This guide is designed to help citizens deliberate about ways to use e-state technology to help enhance community and civic life. The guide was designed to be used during a one day symposium and includes an exploration of community, scenarios to help explore e-state opportunities and challenges, an exercise to identify e-state values, and opportunities to identify action steps.
A Community for All Generations - Teens and Adults Working TogetherEveryday Democracy
The purpose of this discussion guide is to create an opportunity for teens and adults to talk together, and find ways to make our community a place where young people can grow up successfully. Most public issues involve and affect young people as well as adults. But there if often little chance in most communities for all of us to work together on community problems in a positive and respectful way.
People in communities across this country want to live where they have the chance to thrive as they age. This is true in all kinds of places – small and large, rural and urban. This discussion will help us talk about the kind of community where people midlife and beyond can live successfully.
Hands on guide for youth and adults, who are dedicated to finding ways for all kinds of people to engage in dialogue and problem solving on critical social and political issues.
Building Prosperity for All is for people in rural communities and small towns who are working to move from poverty to prosperity. This resource was designed to benefit communities that participated in dialogue-to-change programs using the guide, Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move From Poverty to Prosperity for All. However, no prior experience with Thriving Communities is necessary to get involved.
This guide provides advice for organizing the conversations, and a guide for the event host and small-group dialogue facilitators to use throughout the discussion sessions.
Working Together to Remove Racial and Ethnic Barriers (a Facilitator's Guide)Everyday Democracy
*Build lasting relationships among diverse stakeholders.
*Engage participants to discuss racial issues.
*Work with parents, teachers and students to develop action plans that will address racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement and parent involvement.
Building Prosperity for All is for people in rural communities and small towns who are working to move from poverty to prosperity. This resource was designed to benefit communities that participated in dialogue-to-change programs using the guide, Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move From Poverty to Prosperity for All. However, no prior experience with Thriving Communities is necessary to get involved.
This guide is an agenda for communities that want to reach out to neighboring communities and regional or statewide groups to identify ways to work together to continue to make progress on moving from poverty to prosperity.
A Community for All Generations - Teens and Adults Working TogetherEveryday Democracy
The purpose of this discussion guide is to create an opportunity for teens and adults to talk together, and find ways to make our community a place where young people can grow up successfully. Most public issues involve and affect young people as well as adults. But there if often little chance in most communities for all of us to work together on community problems in a positive and respectful way.
People in communities across this country want to live where they have the chance to thrive as they age. This is true in all kinds of places – small and large, rural and urban. This discussion will help us talk about the kind of community where people midlife and beyond can live successfully.
Hands on guide for youth and adults, who are dedicated to finding ways for all kinds of people to engage in dialogue and problem solving on critical social and political issues.
Building Prosperity for All is for people in rural communities and small towns who are working to move from poverty to prosperity. This resource was designed to benefit communities that participated in dialogue-to-change programs using the guide, Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move From Poverty to Prosperity for All. However, no prior experience with Thriving Communities is necessary to get involved.
This guide provides advice for organizing the conversations, and a guide for the event host and small-group dialogue facilitators to use throughout the discussion sessions.
Working Together to Remove Racial and Ethnic Barriers (a Facilitator's Guide)Everyday Democracy
*Build lasting relationships among diverse stakeholders.
*Engage participants to discuss racial issues.
*Work with parents, teachers and students to develop action plans that will address racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement and parent involvement.
Building Prosperity for All is for people in rural communities and small towns who are working to move from poverty to prosperity. This resource was designed to benefit communities that participated in dialogue-to-change programs using the guide, Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move From Poverty to Prosperity for All. However, no prior experience with Thriving Communities is necessary to get involved.
This guide is an agenda for communities that want to reach out to neighboring communities and regional or statewide groups to identify ways to work together to continue to make progress on moving from poverty to prosperity.
This discussion guide takes a look at when, where, and what young people learn. How do we create the kind of community where all young people will have a chance to learn – in and beyond the school day?
