President Barack Obama’s “Day One” action, on January 21, 2009, emphasized his commitment to open and free government information, spelled out in his Freedom of Information Act Memorandum, the very first order the new President issued from the White House.
The one-day conference, “Open Government on the Internet: A New Era of Transparency,” will look at these developments through the eyes of nationally prominent speakers and the participation of the audience. On May 15, 2009, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, and the LBJ School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas at Austin, in co-sponsorship with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, will co-host this one-day conference with speakers and panelists interacting simultaneously, through videoconferencing, in Austin, Texas and Washington, D.C.
The conference is sold out, but we are offering this opportunity for you to watch the webcast from the comfort of your own home or office!
Watch this video produced by students from the LBJ School of Public Affairs for an overview of the day.
Technologies for monitoring legislation and spending
The “right-to-know” agenda for the 21st century
Innovation in the states
The future of “i-government”
Citizen participation online
How technologists can help
This event is meant for public sector managers and leaders, elected officials, nonprofit advocates, technologists and developers, and citizens interested in transforming government with new online tools.
The Day’s Program
8:30-8:45: The Hon. Former Senator Bill Bradley
8:45 – 9:30: Vivek Kundra, Chief Information Officer, White House Office of Management and Budget
9:30-10:15: Susan Combs, Comptroller of Public Accounts, State of Texas
10:15-10:45: Coffee break
10:45-12:00: Panel on Texas and transparency: The Hon. State Senator Kirk Watson (invited); The Hon. State Representative Mark Strama (invited); The Hon. former State Representative Sherri Greenberg, LBJ School of Public Affairs; The Hon. former State Senator Talmadge Heflin, Texas Public Policy Foundation; Fred Zipp, editor, Austin American-Statesman
12:00 to 12:30: Gary Chapman, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
12:30-1:30: Lunch Break
1:30-2:30: Panel discussion technology and transparency in the federal government: Kshmendra Paul, Manager, Federal Enterprise Architecture, Office of Management and Budget; Clay Johnson, Sunlight Labs; John Wonderlich,
Director of Policy, The Sunlight Foundation
2:30-3:15 Panel discussion on transparency and application development: Conor Kenny, OpenCongress/Sunlight Foundation; Damien Brockmann, billhop.com; Eric Gundersen, President of Development Seed
3:15-3:30: Break – Refreshments provided
3:30-4:15: Silona Bonewald, founder and director of the League of Technical Voters
Over the past six years, Texas Forums has partnered with a number of organizations around Central Texas and across the country. We have had students from Universities do research with and about us. We have worked with organizations to frame issues for public deliberation and to train their members to be moderators. We have co-hosted events like the Tavis Smiley Presidential Forums Watch party and the Presidential Health Care forums. Through our partnership with E3 Alliance, we have been in nine school districts conducting forms on closing the achievement gaps and preparing our youth for tomorrow’s jobs. It’s an amazing list of partnerships and I even know of one that we inadvertently left off – the Community Action Network. I’m sure there are more ommissions, but it’s still an impressive list.
This is the lovely document that Balmore prepared for our Six Year Celebration event and I’ve listed the partners below since the print is so small. I hope you’ll forgive me for not linking each of the partners names to their home page. Clearly that would be a big job!
Austin Area Urban League
Austin ISD
Austin Listen
Austin Public Library
Austin Public Library Carver Branch
Austin Voices for Education and Youth
Bastrop ISD
BrightSpot Information Design
Capitol Area United Way
Center for Public Policy & Political Studies at ACC
Center for Public Policy Priorities
Central Texas World Future Society
Champion Austin
Christian Life Commission
Civic Engagement Initiative of the UT Center for Sustainable Development
Collaborative Communications Group
E3 Alliance
Eanes ISD
Envision Central Texas
Fielding Graduate University
George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center
Huston-Tillotson
Hutto ISD
KERA
Kettering Foundation
KLRU
LBJ School of Public Affairs – Center for Health and Social Policy
League of Technical Voters
Leander ISD
Manor ISD
Media Bloggers Association
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
National Issues Forums Institute
Pflugervile ISD
ProArts Collective
Project on Civic Reflection
Round Rock ISD
San Marcos ISD
St. Edwards University
Study Circles Resource Center
Texas Health Institute
Texas Impact
Texas State Library
The Harwood Institute
University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan Graduate Library School
University of Texas Center for African and African-America Studies
World Preparatory
Earlier this semester, students in my Library School course on Community Engagement gathered tools for online engagement that I, along with Charles Knickerbocker and Silona Bonewald presented to the National Association of Planning Councils conference. I’m summarizing some of these tools here for the benefit of Patricia Wilson’s Commmunity Engagement Course at UT and anyone else who might be interested. (Also, I’ve thrown my back out and can’t present to her class in person so I hope this will suffice.) Since Patricia will be moving through this material in a one hour class, I’ve added a * after the web sites that should be opened and explored during the class. I’ve also set them to open in a new window which can be obnoxious, but is useful if you are clicking through web sites in front of a room full of students.
