Fw: Conversation Cafes and the 2004 Election

Peggy Holman peggy at opencirclecompany.com
Sun Dec 14 13:13:27 PST 2003


Friends,

Having finally gotten current with list messages, I'm tapping into the
current thread on civil conversation.  Seems, as the message below shows,
this idea is being explored in a variety of ways.  Thoughts?

from cool and cloudy Seatte,
Peggy


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Atlee" <cii at igc.org>
To: "Vicki Robin" <vmrr at earthlink.net>
Cc: "Juanita Brown" <juanita at theworldcafe.com>; "Sandy Heierbacher"
<sandy at thataway.org>; "Peggy Holman" <peggy at opencirclecompany.com>; "Martha
McCoy" <martham at studycircles.org>; "Ned Crosby" <benncro at usinternet.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 9:50 PM
Subject: Re: Conversation Cafes and the 2004 Election


> Dear Vicki,
>
> What a vision!  At the risk of seeming totally predictable, I have to
> say it just kicks me into bigger vision!
>
> Lately I've been coming to the conclusion that the greatest potential
> in public dialogue and participation efforts lies not in any practice
> by itself ("Which is the best practice?"), but in synergies between
> them when they are used together strategically ("What is the most
> powerful role for this practice, and how might its impact be
> magnified by coordinated use with certain other practices?").
> Several months ago, in an effort to frame and advance this inquiry, I
> wrote several papers about "Designing Multi-Process Public
> Participation Programs"
> http://www.co-intelligence.org/DD-MultiProcessPgms.html
>
> So as I read your proposal, I found myself drawn to modifying and
> expanding the collaboration section.  In the case of groups that are
> not process-specific (e.g., IONS and PFN), I would engage them as you
> propose, to focalize the dialogues in target cities.  But in the case
> of groups that ARE process-specific (in your list, The World Cafe,
> the Commons Cafe and IAF), I would engage them to do what they
> already do, but in a coordinated way in concert with your CC/2004
> activities.
>
> My own pet vision of an experiment of this sort would include:
> a)  Conversation Cafes (CC)
> b)  World Cafes (TWC)
> c)  Open Spaces (OST)
> d)  Study Circles
> e)  Citizens Juries or Consensus Conferences (CJ)
>
> Conversation Cafes would provide the ongoing hum of conversation in
> the city, freely open to anyone, requiring little commitment.  More
> intense, sustained inquiries could be pursued in World Cafes, Open
> Spaces and Study Circles.  Really juicy TWC and OST events might last
> up to 3 days, although TWC could be used in some 2-4 hour events as
> well.  Study Circles would go on over 4-8 weeks, 1-2 nights a week,
> with dozens of them woven into a program including several hundred
> people from community groups.  Study Circles have the same grassroots
> hosts and homey quality that CC's do, but involve a coherent group
> more intensively over a period of time.  OST and, to a greater
> extent, Study Circle programs tend to produce action outcomes by
> participants, providing a stimulus and outlet for action that the CCs
> specifically (and correctly, for their purpose) discourage.  OST is a
> great place for sharing (marketting) detailed perspectives and
> proposals, which again is (appropriately) discouraged in the CC
> context.  TWCs can be used alongside OST, CCs and/or Study Circles to
> allow otherwise disparate participants in these programs to access
> each other's insights.  Etc.  This is just a taste of the kinds of
> different functions filled by the diverse practices, and what they
> have to contribute to each other and to a larger co-ordinated
> multi-process public participation dialogue program.
>
> Finally, Citizens Juries or Consensus Conferences can provide the
> full city with an archetypally powerful and media-visible citizen
> conversation about issues being dealt with by the other dialogue
> forums.  A CJ's findings and recommendations provide ideal grist for
> all the other dialogues (there being no other information available
> on the subject that is quite like it, as far as reflecting a coherent
> sense of the common good and the general interest, from a diverse
> citizens' perspective).  On the other hand, a community rich in the
> other dialogues (CC, TWC, OST, etc.) produces engaged citizens whose
> participation in a CJ is likely to elevate the quality of the CJ's
> discourse.  There is incredible potential synergy between the broadly
> accessible types of conversation and the "microcosm conversations" of
> Citizens' Juries.
>
> The whole program could be organized such that participants in CJs,
> OSTs and Study Circles end up having a profound and co-ordinated
> effect on elections and policy-making activities, demonstrating real
> empowerment through dialogue (a reality that could then be talked
> about in further CCs etc., building the momentum!).
