1. The Leading Edge of Democracy:
Where to next for community
engagement?
IAP2 Australasia Leadership Forum
Melbourne, Victoria
October 12, 2012

2. Opening question
 What are some inspiring examples of
where community engagement has
changed the way democracy happens?

3. 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

4. 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

5. 20th Century institutions

6. 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!

7. 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.

8. Successful tactic: Many levels of action

11. 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

12. In other (fewer) words, the key
success factors are:
 Diverse critical mass
 Structured
 Deliberative
 Action-oriented
 Online and f2f

13. Is this a democratic system – or just
occasional democratic practice?
Successes: Making policy decisions, plans
Catalyzing citizen action
Building trust
Fostering new leadership

14. 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 equity
Trust, relationships fade
over time

15. Hmm. What do you think of this?
 Does this match your experiences with
public participation? What would you
add?

16. Why is democracy a good idea?
1. Sustain the benefits of participation
2. Allow the ‘engaged’ to set the agenda
3. Better address inequities
4. Increase community attachment and
economic growth
5. Increase residents’ sense of legitimacy and
“public happiness”

17. What are the leading edges of democracy?

18. Community engagement planners should
consider some key building blocks::

20. “Democracy needs a place to sit down”
Communities need places that are:
1. Permanent
2. Not just “open,” but actively
welcoming
3. Centered on citizen needs and
priorities
4. Powerful
5. Political, social, and cultural

22. 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’

23. Ingredient: Fun
“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

24. Ingredient: Youth leadership

26. “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

27. 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 change
in INS policy

28. 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

29. “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)

30. “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

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

33. 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

34. 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