Scenarios
Before adopting any technology, it is important to think about what are you trying to accomplish. Keeping that in mind, my class created some scenarios, then recommended a tool and possible applications. These scenarios were inspired by a webinar we attended that was led by Steve Clift, an early adopter of technology for public engagement, founder of e-democracy and an Ashoka Fellow. We also used the IAP2 model to determine if the tool was best suited to 1) inform, 2) consult, 3) involve, 4) collaborate, and/or 5) empower. Read through the scenarios below. As you think about these scenarios, consider:
What are some likely tools address the challenge posed by the scenario?
What are some possible applications of the tool?
Who might use the tool?
What are the strengths?
What are the weaknesses?
What is the level of public engagement as defined by the IAP2 spectrum?
Scenario 1: New to the community
You have just moved to a new community. You are unfamiliar with every aspect of the community but, in your old community, you were an active member. You helped plan the annual fair each year, volunteered at the hospital, tutored school children, and taught Sunday school. It is only your first week in this new community but you’re itching to get involved. You grab your computer and start searching online for some ideas. Where might you start? What technology tools will you use?
Scenario 2: Combating vandalism
You enjoying jogging through the local park every morning but lately have noticed an increase in vandalism along the trails. You have already contacted several individuals in the local government…Nothing has been done. Weeks have past and the situation is getting worse. You seek a public arena in which to voice your deepening concern. You would like to reach as wide an audience as possible. How might you utilize different tools from the technology tools list to reach the large audience you seek?
Scenario 3: Environmental hazard
You live in a small industrial town whose main employer is a large factory. However, you’re concerned that the factory’s chemical runoff is endangering local wildlife and, potentially worse, affecting the local water supply. What tools can best assist you to gather support, document any evidence/effects and subsequently present your case to a governing body?
Scenario 4: Tolerance and enlightenment
A group of students in a conservative town wants to form a Gay/Straight Alliance at their local high school, but are afraid to go public without a plan for presenting relevant facts & figures, involving fellow students, and getting the administration on board to approve. What are some tools the students can utilize to achieve their aims?
The basics about possible technologies
There are two great resources for a snappy introduction to the various technologies that communities might use to collaborate and form connections. Tim Davies, a UK blogger about e-democracy has created some terrific one-pagers that he freely shares through scribd* and Common Craft* has a number of short, light and informative videos. I suggest that you print out the one-pager for the technology that interests you and then watch the companion video.
Here’s an example of one of Tim’s one-pagers on blogging with wordpress, the tool I’m using to write this post.
EXERCISE: While you’re checking out Tim’s one-pagers on Scribd, sign up for your own scribd account. Scribd lets you share documents online. You can add tags, invite others to view. Viewers can easily download the document, share it with others through e-mail or over a dozen social networking sites, or even embed the document in their web site. They can even add it as a favorite so that they can easily find it later. The site even recommends similar documents that might be of interest to you. When would this be a useful tool? How might you use this as a student?
Speaking of blogging, here’s our first application of a technology – hyperlocal or placeblogging. Sometimes the things that we care about, the things that affect us most directly in our own home town and our own block are not reported in the newspaper, but they are still important to us. At my parent’s neighborhood meeting the other day, the Chief of our volunteer fire department explained how they would respond to a fire in the neighborhood and how the scant number of fire hydrants puts the neighborhood in a vulnerable position. That’s pretty important news if you’re more than 500′ from a hydrant as 90% of the neighborhood is. It wouldn’t be reported in the newspaper – even in a small town like Salado. But some industrious civic-minded soul could set up a blog for free that would only report on things that people in the neighborhood care about. But don’t just take it from me. Here’s a video by Placeblogger’s Lisa Williams who also blogs about her community at H2oTown.
more about “Lisa Williams on placeblogging on Vimeo”, posted with vodpod
“A Zogby survey released in February 2008 foujnd that 70 percent of Americans say journalism is important to maintaining community quality of life, but that nearly as high a number – 67 percent – say the traditional media are out of touch with what citizens want out of their news.” (See Fanselow, Julie. “Community Blogging: The New Wave of Citizen Journalism.” National Civic Review Winter(2008): 24-29.)