>
> My vision would be an arrangement in which several cities would be chosen
and
> a)  You or someone from the world of Conversation Cafes would
> organize CCs there to make everyone in the city feel welcomed into
> meaningful conversation about significant issues;
> b)  Juanita or someone else from the world of World Cafes would
> organize WCs there to deepen the cities' inquiries and share
> developing insights;
> c)  Peggy Holman or someone else from the world of Open Spaces would
> organize Open Spaces there to help people translate their passions
> into connection and action;
> d)  Staff from the Study Circles Resource Center would organize one
> or more Study Circle programs to bring the cities' churches, temples,
> schools, community organizations and other groups into the
> conversation and action; and
> e)  Ned Crosby or old staff of the Jefferson Center would organize
> one or more Citizens' Juries there to evaluate candidates, election
> issues or the democracy itself, and provide informed insights and
> public judgments to all the other conversations involved in the
> program.
>
> (There are many other methods that could be integrated into such a
> broad program for public dialogue.  I think that practices like
> community Listening Projects a la Fran Peavey and the Rural Southern
> Voice for Peace; Mediated Dialogue a la Search for Common Ground; and
> various multiple viewpoint drama activities like Anna Deveare Smith's
> work, Theatre of the Oppressed, and Playback Theatre could all
> provide remarkable stimulus to such a program.  As you know, this
> list barely scratches the iceberg -- but it may give you an idea of
> what fun you could have designing something like this...:-)
>
> In addition to the staff and activities listed above and in your
> proposal, this vision would also include
> f)  someone (perhaps associated with the National Coalition for
> Dialogue and Deliberation) to coordinate it all, and to convene the
> ongoing conversations among the practitioners/organizers in (a)-(e),
> through which such an integrated effort could unfold;
> g)  researchers to explore the synergies, the organizing methods, and
> the impacts on the participants, decision-makers and the community as
> a whole;  and
> h)  videographers and journalists/authors recording it for current
> news and subsequent research and publicity.
>
> Much of the same brilliant activities you used to bring CCs to
> Seattle could be applied to this integrated program as well.  I
> believe it is out of such efforts that a true culture of dialogue
> would be able to grow, because such a culture is so much bigger than
> any of us, so much bigger than any one practice.  Finally, doing
> multi-process programs allows for diverse dialogue organizers to
> present a united face to the public, and to point out the power that
> is available to the citizenry through smart use of these processes,
> so that the citizens will DEMAND more dialogue and deliberation in
> all aspects of their community life.  This reaches beyond the
> election to transform the internal and external life of democracy,
> itself.
>
> Anyway, that's where your thinking and visioning took my thinking and
> visioning.
>
> And here are a few comments on your proposal, made from within the
> paradigm you started with!!
>
> 1)  Paragraph four seems to end mid-sentence:  "Two part-time
employees...."
>
> 2)  Re Launch Questons:
>
> You write:  "Some say America is the place where anyone can get rich.
> Others say American is the place where anyone can become President.
> Which of these statements seem more true to you and why?"  I felt an
> URGE to expand the options here -- especially since I want neither to
> become rich nor President!  Perhaps inserting something like the
> following:  "Still others say the America is a place where people can
> fulfill their potential or make a difference or pursue happiness or
> be free."
>
> There is nothing in these questions about foreign policy, war and
> peace, global impact.  I realized this when I read the otherwise
> excellent question "What is your essential definition of America...
> it's a place where....?"  My partisan gut sense about America is that
> it is a potentially catastrophic wild card in the world and has
> systematiclly undermined the survival or emergence of life-affirming
> cultures everywhere.  I think a lot of other things about America,
> but that is my first gut-level response because of my rearing and
> life experience.  And I couldn't give that response within the
> framework of the question.  (I want to make clear, in saying all
> this, that I'm not promoting my particular perspective of America.
> I'm just offering it as what many progressives feel about America, a
> strong feeling which is marginalized by the way that question is
> phrased.)  You could expand that question to say (for example) "What
> is your essential definition of America... it's a place where.... a
> force for.... a country that....?"  And I'd suggest a whole cluster
> of questions explicitly around foreign policy:  "What actions in the
> world would (or do) make you feel really strongly -- either proud or
> not -- about being an American?  What are some of the best things
> America could do in the world?  Does America have some kind of
> destiny in the world?  What is it?"
>
> I suspect questions should be specifically solicited from activists
> and from reviewing candidates' websites regarding what issues they
> are addressing (which, of course, would have to be translated into
> good questions, deepening questions, for the purposes of the CCs).
