Thanks to Election Workers
This election year was unlike any we have dealt with in our lifetimes. ICDD wants to thank all of the poll workers, elected officials, and volunteers who made it safe and secure. Post-election, we face continued challenges to our civic discourse. See our Post-Election Resources for navigating difficult conversations on and off campus.
4H Youth Expand Facilitation Skills and Engagement
Stories Matter is an Extension 4H youth development project built from a series of successful training and public engagement events. Participating in Conversation Bootcamp establishes the norms and best practices of public conversation facilitation. With training, 4H youth from across Kansas have offered Community Conversations on public policy issues using National Issues Forums (NIF) discussion protocols. Several events, including a ground-breaking deliberative approach to the annual Citizenship in Action at the state capital in 2020, were led by 4H facilitators using NIF methods. Another mode of facilitation being learned and applied in 4H to community conversations is Visual Thinking Strategies (watch demonstration), where participants are asked a series of questions while viewing art as a way to encourage multiple interpretations and thoughtful listening. The Stories Matter sequence has grown under the leadership of Aliah Mestrovich Seay, 4-H Youth Development Specialist for Community Vitality and ICDD's Extension Liaison. Read more on youth leading community discussions on difficult topics.
(November 12, 2020)
Put Yourself on the Map
Are you a facilitator with skills to offer communities in need of productive conversation? Add your profile to the Kansas Civic Life Project, which aims to bring communities together with civic professionals capable of facilitating what might sometimes be rather difficult discussions. The map is a directory that demonstrates the breadth of civic discourse skills across our state. Enlarge your own contacts by consulting this map, and inquire into modes of conversation that you can learn and experience.