So why not give ordinary citizens the opportunity to report on what’s happening in their community?
The NY Times has their reporters hyperlocal blogging about the communities where they live. Here’s one example from Maplewood.
Another interesting use of hyperlocal blogging is for communities and grantors to share information with each other. The Northwest Area Foundation uses blogs as a key component of its Horizons program*. The Foundation gets a front row seat learning about what is working and what the communities need help with, and the communities in the Horizon Project share information with each other. They provide a grid of ways that people in communities can report on the progress they are making in their community and about a dozen screencasts on how to blog, why to blog and wordpress basics. Here’s one on why to blog by Griff Wigley, the founder of a community blog called Locally Growh Northfield whose early foray into community blogging has landed him a career as a blog coach.
EXERCISE: Check out some of the local blogs. What kind of stories do you see? How are they organized – one or more authors, groundrules for comments? What territory do they cover?
Social Networks for Participation and Collaboration
What if you wanted to enable people to set up their own blog, have conversations, share videos and photos. Two easy to use sites are NING.com* and Wetpaint.com*. I’ve used wetpaint for Texas Forums* several years. I call it my sandbox. It’s where I can dump things that I am working on and easily share them with others without worrying about it looking nice. I use it as a “not ready for prime time” website.
A couple of years ago I set up a wet paint site for a group of people in the American Library Association to see if we could frame Privacy as an issue for public deliberation using the National Issues Forums model online. They used the Privacy Framing site* to upload materials on how to frame issues, developed core questions to ask stakeholders, posted the results of their interviews, clustered their results into three approaches and created a discussion map that they will be testing at ALA this summer. COOL!
EXERCISE: Divide the class into two groups. Have one group set up a wetpaint site and have the other group set up a Ning site. Populate the sites and explore the tools. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages to each?
Where else to go…
Since my back is giving out and it’s time to find food, I’ll send you to a couple of other resources (i.e., really smart people who really know this stuff).
The social media game:* This game was first developed for a workshop led by Beth Kanter and David Wilcox in the UK in 2007. As is the nature of social media gurus, they are very generous with their creations so the game has been remixed. Check out the non-profit game* – lots of how-to videos and links to additional resources that will probably fit your interests.
Beth Kanter is one to follow.
Ok, sorry to poop out on you, but most anything I’ve left out will be in the social media game. I’ve got more resources I didn’t have time to post, but I’ll be back.
Look back over the scenarios. What tools could you use to help address some of the concerns and interests expressed in those scenarios?
Hope you had a great class, sorry I couldn’t be with you, but I look forward to hearing from you.
Date: April 28 Time: 6-8 p.m. Place: The LBJ
Presidential Library 10th floor Atrium 2313 Red River Street Austin, TX 78705-5702
Come and meet new and long-time members of Texas Forums and reminisce with your colleagues and Texas Forums co-founder Dr. Betty Sue Flowers about the forums, events, research, receptions, and workshops we have enjoyed over the past six years .
If you are new to Texas Forums, this will be a great opportunity to socialize with our members and to learn more about our work.
Bring your memories and photos. We’ll provide the fun and the food.
In
1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act, a landmark law that profoundly changed how citizens can learn about their government.
This event is meant for public sector managers and leaders, elected officials, nonprofit advocates, technologists and developers, and citizens interested in transforming government with new online tools.
President Barack Obama’s “Day One” action, on January 21, 2009, emphasized his commitment to open and free government information, spelled out in his Freedom of Information Act Memorandum, the very first order the new President issued from the White House.
Already there is an explosion of new tools on the Internet to access government information in innovative ways.
The one-day conference, “Open Government on the Internet: A New Era of
Transparency,” will look at these developments through the eyes of nationally prominent speakers and the participation of the audience.