Building Strong Neighborhoods for Families With ChildrenEveryday Democracy
A four-session discussion guide to help people make their neighborhoods better places for families with children by identifying challenges and opportunities, and working toward solutions.
Building Strong Neighborhoods: A Study Guide for Public Dialogue and Communit...Everyday Democracy
A four-session discussion guide on many important neighborhood issues including: race and other kinds of differences; young people and families; safety and community-police relations; homes, housing and beautification; jobs and neighborhood economy; and schools.
Building Prosperity for All is for people in rural communities and small towns who are working to move from poverty to prosperity. This resource was designed to benefit communities that participated in dialogue-to-change programs using the guide, Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move From Poverty to Prosperity for All. However, no prior experience with Thriving Communities is necessary to get involved.
This guide is a series of handouts for dialogue participants to use throughout the discussion sessions.
One Nation, Many Beliefs: Talking About Religion in a Diverse DemocracyEveryday Democracy
The discussion guide, One Nation, Many Beliefs, is designed to strengthen relationships and understanding across religious and philosophical perspectives as a foundation for talking about inter-group tensions and the role of religion in public decision making.
This five-session discussion guide helps people get involved in an important issue facing all of us: the well-being of our youngest children. The guide looks at how we are connected to the lives of children in our community and the “invisible” effects of racism and poverty. It also guides people in developing plans for action.
Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem SolvingEveryday Democracy
The national discussion on civility, borne out of the terrible events in Tucson, demonstrates that many believe the current overheated rhetoric is not working as a means to solve the nation’s problems. Policy debates are increasingly fraught with name calling, electioneering, posturing and worse.
In recognition of this, the National League of Cities (NLC) has created an action guide, Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem Solving, to assist local elected officials in creating a framework for civility and democratic governance that encourages governing a community in a participatory, deliberative, inclusive and collaborative way.
Building Community in a "Connected" Age (Facilitator Guide)Everyday Democracy
This guide is designed to help citizens deliberate about ways to use e-state technology to help enhance community and civic life. The guide was designed to be used during a one day symposium and includes an exploration of community, scenarios to help explore e-state opportunities and challenges, an exercise to identify e-state values, and opportunities to identify action steps.
Organizing Rural & Reservation Communities for Dialogue and ChangeEveryday Democracy
This guide is a summary of the lessons that Everyday Democracy staff learned in their work with communities that took part in Horizons, a program of the Northwest Area Foundation aimed at reducing poverty and boosting prosperity. Reflections from Horizons organizers and participants are threaded throughout the guide giving the advice and tips further authenticity. While this guide was written for communities taking part in Horizons, the advice and tips are applicable to any community working on any issue through a dialogue-to-change effort.
A six-session discussion guide to help all kinds of people take part in meaningful dialogue to examine gaps among racial and ethnic groups and create institutional and policy change.
Subtitled "What can we do to make and keep our community healthy, strong, and vibrant", this 4-session guide was developed as a collaboration between The Coalition for Healthier Cities and Communities and Everyday Democracy. The term “healthy community” can mean many things to many people: jobs, schools, clean water and air, basic health services, recreation, celebrations.
A supplemental guide intended to give people with similar racial or ethnic backgrounds an opportunity to talk with each other about issues of racism in sessions preceding and following the regular diverse dialogue sessions of a community-wide study circle program. These optional discussions are designed to be used with Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation.
This Action Road Map will help communities walk through the steps we need to take to carry out a plan for action. Using this worksheet, you will think about the people, places, and things in your community that can help you reach your goals.
Step Forward, Step Back Organizational Identity ActivityEveryday Democracy
This activity shows some of the advantages and disadvantages related to organizational power and privilege. The activity is used to show how long-term accumulation of advantages based on organizational privilege can produce gaps among groups and create inequities in the communities we hope to serve. We will see visually how our positions within the organizations we work have privileged us, some perhaps more than others. The central question at the end is, what does our positioning reveal and how may we use this understanding to close these gaps?
