June 29, 2009
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:24 pm by Taylor
Thursday, July 16, 2009
11am-5pm Eastern
Presented by PublicDecisions
Co-sponsored by
§ Learning Times
§ NY University Law School/Institute for Information Law and Policy
§ Public Agenda
§ Involve
§ National Issues Forum Institute
Why just talk with stakeholders about environmental management (or any other subject)? Let them experience it!
Conducted entirely in the virtual world Second Life, this one-day conference will provide you with the opportunity to experience and learn about the possibilities of hosting stakeholder learning events using virtual reality.
You’ll participate in presentations (including a virtual deliberation held in Second Life), discussions . . . even “field trips” that demonstrate how virtual reality is being used for stakeholder learning today.
What You’ll Learn:
► The benefits and drawbacks of working with stakeholders in Second Life, including when it’s appropriate, efficient and effective—and when it’s not
► How Second Life differs from other technologies used for stakeholder engagement
► How Second Life can be used for a range of subject areas, including—but not limited to—environmental management
► Tips for using Second Life effectively, including how to access existing “islands” or spaces within Second Life’s virtual world and how to create your own space
View the conference agenda
No Experience Needed
You don’t need prior experience with Second Life to attend, but you will need to create a Second Life account (it’s free) in order to participate.
An orientation for registrants new to Second Life (and those who want a refresher) will be provided prior to the conference.
WHERE
Online, in Second Life
FEE
Seats are Limited to the First 75 Registrants
$75 USD for Circle Club members, $85 USD for nonmembers
Registration includes the PublicDecisions post-event report, “Using Virtual Reality for Stakeholder Engagement”
Not a Circle Club member? Join now. Membership is free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
QUESTIONS? Contact Paul Coelus
Second Life is a registered trademark of Linden Research, Inc.
LearningTimes and the squirrel logo are trademarks of LearningTimes, LLC.
Permalink
May 1, 2009
Posted in Conference sessions, Uncategorized at 3:57 pm by Nancy Kranich
Please join us for the Civic Engagement Membership Initiative Group Meeting on Sunday, July 12, 2009, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Palmer House Hotel, Montrose 1, Chicago, IL.
Permalink
Posted in Grants, Uncategorized at 3:52 pm by Nancy Kranich
Herb Block Foundation Accepting Letters of Inquiry for Citizen Involvement Grant Program
Deadline: June 1, 2009
Through its Encouraging Citizen Involvement grant program, the Herb Block Foundation seeks to engage citizens in creating a responsible, responsive democratic government.
Proposals may focus on citizen education and greater voter participation in the electoral process. All projects must be nonpartisan and may not involve lobbying for specific legislation or candidates. Grants will not be made for capital or endowment programs, or for sectarian religious purposes.
Applicants must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. Grants will range from $5,000 to $25,000 each for one year.
Visit the Herb Block Foundation Web site for complete program information.
More application information is available here.
Permalink
January 9, 2009
Posted in Conference sessions, Uncategorized at 10:48 am by Nancy Kranich
Libraries Foster Civic Engagement Membership Initiative Group
2009 ALA Midwinter Conference — Denver, CO
Sunday, January 25, 2009, 10:30 - 12:00 pm
Room Location:
Colorado Convention Center, Room 603
AGENDA
Updates on Library Civic Engagement Activities Around the Country
Topics will include:
Privacy Dialogue
Deliberative Dialogue Public Policy Institute — Training Programs
Deliberative Dialogue Survey Results
ACRL Law and Political Science Program–Civic Engagement, Summer 2009
Other–Send Suggestions to nancy.kranich@nyu.edu
Civic Engagement Blog–See http://discuss.ala.org/civicengagement/
Join Us. Bring Your Colleagues
Subscribe to ALA’s Civic Engagement listserv:
1. Go to: http://lists.ala.org/wws
2. Click on “View All Lists”
3. Scroll down to “deliberate@ala.org”
4. Click on “Subscribe”
5. Fill in your e-mail address in the box at the top of the screen
6. Press “submit”
Permalink
October 14, 2008
Posted in Grants, Programs of Interest, Uncategorized at 11:50 am by Nancy Kranich
New Gates Foundation Grants Seek Innovative Approaches to Using
Community Libraries
An initial study of ICMA members found some communities using their
public libraries for compelling new projects, like providing services
for teen and immigrant residents and supporting recycling and public
safety. Over the next two years, with the help of the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, ICMA intends to multiply those novel practices and
demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable
communities.