> Here are some I can imagine using:
>
> What would make a real difference in this country?  Why?  How would
> you like to see the country changed over the next four years?  Why is
> that important to you?
> What do you feel is involved in being a citizen?  What helps
> citizenship?  What makes it hard?
> What role should leaders play in a democracy?  How much of a
> leadership role should citizens play?  What would (or does) that look
> like?
> If democracy means governing the country according to the will of the
> people, how should we find out what the will of the people is?  Does
> that seem like enough to you?  What would make our country more of a
> democracy?
>
> 3)  Re "A concerted effort to attract diverse points of view."  The
> first step of that often involves talking to the kinds of people you
> want to attract and find out what kind of conversations THEY would
> find meaningful, and how they react to the CC's design and
> guidelines.  As generative as that design and those guidelines may
> seem to us, their very lack of control may be part of the thing that
> keeps certain people (like Bush supporters) from attending.  Walking
> into a conservative political campaign office and asking some folks
> "What's wrong with our design for this public conversation program?"
> (a la Dr. Karl Henrik Robert's initial process and some RSVP
> Listening Projects) might produce some interesting insights.  Or ask
> one of them to watch a CC from another table and, at the end of the
> night, tell you whether they felt welcomed or not, and why.
>
> Thems m'thoughts, m'buddy.  I hope they're useful somehow.
>
> Coheartedly,
> Tom
>
>
> At 11:02 AM -0800 10/29/2003, Vicki Robin wrote:
> >MaizeDear friends,
> >Some of you have already heard from me about this idea, some were
suggested
> >as potential partners, some I just think would be interested.  This
proposal
> >was inspired by an "innocent" question from Mark Ritchie, "What are your
> >ideas for plugging the cafes into the 2004 elections??"  First thought,
> >"Nothing."  Second thought, "Gasp! This is what the Conversation Cafes
were
> >designed for. This is their destiny in this moment."  Third thought, "I
have
> >no time... I have no time."  Fourth thought, well, here's the attachment
> >explaining CC/2004 Election Initiative.  Keep in mind that it's a first
> >draft - only conceived after Mark's 10/26 email.
> >
> >Please give this careful consideration, and share it widely among people
you
> >know for whom this would be their perfect form of participating in
changing
> >the dialogue and the dynamics in our democracy in this election year.
The
> >Conversation Cafes were built in response to the need after 911 for grass
> >roots social healing and meaning making.  They can help us move through
what
> >promises to be an exciting yet wrenching year leading up to the 2004
> >Presidential election - and understand together what happened after the
dust
> >settles and the winner is s/elected.
> >
> >We need $100,000 by December 1 to feel confident in beginning - and to
> >quickly build the team and minimal infrastructure that will support this
> >getting going by February 2004.  We need partner organizations with large
> >networks of people who have interest in and some basic capacity for
> >reflective listening and inquiry - and a yearning to make a difference in
> >this election.  We need volunteer coordinators in at least a dozen cities
> >who can build local teams to hold host trainings and monitor the local
> >Conversation Cafes.  We need your critical eye on what we need to do
> >differently, or not at all.  We need all the heart and wisdom you might
be
> >able to mobilize - in yourselves or in people you know.
> >
> >Let me know.  I leave the country on November 5, but i NEVER leave email
> >:-) - and some of  the Seattle Advisory Board for the Conversation Cafes
can
> >help moving this forward while I am away.  Until November 2 midnight, I'm
> >here at the number below.
> >Blessings,
> >Vicki
> >PS - I took the liberty of NOT bcc'ing this email as most of you know and
> >respect one another already.
> >
> >______________________
> >Vicki Robin
> >New Road Map Foundation
> >P.O. Box 15981
> >Seattle, WA 98115
> >(206) 527-0437
> >www.newroadmap.org
> >www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org
> >www.conversationcafe.org
> >www.kucinich.us (for US President)
> >www.simplicityforum.org
> >
> >"Don't ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you
come
> >alive,
> >and then go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come
> >alive."
> >    -- Harold Thurman Whitman
>
>
>
> Conversation CC/2004 Election Initiative
> A project of the Conversation CafÈ Initiative of the New Road Map
Foundation
>
> Imagine 10,000 Americans of every persuasion gathering in CafÈs
> across the country weekly during 2004 for deep, respectful and
> inquisitive conversations about what we see as the state of the
> Union, and what we are doing to preserve and revitalize our democracy
> in this election year.  Imagine dialogue, not debate.  Imagine
> curiosity, not argument.  Imagine critical thinking, not simply
> airing opinions that never change.  Imagine hope.  Imagine ... a real
> democracy.