Featured speakers include
Bill Bradley, The Hon. Former Senator
Vivek Kundra, White House Chief Information Officer
Beginning on Monday, April 27, the Humanities Institute, in partnership with the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, the Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, and the LBJ Library and Museum, will host the week-long residency of distinguished Iranian jurist, human rights activist, and 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi. Dr. Ebadi’s itinerary in Austin features four free public events in which distinguished members of our own intellectual community will also participate. These timely forums, organized around the presence of a truly remarkable figure whose life and work uniquely position her to explore with us some of the 21st century’s central global challenges, include discussions of “Democracy in Iran and the Middle East,” “Law, Locality, and International Human Rights,” and “US-Iranian Relations.”
Monday, April 27, 5 p.m. “Democracy in Iran and the Middle East.” A public lecture by Dr. Shirin Ebadi in the Amphitheatre of the AT&T Conference Center.
Tuesday, April 28, 7 p.m. Public reading and book signing of Shirin Ebadi’s memoir, “Iran Awakening: One Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country,” Bookpeople, 603 N. Lamar
Wednesday, April 29, 3:30 p.m. “Law, Locality, and International Human Rights.” A panel discussion moderated by Rapoport Center Director Karen Engle, with Shirin Ebadi and UT professors Kamran Ali, Mounira Charrad, Barbara Harlow, Neville Hoad, and Shannon Speed. In the Eidman Courtroom, UT School of Law
Thursday, April 30, 5:30 p.m. “US-Iranian Relations.” A roundtable moderated by LBJ Presidential Librarian Betty Sue Flowers, with Shirin Ebadi and UT Professors Kamran Aghaie, Clement Henry, Faegheh Shirazi, and Denise Spellberg. In the Atrium, LBJ Library and Museum.
Please note: Space is limited for the free April 30 panel in the atrium of the LBJ Library. Tickets are available from either the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies or the Humanities Institute. Contact the Humanities Institute at: (512) 471-2654 or information@humanitiesinstitute.utexas.edu
I know that numbers alone do not always measure impact and in this case none of the numbers really mean a hill of beans. (I am really put off by those twitterers who engage in contests to see who can get more people to follow them, for example.) Still, it’s fun to look at the numbers every so often. Here are a few from Texas Forums:
On February 18, Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, director of the LBJ Library announced her resignation. The full post is below, but what is particularly relevant to the readers of this blog is Dr. Flowers’ leadership in establishing Texas Forums as an initiative of the LBJ Library six years ago.
It was October 2002 when I walked into her office to discuss deliberative forums as a possible offering for the LBJ Library. In true “Betty Sue fashion”, she only needed to hear two sentences before proclaiming, “yes, these forums will be one of the legacies of the LBJ Library. They are a direct fulfillment of one of the presidential libraries’ missions: to foster civic engagement.”
Just a few weeks later, I was privileged to enjoy a Sunday brunch at the Old Pecan Street Cafe with Betty Sue and four high-powered women. We discovered a common concern over the lack of opportunities for citizens to participate in the political conversations about important and, often, divisive issues that affect our every day lives. Out of this common concern, Texas Forums was born in January 2003.
If you recall the time, we were in the early stage talk about going to war in Iraq. We launched forums on Americans’ Role in the World in partnership with KLRU and were overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to learn to moderate and participate in these difficult conversations. A sentiment expressed by many participants went something like this, “I know what I believe, but I desperately want to engage with those who think differently. I don’t want this to divide us. I want to reach out and understand.” People did not necessarily change their opinion about the war. But they did reach a new understanding and empathy for those who thought differently. That’s quite a legacy.
Betty Sue learns about One Latop Per Child from Joshua Gay at the We are All Actors event
Texas Forums is not just a program of the LBJ Library to Betty Sue. Deliberative forums and a connection to the Kettering Foundation were already a legacy of the LBJ Library under Harry Middleton, long-time library director, and former staff member and close confidant to President Johnson. Betty Sue built on this legacy and moved civic discourse out into the community - real and virtual. Long before President Obama drew WOOTS from the civic participation and open government junkies and threw the Washington bureaucrats into a frenzy with his talk of transparency, participation and collaboration, Betty Sue saw the connection between transparency and authentic public discourse. Almost three years ago she was assembling resources to enable Texas Forums and Silona Bonewald (League of Technical Voters) to assemble an amazing roomful of talented technologists committed to transparency in government that would enable people to be responsible, pro-active, and engaged citizens.
