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Circles of Conversation 2008
My Part in This Democracy In an Election Year
Facilitator: Elizabeth Loescher
Circles of Conversation: Assumptions
The knowledge and wisdom we need, we can create together
Insight comes from:
- Honoring unique thoughts
- Connecting ideas
- Listening Openly
- Noticing deeper patterns and questions
Circles of Conversation: Etiquette
FOCUS on what matters!
CONTRIBUTE your thinking and experience
LISTEN to understand
CONNECT ideas
LISTEN TOGETHER for patterns, insights, and deeper questions
Play! Doodle! Draw!
CIRCLE ONE
What is it that you value most about our government? How does it impact your life?
Responses:
- Government provides Opportunity, Education, Protection
- Freedom of expression, freedom to meet, to dissent
- Freedom of movement, ability to move around
- Local government knows local issues and can respond more quickly
- Federal government is more powerful, but slower to respond
- Protection of freedoms, provides ability to protect life, liberty and pursuit of happiness
CIRCLE TWO
Do you think we (USA) are ready for significant change in our government? If yes, what change would you like to see?
Responses:
- Yes – we need change
- Go down the middle of the road – re-organize our values, processes, paradigm,
- Balance budget – pay as we go
- Repeal of Patriot Act,
- Fix health care,
- Reconsider / change military pay,
- Introduce more collaborative foreign policy,
- Bring about a dramatic change in education,
- Reduce the influence of “money” so it has less control on the political process, campaign finance reform
- Term limits for congress, develop a method to determine what is working and what is not working
- More transparency in budgeting of defense expenses, reprioritizing common resources
CIRCLE THREE
How do you make a decision? How can you tell if a candidate is pandering? Does your participation before and after an election have an impact?
Responses:
- How do you make a decision – by talking – get information from others, can’t rely on media or any single source
- Yes, they are pandering, if they are pacifying us
- Its your civic duty to get what you voted for
- If the candidate is telling you things you don’t want to hear (hard medicine) they are probably not pandering
- Use the internet for information and accountability
- Get into a meaningful conversation with the candidates – they are pretty accessible – you can then tell who is pandering
- Look into their record – check what they have done, their advisors, etc.
- Follow the money, find out who benefits, who pays for their campaign, who has made money with their votes
- Look at amount of contributions and from whom – large contributors or many small contributors?
- Find a group you can support and listen to what they have to say, and their analysis
- Hold the candidates / elected officials accountable, give them support when they do the right things
Conflicts present opportunities for courage, creativity and collaboration.
Each of us is positioned to improve conditions and relationships in our community
Thanks for participating in Circles of Conversation
Download a PowerPoint Presentation here.
An Overview of Circles of Conversation
Facilitated by Liz Loescher and Vickie Samland
The Goal:
Have significant conversations on substantive issues.
Hear and digest ideas that are different from our own.
Consider together issues that matter in our lives.
Enhance our abilities to talk and think more deeply about the critical issues we face.
Topic:
IMMIGRATION’S IMPACT -
THE COSTS OF CROSSING BORDERS
Is the USA doing better controlling our borders?
Who is being victimized by immigration?
What's our experience with walls as a solution?
What would you write in an immigration policy?
Is it possible to control our borders?
Are there positive ways immigration can be better managed?
On July 16 The Conflict Center and Zinn Mediation Associates collaborated on Circles of Conversation; a café styled evening of conversation on immigration. The following is the record of the Power Point we used. It includes the pairs of questions for each round of conversation along with the recorded responses for each of the questions. We hope you find this interesting.
The following is the record of the notes that participants made at their tables while they talked. The tables have been randomly assigned a numeral and all the notes have been listed and recorded. They become a memory of the discussions that took place at that table. There were three rounds of paired questions. Click Here.