A curriculum for community dialogue about a the role of the military in American democracy as we re-align our national security priorities and tools with a strategy that better reflects today's threats. Includes: a new vision for national security, a primer on civil-military relations, how to get involved in our democratic system,overview of the military services, two models of dialogue with veterans, one for small private groups, the other for larger public conversations.
The practice of treating everyone fairly and justly regardless of age, with special consideration to the structural factors that privilege some age groups over others.
Local Voices: Citizen Conversations on Civil Liberties and Secure CommunitiesEveryday Democracy
This guide explores where the balance lies between protecting our civil liberties and maintaining the security of our homeland. During the conversation, participants will consider many perspectives. They'll talk about how we can have an impact on these issues at federal, state, and local levels.
Resource List for Dialogue and Action on Racism and Civil RightsEveryday Democracy
The resources in this document are for individuals, community leaders and groups, law enforcement officials and elected leaders who want to learn about, organize dialogue, and take action to address specific aspects of structural racism.
This discussion guide takes a look at when, where, and what young people learn. How do we create the kind of community where all young people will have a chance to learn – in and beyond the school day?
Building Strong Neighborhoods for Families With ChildrenEveryday Democracy
A four-session discussion guide to help people make their neighborhoods better places for families with children by identifying challenges and opportunities, and working toward solutions.
Building Strong Neighborhoods: A Study Guide for Public Dialogue and Communit...Everyday Democracy
A four-session discussion guide on many important neighborhood issues including: race and other kinds of differences; young people and families; safety and community-police relations; homes, housing and beautification; jobs and neighborhood economy; and schools.
Building Prosperity for All is for people in rural communities and small towns who are working to move from poverty to prosperity. This resource was designed to benefit communities that participated in dialogue-to-change programs using the guide, Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move From Poverty to Prosperity for All. However, no prior experience with Thriving Communities is necessary to get involved.
This guide is a series of handouts for dialogue participants to use throughout the discussion sessions.
One Nation, Many Beliefs: Talking About Religion in a Diverse DemocracyEveryday Democracy
The discussion guide, One Nation, Many Beliefs, is designed to strengthen relationships and understanding across religious and philosophical perspectives as a foundation for talking about inter-group tensions and the role of religion in public decision making.
This five-session discussion guide helps people get involved in an important issue facing all of us: the well-being of our youngest children. The guide looks at how we are connected to the lives of children in our community and the “invisible” effects of racism and poverty. It also guides people in developing plans for action.
Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem SolvingEveryday Democracy
The national discussion on civility, borne out of the terrible events in Tucson, demonstrates that many believe the current overheated rhetoric is not working as a means to solve the nation’s problems. Policy debates are increasingly fraught with name calling, electioneering, posturing and worse.
In recognition of this, the National League of Cities (NLC) has created an action guide, Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem Solving, to assist local elected officials in creating a framework for civility and democratic governance that encourages governing a community in a participatory, deliberative, inclusive and collaborative way.
Building Community in a "Connected" Age (Facilitator Guide)Everyday Democracy
This guide is designed to help citizens deliberate about ways to use e-state technology to help enhance community and civic life. The guide was designed to be used during a one day symposium and includes an exploration of community, scenarios to help explore e-state opportunities and challenges, an exercise to identify e-state values, and opportunities to identify action steps.
Organizing Rural & Reservation Communities for Dialogue and ChangeEveryday Democracy
This guide is a summary of the lessons that Everyday Democracy staff learned in their work with communities that took part in Horizons, a program of the Northwest Area Foundation aimed at reducing poverty and boosting prosperity. Reflections from Horizons organizers and participants are threaded throughout the guide giving the advice and tips further authenticity. While this guide was written for communities taking part in Horizons, the advice and tips are applicable to any community working on any issue through a dialogue-to-change effort.