In November 2008, local governments will be able to apply for an ICMA
Public Library Innovation Grant. Grants will be 18 months in length,
and will focus on using the public library to address community
priorities and issues. During the project, ICMA will provide a total of
$500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants to cities, towns, and
counties. Individual grants will likely range from $25,000 to $75,000.
More than a year ago, ICMA began working with the Gates Foundation on
the Local Government and Public Libraries Initiative to engage local
government managers as leaders in support of public libraries. An ICMA
survey conducted in November 2007 indicated that less than half of the
responding local government managers reported that the chief
librarian/library director was a member of the local government
management team and only 41 percent reported weekly meetings with the
chief librarian/library director. These statistics suggested that for
many local government managers, libraries are not being used to
strategically address community needs. If local government managers
remain unaware of and uninvolved in the changing role of libraries,
these valuable community assets will be forced to tackle obstacles
alone and will struggle to meet broader community needs.
As a result, a 26-member ICMA advisory committee looked at a variety of
ways to strengthen the partnership between communities
and libraries. The committee identified areas where public libraries
could play a larger role in delivering services, including public
safety and disaster preparedness, sustainability, health, immigration,
civic engagement, and economic development. The advisory committee also
noted that a strong relationship between the library and the local
government manager is vital for the success of these services and
improves the overall health of the community.
All Innovation Grants will be anchored by a partnership between the
office of the chief administrative officer (city, county, and town
managers) and the public library, recognizing the importance of the
manager/librarian relationship to create and sustain change. The
grantees will be supported by a series of leadership workshops and
project coaching. The aim of the professional development component is
to solidify the partnership, ensure the short-term success of the
project, and secure new capacity for the awardees that will support the
long-term use of libraries in addressing community goals.
Applications for the Public Library Innovations Grants will be
available in November, and grants will be awarded in February
2009. ICMA members who would like to receive e-mail updates on the
program should contact Molly Donelan at mdonelan@icma.org.
For more information about ICMA’s Local Government and Public Libraries
Initiative, visit www.icma.org/public_libraries.
Permalink
September 25, 2008
Posted in Civic Engagement Survey, Uncategorized at 9:08 pm by Nancy Kranich
Survey about Libraries and Civic Engagement
survey-civic-engagement-and-libraries-2008.doc
Tell us what your library is doing or would like to do
Members of ALA’s Civic Engagement Membership Initiative Group (MIG) need your help identifying civic engagement activities at your library. We want to showcase your activities at various conferences and in publications, as well as on our blog. We also want to know your interest in civic engagement activities, even if you are not currently involved in this arena.
Public, academic, school and special libraries are all undertaking exciting civic engagement activities. Please tell us about your efforts. Take a moment to fill out the questionnaire attached to this message and available on the ALA Civic Engagement blog at:
Return the questionnaire to Nancy Kranich, nancy.kranich@nyu.edu; fax 917-386-2515; 136 N. 7th Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904. We would like to hear from you on or before October 15, 2008.
We look forward to hearing about your activities and interests in civic engagement and reporting the results of this survey. Many thanks for your help.
