Values
- Honesty, integrity, forthrightness
- Commitment to democracy
- Constructive, not adversarial, dialogue
- Understanding over winning
- Mutual respect
Purpose
- Build civic engagement by practicing it
- Model constructive democratic dialogue
- Strengthen community connections
- Share knowledge and resources
- Exchange practical experience and advice
- Transform discussion into concrete action
Structure
Opening: Welcome and Announcements
Welcome
Brief introductions from participants; if it’s the first time someone is attending, please say a few words about why you’re here.
Announcements
IDo participants have announcements, topics for discussion or action, or anything else?
Notes on discussion
- Everyone here has something to learn.
- No one is expected to be an expert.
- If you know something, don’t hesitate to share.
- The aim of the reading materials is to give us a common text so we have something to sink our teeth into, but they’re optional; we have plenty to talk about without them.
- Every question is welcome.
- Ask for clarification if something is confusing or unclear; chances are really good that other people also need clarification.
- It’s ok to disagree.
Discussion
- Each meeting will have suggested reading and questions posted on the website. (Look under the meetings tab on the website for specifics.) The readings are optional.
Closing
Summary
It’s useful to bring a discussion like this to a close by summarizing what’s been said; participants should think about where we began, where our discussion went, and what (if anything) we concluded. Framing questions for this include: What have we learned? What could we do better? Where do we go from here?
Suggestions for action
Participant shares:
- Community needs and available resources
- Participants inform or remind each other of actions they can take
- Make specific commitments
Thank you to participants
Documenting
Meeting summary on the website
- Topic
- Highlights of conversation
- Conclusions and questions
- Suggestions for next meeting topic
Resource Directory
- Skills/expertise offered
- Useful community contacts
- Organizations mentioned
- Tools and resources shared
Action Tracker
- Commitments made
- Connections facilitated
- Follow-up needed
- Success stories from previous month
Next Meeting
- Date and location
- Preview of focus topic
- Ongoing projects to update
- Resources needed