A six-session discussion guide to help all kinds of people take part in meaningful dialogue to examine gaps among racial and ethnic groups and create institutional and policy change.
Subtitled "What can we do to make and keep our community healthy, strong, and vibrant", this 4-session guide was developed as a collaboration between The Coalition for Healthier Cities and Communities and Everyday Democracy. The term “healthy community” can mean many things to many people: jobs, schools, clean water and air, basic health services, recreation, celebrations.
A supplemental guide intended to give people with similar racial or ethnic backgrounds an opportunity to talk with each other about issues of racism in sessions preceding and following the regular diverse dialogue sessions of a community-wide study circle program. These optional discussions are designed to be used with Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation.
This Action Road Map will help communities walk through the steps we need to take to carry out a plan for action. Using this worksheet, you will think about the people, places, and things in your community that can help you reach your goals.
Step Forward, Step Back Organizational Identity ActivityEveryday Democracy
This activity shows some of the advantages and disadvantages related to organizational power and privilege. The activity is used to show how long-term accumulation of advantages based on organizational privilege can produce gaps among groups and create inequities in the communities we hope to serve. We will see visually how our positions within the organizations we work have privileged us, some perhaps more than others. The central question at the end is, what does our positioning reveal and how may we use this understanding to close these gaps?
A curriculum for community dialogue about a the role of the military in American democracy as we re-align our national security priorities and tools with a strategy that better reflects today's threats. Includes: a new vision for national security, a primer on civil-military relations, how to get involved in our democratic system,overview of the military services, two models of dialogue with veterans, one for small private groups, the other for larger public conversations.
The practice of treating everyone fairly and justly regardless of age, with special consideration to the structural factors that privilege some age groups over others.
Local Voices: Citizen Conversations on Civil Liberties and Secure CommunitiesEveryday Democracy
This guide explores where the balance lies between protecting our civil liberties and maintaining the security of our homeland. During the conversation, participants will consider many perspectives. They'll talk about how we can have an impact on these issues at federal, state, and local levels.
Resource List for Dialogue and Action on Racism and Civil RightsEveryday Democracy
The resources in this document are for individuals, community leaders and groups, law enforcement officials and elected leaders who want to learn about, organize dialogue, and take action to address specific aspects of structural racism.
Connecticut Civic Ambassadors are everyday people who care about and engage others in their communities by creating opportunities for civic participation that strengthens our state’s “Civic Health.” Civic Health is determined by how well diverse groups of residents work together and with government to solve public problems to strengthen their communities. Read more below on how you can be an agent of change in your own community by joining the team.
A comprehensive guide designed to help you recruit people to your community change effort, work with the media, master social media, and tell your story in many different formats along the way.
Ripple Effects Mapping Tip Sheet for Evaluating Community Engagement Everyday Democracy
Community Engagement and Dialogue to Change strategies can lead to many positive changes in your community. However, direct impacts can be tough to track. Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) allows you, along with local leaders and others in your community, to assess impacts from your Dialogue to
Change efforts. It allows you to visually document the impacts your efforts have had on individuals, on your community, and on institutions and systems over time. These are tips for rolling out a Ripple Effects Mapping process:
Evaluation Guide Toolkit (Companion to Evaluating Community Engagement Guide)Everyday Democracy
Includes an Evaluation Capacity Self-Assessment Tool,
Sample Community Engagement Logic Model, Logic Model Template, Data Collection and Planning Template and Ripple Mapping Tip Sheet
The Wondertwins, "Black"- September 27th, West Hartford, CT Everyday Democracy
The Wondertwins, famed veteran hip-hop dance duo from Boston, perform their newest piece, BLACK. BLACK explores the traumatizing effects of police violence towards the black community by incorporating dance with historic and contemporary audio and video clips. Post-show dialogue will be facilitated by Everyday Democracy and the Connecticut Collaborative on Poverty, Criminal Justice and Race.