>
> Conversation CafÈ/2004 Election Initiative will bring this spirit of
> open civic engagement to the nation.  Modeled on the strategic and
> successful launch of Conversation CafÈs in Seattle after 911, the
> Conversation CafÈ Initiative intends to create and monitor weekly
> hosted conversations in at least a dozen major cities, beginning in
> February 2004 and continuing through the entire election cycle
> through the Inauguration 2005.  Beyond that moment, many of the CCs
> will surely continue, but not necessarily focused on making meaning
> during the intense political atmosphere of a Presidential election
> year.
>
> Conversation CafÈs are drop-in, hosted dialogues in public spaces.
> Our purpose is to promote community, democracy and wisdom world-wide
> through generating millions of face-to-face, public conversations
> held in a respectful, inclusive and inquisitive spirit. Conversation
> CafÈs arose to allow strangers in public places to shift from small
> talk to big talk. Conversation is democracy in action and an antidote
> to loneliness and social isolation. Who attends?  Diverse people --
> young, old, men, women, gay, straight, extraverts and introverts.  We
> also attract some racial and cultural and political diversity (though
> not enough!).  What's possible?  Changing the culture of fear to a
> culture of connection, changing the assumption that only some people
> are worthwhile and wise to an assumption that every human being is a
> source of insight and possibly friendship.
>
> Started in Seattle with 3 experimental locations in the Summer of
> 2001, there are now 70 Conversation CafÈs internationally. About 400
> hosts have been trained, and teams of hosts have held conversations
> at major events  like The San Francisco and Austin Green Festivals,
> The Institute of Noetic Sciences 2003 conference, the Bioneers and at
> large-scale focused community inquiries on current events attracting
> hundreds of participants. The Readers' Digest, The Seattle Times, The
> New York Times and Utne Reader have featured articles on the
> Conversation CafÈs as well as a radio interview on Talk of the Nation
> and a television story on the local NBC affiliate.  A 10-person
> volunteer Advisory Council has stewarded the growth of the
> Conversation CafÈ Initiative with an eye to maximum empowerment of
> local hosts along with lucid purposes, principles and practices
> embodied in a Charter.  Two part-time employees
>
> The key elements that allow Conversation CafÈs to promote
> surprisingly deep, intelligent dialogue among strangers in public
> places are:
> A host -- a warm welcoming human who introduces the process and
> agreements, and keeps the process moving and  on time.
> A public place where all are welcome to participate -- CCs can happen
> in homes, schools and businesses, but the core of the CC/2004
> Election  initiative will be CafÈs, bookstores and other public
> places to attract the maximum spontaneous diversity
> A clear set of agreements, read aloud at the beginning
>
> Suspend judgment as best you can.
> Listen... with respect
> Seek to understand, not persuade.
> Invite and honor diversity of opinion
> Speak what has personal heart and meaning
> Go for honesty and depth but don't go on and on.
>
> A clear process that permits even novices to successfully host
> The host welcomes you, sets the theme for discussion, reviews the
> process and agreements, sets an ending time, and calls for a moment
> of silence to relax, reflect, and become open.
> Round one: Passing around the 'talking object' (something symbolic or
> just handy that is held by the person speaking), each person speaks
> briefly to the topic.  It's okay to pass.  No feedback or response.
> Round two: Again with talking object, each person briefly deepens
> their own comments or speaks to another's remarks.
> Open, spirited conversation: Use the talking object only if there is
> domination, contention, or lack of focus.  This will take up most of
> the time.  Keep in mind the agreements.
> Final Round: Each person says briefly what was meaningful to him or her.
> A fixed time -- usually 90 minutes
> A non-instrumental space -- 'no committees will be formed', 'no
> marketing', no cost (except a cup of coffee or tea).
> A regular meeting time -- usually weekly, sometimes bi-weekly or monthly
> A fun, informative website with all the materials for hosting a cafÈ
> available to download for free. http://www.conversationcafe.org
>
> See the Conversation CafÈ manual which describes these functions in
> more detail. http://www.conversationcafe.org/docs/HostManual.doc
>
> To launch the Conversation CafÈs, the Seattle team, led by Vicki
> Robin, used the following plan (see history details at:
> http://www.commonground.ca/iss/0309146/conversation_intro.shtml)
> A launch event, the Power of Conversation to Change the World,
> attended by hundreds of people.
