This 1999 proposal outlines the rationale for and structure of a "Civic Partnership Council' attached to the Domestic Policy Council and chaired by the Vice President. Even today, it provides a great starting place for thinking about the creation of an office or council that would promote public problem solving and collaborative governance within the U.S. policymaking structure. (continue)

The Restorative Gentrification Listening Project seeks to understand the harms of gentrification by listening to the stories of those most directly impacted and then working to repair the harm and prevent further harm. "Gentrification" is the purchase and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income people, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses. This project of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement is run by NCDD member Judith Mowry. The project uses restorative listening circles to address issues of racism and social injustice in order to build community and cultural understanding and to find ways to act together to include and value all members of the community. (continue)

At the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation, we focused on 5 challenges identified by participants at our past conferences as being vitally important for our field to address. This is one in a series of five posts featuring the final reports from our “challenge leaders.” Action & Change Challenge: Strengthening the relationship between D&D and action and policy change. How can we increase the likelihood that D&D engagement streams of “exploration,” “conflict transformation,” and “collaborative action” will result in community action? How can ... (continue)