She wove together extensive networks of organizations concerned with issues – Texas Health Institute and the Center for Health and Social Policy, for example – and demonstrated how their mission to address difficult issues could be better achieved by engaging the public in civil discourse in partnership with Texas Forums. The list of organizations that have partnered with the library as a result of her vision for Texas Forums is long, but I will research our history and post them later so that you can appreciate the scope of her vision.
I know that many of you will want to send your regards and good wishes to Dr. Flowers and join me in thanking her for her vision and leadership. You may do so in the comments section of this blog where they will be collected for her to enjoy well into her next adventure.
AUSTIN, Texas-Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum since 2002, is leaving that post effective May 22, 2009, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation announced Feb. 18.
“After seven wonderful years at the LBJ Library and Museum, I have decided to move on to other adventures and opportunities,” Dr. Flowers said.
“It’s been such an honor and pleasure to serve as the director of this flagship presidential library, and I’m sure I would have been happy to continue serving into the indefinite future. But it’s always been my philosophy that it’s good for an institution to adapt to new leadership-and for a leader to face new challenges.”
Tom Johnson, chairman of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, said he is grateful for the wonderful leadership Dr. Flowers has provided at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Johnson applauded the distinction, class and loyalty she has displayed as director.
“Dr. Flowers has earned the respect and the admiration of our board, her many colleagues in the entire presidential library system, historians and scholars who use the Library, and The University of Texas community,” Johnson said. “We will be cheering the next chapter in the accomplished life of Dr. Betty Sue Flowers.”
Johnson praised the many initiatives launched during Dr. Flowers’ tenure at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, including the Presidential Timeline of the 20th Century project, a Web-based resource that opens to the public the rich archives of historical documents and artifacts from the nation’s presidential libraries. Johnson said the project “will serve future generations with an amazing collection of historical information about U.S. presidents and the times they experienced.”
Other initiatives undertaken during Dr. Flowers’ seven years as director include the release of recorded phone conversations from the Johnson administration; activities commemorating President Johnson’s 100th birthday; the tribute to Lady Bird Johnson; and repair of the LBJ Plaza at the Library and Museum.
Dr. Flowers said: “Thanks to the generous support of the LBJ Foundation, many of my dreams for the Library and the reputation of its great president have come true.”
Dr. Flowers became director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in 2002. Before that, she was the Joan Negley Kelleher Centennial Professor in the English Department at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Piper Professor and a member of the University’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers. During her tenure at The University of Texas, she also was associate dean of graduate Studies and director of the Plan II Honors Program.
Dr. Flowers is a native Texan with degrees from The University of Texas and the University of London.
Dr. Flowers was a consultant for the nationally televised series “The Power of Myth” and a host for the radio series “The Next 200 Years.” Her 10-part television series, “Conversation with Betty Sue Flowers,” aired on the Austin PBS affiliate, KLRU.
About the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation is responsible for managing gifts that benefit two institutions at The University of Texas at Austin-the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs.
As one of only 12 presidential libraries in the country, the Library was established to preserve and make available for research the papers and memorabilia of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
The mission of the School is to prepare graduate students for leadership positions, to organize public policy research, to provide continuing education for professionals, and to foster community involvement.
Over the past three years, the E3 Alliance and Texas Forums have joined forces to engage communities across Central Texas in deliberating education issues and implementing changes that will align our educational system, close education gaps, enlist the talents and energy of the entire community, and provide our students with a foundation for ongoing educational and career success. This has been a remarkable endeavor involving thousands of parents, educators, business leaders, students, policy-makers, school administrators, university presidents, non-profit organizations and policy think tanks.
This effort has even been recognized by the Kettering Foundation research organization that explores what it takes to make democracy work as it should. Headed by Dr. David Mathews, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and author of several books about the public’s role in public education, the Kettering Foundation invited us to be part of their research project on how people in communities are talking about education. We prepared a report to the Kettering Foundation in December 2007 and continue to address questions jointly prepared by us and their research team. This post is a brief description of the project with links to some of the resources we created over the past three years.