This is a brief guide developed for Stand Against Racism Day, 2019. The guide helps communities discuss immigration and how it connects to racial equity.
“American citizenship brings legal rights, protections, and responsibilities. But its meaning goes deeper. To be a citizen is to be accepted, to feel safe, to be ‘one of us.’ ”
Racism is rooted in our country's history and is embedded in our culture, and yet the history of structural racism is rarely taught or portrayed. Racism is still one of the greatest barriers to fulfilling the promise of our democracy. That is why Everyday Democracy uses a racial equity lens in all the work we do.
Unfortunately, most people in the U.S. have not had the chance to study and understand how racism has evolved and how it continues to affect every area of our lives. We don’t usually learn about it in school, except in cursory ways. Even then, it is often portrayed as a part of a distant past that stopped with the fight for civil rights in the 60s. That, in itself, is part of the “invisible” power of structural racism.
There are many people who don’t realize that, as a country, we still have work to do to create equal opportunities for all. And many aren’t aware that all of us – of every region of the country, of every color and ethnic background – are still dealing with the impact of slavery, Jim Crow, and other policies that have perpetuated unfair advantages based on color. All of us need to deepen our understanding of our full history, so that we can move beyond “us vs. them” to “us.” Only as we understand the forces that have shaped our lives can we begin imagine and create a democracy that supports voice and belonging for all.
To share an important part of this history, the New York Historical Society (NYHS) has developed a curriculum to help students and communities explore the legacy of racism. It includes three comprehensive units and printable resources. This curriculum was developed as part of NYHS’s current exhibit, Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow, that explores the struggle for full citizenship and racial equity. This powerful exhibit uncovers not only the overt and hidden racism that marked a pivotal era in our history, it highlights the day-to-day acts of courage that so many people took to claim citizenship as belonging. It is impossible to see this exhibit without thinking about the parallels for today.
We invite you to use and share this curriculum with students, coworkers, family members, and community members. And then we invite you to work with us at Everyday Democracy to use your learning as a catalyst for expanding the dialogue and creating equitable change in your community and our country.
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
Canadian Immigration Tracker March 2024 - Key SlidesAndrew Griffith
Highlights
Permanent Residents decrease along with percentage of TR2PR decline to 52 percent of all Permanent Residents.
March asylum claim data not issued as of May 27 (unusually late). Irregular arrivals remain very small.
Study permit applications experiencing sharp decrease as a result of announced caps over 50 percent compared to February.
Citizenship numbers remain stable.
Slide 3 has the overall numbers and change.
Presentation by Jared Jageler, David Adler, Noelia Duchovny, and Evan Herrnstadt, analysts in CBO’s Microeconomic Studies and Health Analysis Divisions, at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Summer Conference.
Russian anarchist and anti-war movement in the third year of full-scale warAntti Rautiainen
Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war activities are presented, as well as strategies of support for political prisoners, and modest successes in supporting their struggles.
Thumbnail picture is by MediaZona, you may read their report on anti-war arson attacks in Russia here: https://en.zona.media/article/2022/10/13/burn-map
Links:
Autonomous Action
http://Avtonom.org
Anarchist Black Cross Moscow
http://Avtonom.org/abc
Solidarity Zone
https://t.me/solidarity_zone
Memorial
https://memopzk.org/, https://t.me/pzk_memorial
OVD-Info
https://en.ovdinfo.org/antiwar-ovd-info-guide
RosUznik
https://rosuznik.org/
Uznik Online
http://uznikonline.tilda.ws/
Russian Reader
https://therussianreader.com/
ABC Irkutsk
https://abc38.noblogs.org/
Send mail to prisoners from abroad:
http://Prisonmail.online
YouTube: https://youtu.be/c5nSOdU48O8
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/libertarianlifecoach/episodes/Russian-anarchist-and-anti-war-movement-in-the-third-year-of-full-scale-war-e2k8ai4
This session provides a comprehensive overview of the latest updates to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (commonly known as the Uniform Guidance) outlined in the 2 CFR 200.