> A website with all the Conversation CafÈs listed -- and great
> articles, quotations and information about dialogue as a path to
> social change.
> A clear, short, simple manual on the web for hosting Conversation
> CafÈs that allows even novice hosts to succeed.
> A private host listserve so that the hosts could become a learning
community.
> Celebrities, attending in the spirit of citizenship, not expertise,
> at every CC during Conversation Week, and prominent listing of these
> on all literature.
> Powerful questions that ask each person to ponder their own
> relationships with the times we are living through, questions that
> embody the thinking, feeling and doing realms.
> Co-sponsoring organizations that agreed to provide several people as
> hosts and promote the Conversation CafÈs through emails, newsletters,
> and websites -- all  'in exchange for' being listed on all materials
> as partners.  The intention was to be a 'rising tide' of dialogue
> that would allow all such initiatives to flourish.
> Aggressive outreach to the media
> Postering and leafleting at events where people concerned about 911
gathered.
> Entertaining 'Burma-shave' type short emails sent to many hundreds of
> people weekly, recounting the building excitement of this unfolding
> social creation.
> A sense of meaning for everyone involved -- Conversation CafÈs were
> seen as essential activism in the post-911 period.
> Inviting, intelligent, populist language and graphics
> Non-partisan spirit.  A concerted effort to attract diverse points of
view.
> A passionate 'sugar-mommy' who drove the process and could afford to
> pay for a staff person, print material and the like.  As the events
> happened in CafÈs, there was no facility cost.  Co-sponsors provided
> meeting rooms for host trainings.  Volunteers and staff worked from
> their homes, using their own phones, email and fax.  Most
> communications were via email.
>
> The Election 2004 Conversation CafÈ Initiative would use a similar
> model, with a minimal need for $100,000 to launch and maintain the
> process.  Following is a preliminary plan for how the Initiative
> would work.
>
> Hire a coordinator who then assembles necessary staff members, a team
> of volunteers and possibly several interns to manage the process.
> Identify a core group in every target city who can oversee the
> year-long process in their locale.  Draw from the memberships of the
> partner organizations for this.
> Train 50 hosts in every target city, each of whom makes a commitment
> to host at one Conversation CafÈ location for at least one month.
> Assuming 3 ongoing weekly Conversation CafÈs per city and assuming a
> need for 'emergency' back-up hosts, 50 is a minimum number.  Existing
> Conversation CafÈ host trainers can do this.  Hosts are also trained
> on how to do media outreach about their CafÈs and places to promote
> their CafÈs.
> Write a powerful context statement for the year-long inquiry into
> democracy in America and how citizens can make a difference in this
> election year.  Develop launch questions (following are some broad
> areas of interest in 2004 -- a simple question that gets at each one
> would be developed):
> * Freedom and security -- Americans value both.  How do you resolve
> these needs in your own life?  Where would you set the boundaries on
> freedom to achieve security?  What might make Americans more secure?
> How is our government responsible for freedom?
> * Some say America is the place where anyone can get rich.  Others
> say American is the place where anyone can become President.  Which
> of these statements seem more true to you and why?  What is your
> essential definition of America... it's a place where...?  How is our
> government responsible for creating opportunities for everyone?
> * How does America seem more or less fair than when you were growing
> up?  Are there more or less opportunities?  For whom?  How is our
> government responsible for fairness?
> Establish relationships with at least 12 co-sponsoring organizations
> that would likely have some, if not all, of the following
> characteristics:
> * social engagement with the larger issues of our times
> * commitment to dialogue and inquiry
> * large, well connected networks
> * enthusiasm for and sense of ownership of the project -- proud to be
> part of it
> Potential partners: Institute of Noetic Sciences, The World CafÈ, the
> Commons CafÈ, National Center for Dialogue and Deliberation, National
> Coaches Networks (including Dave Ellis' networks), Industrial Areas
> Foundation, Positive Futures Network
> Offer and request the following from the co-sponsors:
> * they provide at least 5 hosts/city, willing to be trained and to
> participate fully
> * they are featured sponsor for a month, writing the context
> statement and surfacing the 3 questions that will launch the
> conversations in the communities.  Their initiative is highlighted on
> the CC/2004 Election website
> * They promote the CC/2004 Election initiative through their
> networks, newsletters and websites.
> * They designate a media spokesperson who can make the link between
> their mission and the CC/2004 Election initiative, and share their
> media contacts for monthly press releases
> A CC/2004 Election  website is launched, based on the CC website
> model, including calendar and a specific CC/2004 Election  Host
> manual.