In the fall of 2007, Texas Forums trained 120 moderators to work in six communities. To ensure that we had involvement from young people both as participants and as community engagement leaders, we worked with Austin Voices for Education and Youth to recruit and train students to serve as co-moderators. Over 600 people in six communities – Bastrop, Manor, San Marcos, Eanes, Austin and Round Rock – spent three evenings discussing how to close the education gaps within our school districts and across the region. All of the forums were organized by local community champions. At the end of the series of forums in each community, participants signed up to work on action items.
In November 2007, delegates from the community forums met at the LBJ Presidential Library atrium to refine their community action plans and combine their ideas into a regional map using a graphic template. Meanwhile community leaders met in the Brown Room of the LBJ Library to learn about the deliberative forum process these delegates had experienced. The two groups were then combined for a large group discussion that was graphically recorded.
Eleven regional goals emerged from this conversation:
Children Enter Kindergarten School Ready
Every 5th grader has mastered reading and math at or above grade level
Central Texas schools foster a culture of learning through high expectations and strong leadership
Central Texas closes Achievement Gaps for all students while improving overall performance
English Language Learners reach their highest potential in education regardless of when they come to Central Texas
Central Texas Students Set the Standard for Excellence in Math & Science
Students graduate high school and are prepared to succeed in life
20,010 more high school graduates are prepared for and enroll in college by 2010
Central Texas Higher Education Institutions increase regional success rate by 50% by 2015
Central Texas is world-renowned in target fields, both in higher education and in industry
Central Texas as a community works with regional educators to prepare all children to succeed in life
We prepared a handout (available here) describing each of these goals along with additional data about each goal and how it applies to Central Texas.
While all eleven of these goals will be needed for systemic and sustainable change in how we think about and approach education in Central Texas, we knew that it would be important to establish priorities and recruit volunteers to act on the most important goals. In January 2008, we convened a Summit of business leaders, community representatives, non-profits and policy-makers to deliberate and further refine these eleven goals. They prioritized the top four goals that became known as The Blueprint for Educational Change.
The top four goals are:
All children enter kindergarten school ready.
We eliminate achievement gaps while improving overall student performance.
All students graduate college-and-career ready and prepared for a lifetime of learning.
Central Texas as a community prepares children to succeed.
Participants at the 2008 Summit (cajoled by Senator Kirk Watson known for inspiring people to act!) signed up to be Blueprint Champions. There definitely was a sense at the Summit that real educational change was possible as it had never been before. The Blueprint Champions worked through 2008 to prove it!
In the fall of 2008, we continued engaging new communities in educational dialogues. At the request of three communities not included in the first year – Pflugerville, Hutto and Leander – we organized a second round of dialogues in the fall of 2008. Recognizing that The Blueprint for Educational Change is dynamic, ambitious and will evolve over time, we engaged members of these communities in a dialogue about what The Blueprint for Educational Change would look like in their community. They also spent an evening using the discussion guide “Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Jobs” that we adapted from the National Issues Forums book. Each community developed action plans based on common themes that they heard in their deliberations.
Here are some ideas from the Hutto team working on the theme, “Make learning relevant to the real world.”
Once again, delegates from the community dialogues (including a large representation of enthusiastic students) community leaders and The Blueprint Champions came to a Summit in February 2009. At the Summit, we updated and refined The Blueprint Action Plans, launched The Blueprint for Educational Change website, and the delegates met over lunch to work on their community action plans and to share their plans with each other. We are continuing to meet with the local community champions and superintendents as they work to implement their community action plans.
There was much to celebrate at the second Summit. The Blueprint for Educational action teams had scores of items that they could cross of their “to do list” even as we added more actions and volunteers to work on each of the four goals. Now it’s time to go back to work on the regional plan as we continue to support the community-driven plans. I’ll be meeting with the Hutto School Board on March 31st to help them set priorities for their community. We met with Leander last month and did the same. In addition, E3 is connecting teachers and superintendents to resources they are developing in partnership with UT.
The Blueprint for Educational change aims to address the needs across the entire educational continuum from kindergarten through post-secondary and on to career and lifelong success across Central Texas. The scope is ambitious, but achievable if we all roll up our sleeves and contribute our time and talents. To make a formal commitment, Join the Blueprint for Educational Change and download these ideas for ways you can support the four goals!
President Johnson was an educator long before he was President and some of his proudest accomplishments were programs like Head Start, a nation-wide effort to give pre-schoolers from poor families the nutritional and other attentions they need to begin first grade on a par with other children – an early effort to meet our own Blueprint Goal #1. So it is appropriate that the LBJ Library’s initiative, Texas Forums has been involved in the project with E3 Alliance. We are proud to be their featured partner and look forward to another year of collaborating to align regional education efforts and strengthen community involvement to meet the needs of our youth in Central Texas.