With a focus on the 2024 revisions issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), participants will gain insight into the key changes affecting federal grant recipients. The session will delve into critical regulatory updates, providing attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate and comply with the evolving landscape of federal grant management.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the rationale behind the 2024 updates to the Uniform Guidance outlined in 2 CFR 200, and their implications for federal grant recipients.
- Identify the key changes and revisions introduced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the 2024 edition of 2 CFR 200.
- Gain proficiency in applying the updated regulations to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements and avoid potential audit findings.
- Develop strategies for effectively implementing the new guidelines within the grant management processes of their respective organizations, fostering efficiency and accountability in federal grant administration.
Building Community in a "Connected" Age (Participant Guide)
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2. Building Community in a “Connected Age”
Snelling Center for Government
Champlain College
Everyday Democracy
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Building Community in a “Connected Age.”
Session 1 – Connections to Community – past and present
Part 1- Introductions & Overview 15 minutes
1. Say your name, where you are from and why you decided to come today.
2. Read the guidelines below out loud and discuss.
● Be respectful.
● Everyone gets a fair hearing.
● Share “air time.”
● One person speaks at a time. Speak for yourself, not for others.
● If you are offended or upset, say so, and say why.
● You can disagree, but don’t make it personal. Stick to the issue.
● Everyone helps the facilitator keep us moving and on track
● Personal stories stay in the dialogue unless the group decides its OK to tell
them to other people.
Part 2 – Discussion 45 minutes
1. Talk in pairs using the following questions.
▪ Talk about the neighborhood where you grew up.
▪ What was it like?
▪ What made you feel connected to your neighbors?
▪ Your community?
2. Share highlights of your conversation with the whole group.
3. Discussion questions
▪ What makes you feel connected to the community where you live now?
▪ In what ways do you interact with your neighbors, school, or town?
▪ How do you use the internet, cell phones or other devices to keep in touch
with neighbors, town or school events?
▪ In what ways is technology helpful? Are there ways that technology interferes
with community connections?
Part 3 Conclusion 5 minutes
1. What are a few key themes from the discussion?
3. Building Community in a “Connected Age”
Snelling Center for Government
Champlain College
Everyday Democracy
2
Session 2 – Exploring the Opportunities & Challenges Associated with
Becoming an E-State
Part 1 – Imagining the Future 30 minutes
1. When you think about all of Vermont being “connected” through technology, what
kinds of things do you think might be possible that aren’t possible now?
2. Take turns reading the scenarios out loud.
▪ Which of these scenarios stands out for you?
▪ What are some of the pros and cons of these scenarios?
▪ What other scenarios can you imagine that aren’t described here?
E-State Scenarios
A. Each spring, high school students all over Vermont pore over an online catalogue
which contains descriptions of every public high school class taught in the state of
Vermont. Students across the state exchange a flurry of text messages and
compare notes on interesting subjects and teachers. Students register using their
cell phones.
B. Vermont is facing a fiscal crisis. A statewide summit is quickly planned with
meetings held online and in schools, libraries and churches around the state.
Residents from every town and village in the state share their cost-savings ideas.
At the end of the summit citizens vote on budget priorities via e-mail, the internet,
cell phones, or other handheld devices.
C. A new person moves into a small Vermont town. Residents want to know more
about the person and conduct an online search for information.
D. People without computers go to the library or community center to find out about
job opportunities, school events, and public meetings, shop online, and connect
with friends.
E. Now that a statewide network is in place, more and more people are opting to
work from home.
F. Residents in all corners of Vermont are able to participate in online communities
with other like minded people. These communities include people around the
state and around the world and are organized around specific interests.
G. Town meetings are streamed live online and people can participate remotely by
sending in comments and voting using their cell phones or other handheld
devices.
