ‘engaged’ Limited impact on equity Trust, relationships fade Laws on participation out

of step with practices

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What is civic infrastructure?

The regular opportunities, activities, and arenas that allow people to connect with each other, solve problems, make decisions, and be part of a community.

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What is your vision for civic infrastructure?

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New model ordinance on public participation

Available at www.deliberative-democracy.netDeveloped as a collaboration of:

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Building blocks for civic infrastructure:

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Building block:

Helping neighborhood and school groupsbecome more- effective- inclusive- participatory

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Building block: Hyperlocal 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’

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Digital divides (plural)

Overall, Internet access growing “Access” – to Internet, to government –

has never been enough Different people use different hardware Different people go to different places on

the Internet Communities just as complex online as off

– recruitment must be proactive

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Building block: Youth leadership

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“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

Don’t forget: Fun

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Questions or comments?

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“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

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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

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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

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“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)

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“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

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Building civic infrastructure:

Is relatively inexpensive (mainly political, not financial capital)

Is a cross-sector job (not just government)

Has other economic benefits

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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

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Slides available at:www.slideshare.net/mattleighninger

Guides:http://bit.ly/M1pvMp

http://bit.ly/iwjgqn

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1. Make engagement easier, more efficient2. Build trust3. Give residents more control of the agenda4. Better address inequities 5. Increase community attachment and

economic growth6. Increase residents’ sense of legitimacy and

“public happiness”

Why build stronger civic infrastructure?