> Civic leaders and local celebrities are engaged to attend CCs in the
> community during the year.  National leaders are involved in some
> higher profile way -- perhaps a congressperson from every state
> participates in a national launch event (this would require at least
> triple the funding).
> Develop graphic materials: flyers, posters, table signs that hosts
> can use in their locales -- and post on website
> Develop a host listserve where hosts are free to problem solve,
> celebrate, complain, ask for help.
> Develop a tracking device for the whole year so we get ongoing
> feedback and can learn over time what works and how to make the
> CC/2004 Election  Initiative even more powerful and successful
>
> Approximate Budget (Minimal needs)
> Coordinator: 30 hours/week for 3 months, 20 hours/week for 9 months
> $30,000.00
> Support services: 220 hours @ $25/hour, 100 hours @ $15/hour
> $7,000.00
> Communications Director
> $20,000.00
> Interns:
> $2,000.00
> Consultants:
> $3,000.00
> Travel:
> $5,000.00
> Web design and maintenance
> $8,000.00
> Design and Printing of materials
> $15,000.00
> Grant administration
> $5,000.00
> Misc/contingency
> $5,000.00
>
> TOTAL
> $100,000.00
>
>
> We are seeking financial partners who can swiftly join us in
> launching the CC/2004 Election Initiative.  We are open to a single
> donor, a donor who can offer part of the needed funds, and is willing
> to fundraise for the rest, or a Foundation.  Funds should be in place
> no later than December 1, 2003 in order to launch in February.  If
> donations exceed $100,000, both quantity of staff time and quality of
> materials can be increased.  Even more would allow greater support
> services for the approximately 150 hosts serving nationally.  If we
> write a report at the end of the year, another $10,000 would allow us
> to pay a writer and print 1,000 copies for distribution.  However, if
> only $100,000 is available, the Conversation CafÈ Initiative has a
> proven track record of maximizing impact per every penny spent.
>
> The CC/2004 Election  Initiative is a project of the Conversation
> CafÈ Initiative, which is a project of the New Road Map Foundation
> http://www.newroadmap.org, a 501c3 non-profit Foundation.  Checks
> should be made payable to NRM/CC2004 and sent to:
> New Road Map Foundation
> P.O. Box 15981
> Seattle, WA 98115
>
>
> Biography of Vicki Robin
> Co-founder, Conversation CafÈs
> President, New Road Map Foundation
>
> Vicki Robin is the coauthor with Joe Dominguez of the international
> best-seller, Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship
> With Money and Achieving Financial Independence (Viking Penguin,
> 1992), available now in nine languages. Vicki is President of the
> Seattle-based New Road Map Foundation, an educational foundation
> teaching people tools for sustainable living.
>
> Vicki has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows,
> including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Good Morning America" and
> National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition" and "Morning Edition"; she
> has also been featured in People magazine, The Wall Street Journal,
> Mirabella, Woman's Day, Newsweek, Utne Reader and the New York Times.
>
> Inspired by years of experience in communication and dialogue skills
> -- and by the challenge to democracy, ecological sustainability and
> social justice represented by the 9/11 crisis -- Vicki co-created and
> took responsibility for spreading Conversation CafÈs throughout
> Seattle -- and the world. Conversation CafÈs are hosted conversations
> among diverse people in public places on subjects that matter.
> Stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Seattle Times and
> The Utne Reader and CafÈs have spread to 7 cities in North America,
> with a dozen more in the works.
>
> Vicki served on the President's Council on Sustainable Development's
> Task Force on Population and Consumption. She is a founding Board
> member of the Center for the New American Dream, a national
> organization with the goal of changing the pattern and overall
> quantity of consumption in the United States - without sacrificing
> quality of life. She is also the Chair of the Simplicity Forum, an
> association of academics, activists, artists, entrepreneurs and
> authors who are leaders of the Simplicity movement.
>
> She has received awards from Co-op America and from Sustainable
> Northwest for her pioneering work on sustainable living. A&E
> Entertainment's show "Biography" recently honored Vicki as one of ten
> exceptional citizens in Seattle.
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Tom Atlee * The Co-Intelligence Institute * PO Box 493 * Eugene, OR 97440
> http://www.co-intelligence.org *  http://www.democracyinnovations.org
> Read THE TAO OF DEMOCRACY *  http://www.taoofdemocracy.com
> Please support our work.  *  Your donations are fully tax-deductible.
>
> ________________________________
>
>
>
>
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