H. Doctors and patients in every town have access to online medical histories and
records, making it possible for doctors to consult with far away specialists, and
for patients and doctors to share information online.
I. There is a natural disaster in the state and all alerts and notifications are posted
via cell phones and the internet.
4. Building Community in a “Connected Age”
Snelling Center for Government
Champlain College
Everyday Democracy
3
Session 2 (cont’d)
Part 2 – Exploring Opportunities & Challenges 20 minutes
1. How do you think becoming an e-state will benefit Vermont communities and the
state as a whole? What are our opportunities?
2. Brainstorm a list of opportunities.
3. What are some of the potential challenges of Vermont becoming an e-state?
4. Brainstorm a list of challenges.
Part 3 – Prioritizing our Ideas 20 minutes
1. Make a case for the most important opportunities & challenges on the lists.
▪ Which of the opportunities seem most important to pursue? Which seem like
they could be most important or helpful for building strong communities in
Vermont?
▪ Which challenges will be most important to address as Vermont moves
forward?
2. Jot down your two or three top picks from each list.
3. Share your top choices and indicate these on each list.
4. Review each list and choose two top opportunities and challenges.
Part 4 – Conclusion 5 minutes
1. What is the most important thing you talked about during this session?
2. During final discussion session you will talk about the values you want to guide
Vermont as we become an e-state. You will also identify specific ideas about
how Vermont should move forward.
5. Building Community in a “Connected Age”
Snelling Center for Government
Champlain College
Everyday Democracy
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Session 3 – Shaping Vermont’s e-Future
Part 1 – Identifying our e-State Values 15 minutes
1. Imagine that as you are traveling through our state, you come upon a beautiful
statue, carved out of Barre granite. A picture of this statue also appears on
websites and other digital media that direct people to Vermont. The purpose of
the statue is to welcome you to Vermont, an e-state. There is room on the statue
for about five words that describe what Vermonters value about being an e-state.
2. Jot down or think about some words that you would want to be carved into the
granite.
3. Share your words. Record these where everyone can see. If a word is mentioned
more than once, put a check next to it each time it is mentioned. Discuss the
words that stand out for you and to narrow the list to three words.
Here are a few words to spark your thinking
Innovation
Dependability
Inclusiveness
Privacy
Civic participation
Prosperity
Fairness
Open communication
Simplicity
Integrity
Restraint
Interdependence
Transparency
Paperless
Connected
Accessibility
Flexible
Part 2 – Ideas for Vermont’s Future as an e-State 30 minutes
Thinking about our vision for Vermont’s e-state future, let’s develop some steps we
can take to move toward it.
1. Think quietly for a moment about this question.
What can we do to help Vermont use new communication technology to
connect to one another, strengthen our communities, and help improve our
quality of life?
2. Brainstorm a list of action ideas. Record these where everyone can see them. Try
to come up with different kinds of ideas, such as things people can do
individually, working in small groups, working with institutions, working with
government. Try to come up with ideas that are specific.
3. Choose two top ideas to share with others. Here are some questions to help
prioritize your ideas:
▪ Which ideas really address the issues we’ve been discussing?
▪ Which ideas seem most practical or doable?
▪ Which ideas might have a long term impact?
6. Building Community in a “Connected Age”
Snelling Center for Government
Champlain College
Everyday Democracy
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Session 3 (cont’d)
Part 3 – Closing 10 minutes
1. Talk about these closing questions.
▪ What has it been like to participate in this discussion? What did you
learn? What surprised you? What questions are you left with?
▪ After participating in this summit, how do you feel about Vermont’s
moving toward becoming an e-state? What actions might you take when
you leave here today?
2. Here are some ways you can stay involved
▪ Join a work group.
▪ Go to the e-state wiki and share ideas, resources, and continue the discussion.
▪ Find out more about what your town or school is doing to become connected
and see what plans it has for using the technology. Volunteer to help.
▪ Share what you learned during this discussion with others.