–Nancy Kranich
Permalink
June 12, 2008
Posted in Conference sessions, Uncategorized at 2:38 pm by Nancy Kranich
Libraries Foster Civic Engagement Membership Initiative Group2008 ALA Annual Conference –Anaheim, CA
Sunday, June 29, 2008, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Room Location: Hilton Anaheim, San Clemente
AGENDA
Updates on Library Civic Engagement Activities Around the Country
Topics will include:
Privacy Dialogue
2009 Pre-Conference
Deliberative Dialogue Survey
PLA Pre-Conference in Minneapolis
Civic Engagement Blog–See http://discuss.ala.org/civicengagement/
Join Us. Bring Your Colleagues
Subscribe to ALA’s Civic Engagement listserv:
1. Go to: http://lists.ala.org/wws
2. Click on “List All Lists”
3. Scroll down to “deliberate@ala.org”
4. Click on “Subscribe”
5. Fill in your e-mail address in the box at the top of the screen
6. Press “submit”
Permalink
June 5, 2008
Posted in Deliberative Dialogue, Publications of Interest, Uncategorized at 8:49 pm by Nancy Kranich
Primer on Public Engagement
The new Public Engagement Primer from Public Agenda is a valuable resource for those trying to better understand what public engagement is all about, and for those trying to explain it.
Public engagement creates conditions for average citizens to effectively get involved in deliberation, dialogue and action on public issues that they care about. In a few short pages, the primer explains how public engagement helps create civic capacity for public problem solving, offers 10 core principles of effective public engagement and enlists a few examples of key practices and strategies.
The primer also describes the power of “Citizen Choicework,” a critical element in many deliberative processes. Some other essentials covered in the primer:
- Authentic public engagement vs. business as usual
- Capacity-building vs. event-oriented approaches to engagement
- Responding thoughtfully and conscientiously to the public’s involvement
- Building long-term capacity
- Strengths and weaknesses of various engagement approaches and strategies
The PDF is available for free download at:
http://publicagenda.org/pubengage/pdfs/public_engagement_primer.pdf
More information is available through Public Agenda’s Center for
Advances in Public Engagement at:
http://publicagenda.org/pubengage/pe_cape.cfm
Permalink
April 13, 2008
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:46 pm by Nancy Kranich
Case Foundation “Make It Your Own Awards” Online VotingLast fall, the Case Foundation launched an exciting initiative called the Make It Your Own Awards™. It invited inspired individuals from all walks of life to choose what matters most to them, decide what kind of community they want, and take action together. It received nearly 5,000 applications.
In keeping with the spirit of Make It Your Own, the foundation is inviting the online community to vote and decide which of these finalists will be its Final Four and receive an additional $25,000.
Help Decide Who Wins
The projects submitted by the Top 20 finalists represent fresh and innovative ideas for improving communities. The Case Foundation is committed to helping these dreams come true. In preparation for online voting, the Foundation is reaching out to organizations who share its desire to inspire people to connect with others, form solutions and take action together. It needs action oriented people to review their stories and decide who makes it to the Final Four.
5000 Dreams. 20 Finalists. Help Decide the Final Four.
The Case Foundation has announced the Top 20 Finalists in the Make It Your Own Awards. Now, it’s up to the online community to vote and decide which of these finalists will become the Final Four and receive an additional $25,000 to make their community dreams come true.
Beginning March 25th, to vote, visit http://miyo.casefoundation.org/vote.
Permalink
March 31, 2008
Posted in Publications of Interest, Uncategorized at 9:29 pm by Nancy Kranich
Public Agenda’s Center for Advances in Public Engagement has released an interesting report on “framing” in democratic politics. “Reframing Framing,” authored by Center director Will Friedman, argues that, ”The current infatuation with framing is concerned virtually exclusively with the power politics of parties and interest groups, and the winning or losing of their respective battles.” Instead, the report asks, “What if we asked instead about the relationship of framing to fostering citizenship and enabling democratic deliberation and dialogue? What if we were to reframe framing to focus less on how it can help one side or another win the political game and more on what it means, and can mean, for strengthening the democratic process?” In the report, Dr. Friedman delineates “Framing-to-Persuade vs. Framing-for-Deliberation” and tackles honest vs. dishonest framing.
Read the full report here: http://www.publicagenda.org/pubengage/pdfs/reframing_framing.pdf
Permalink