I just received notice of a Director of Citizen Engagement position from my friend Joe Goldman over at AmericaSpeaks. AmericaSpeaks has engaged thousands of citizens in large-scale projects on participatory budgeting, rebuilding New Orleans, the New York Listening to the City project, the arts, and health care in California just to name a few. The tools in their toolbox include keypad voting, online deliberation, research, community conversations and webcast meetings.
With an administration that is promoting transparency, participation and collaboration, this is an exciting time to be involved in citizen engagement. So send Joe a line if you are interested in working in D.C. with a dynamic organization doing important work!
Director of Citizen Engagement
Overview
The Director of Citizen Engagement will play a critical leadership position for AmericaSpeaks and its major citizen engagement initiatives. The Director of Citizen Engagement will be responsible for representing AmericaSpeaks with its clients and directing large project teams to develop, plan and carry out initiatives to engage the public in the policy making process.
AmericaSpeaks is a world leader in the field of citizen engagement and public deliberation. For more than a decade, AmericaSpeaks has helped citizens influence many of the most pressing issues facing the public, including the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site after 9/11, the creation of regional plans for the greater Chicago and Cleveland regions, and the development of a recovery plan for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. AmericaSpeaks’ vision is to create a new institution that will link citizens to our nation’s policy making process. For more information about AmericaSpeaks, visit www.americaspeaks.org.
The Director of Citizen Engagement will report to the President of AmericaSpeaks. Salary will be commensurate with experience.
Duties and Responsibilities
Providing overall leadership for major citizen engagement initiatives independently or in conjunction with AmericaSpeaks’ President
Direct project teams for major citizen engagement initiatives
Represent AmericaSpeaks with current and prospective clients
Attract new projects and design new citizen engagement initiatives for AmericaSpeaks
Write foundation grant proposals to secure funds for citizen engagement initiatives
Lead the organization’s Citizen Engagement Cluster to develop AmericaSpeaks’ resources and infrastructure to support its programming
Exhibit leadership in the field of democracy reform and public deliberation through public speaking, networking, writing, presentations, and other efforts
Develop new innovations to increase the impact and reach of the organization’s citizen engagement efforts and to advance the field of practice
Forge new organizational partnerships, relationships and initiatives in order to support the organization in reaching its goal of creating new national mechanisms for linking citizen voice to governance
Knowledge and Skills Preferred for the Position
Must live in Washington, DC area
A commitment and passion for increasing the voice of citizens in policy making and realizing AmericaSpeaks vision
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Experience with directing large, complex campaigns or initiatives
Strong facilitation and program design skills
Significant experience with managing outreach and communications campaigns
Strong management skills
Willingness to adjust hours according to the demands of the job and travel
Proven ability to meet multiple deadlines and balance numerous projects while maintaining a perspective on long-term goals
Strategic thinking
At least 7 years of experience in the field of citizen engagement, conflict resolution, campaign management, community organizing, public affairs, urban planning, disaster recovery, or other related fields
Familiarity with new trends in online engagement tools is preferred
Familiarity with the field of deliberative democracy is preferred
Applications
Send application to Joe Goldman at jgoldman [at] americaspeaks [dot] org. Please include a resume and a letter describing why you are interested in this work, summarizing why you should be considered for this job, and identifying your salary history and current salary requirements. All attachments should be in PDF or Microsoft Word format and titled as follows “Lastname_Firstname_documentype”.
AmericaSpeaks is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage and value a diverse work force, and we seek diversity among applicants for this position.
On February 18, Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, director of the 
AUSTIN, Texas-Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum since 2002, is leaving that post effective May 22, 2009, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation announced Feb. 18.
To ensure that we had involvement from young people both as participants and as community engagement leaders, we worked with 
Participants at the 2008 Summit (cajoled by Senator Kirk Watson known for inspiring people to act!) signed up to be Blueprint Champions. There definitely was a sense at the Summit that real educational change was possible as it had never been before. The Blueprint Champions worked through 2008 to prove it!
Once again, delegates from the community dialogues (including a large representation of enthusiastic students) community leaders and The Blueprint Champions came to a Summit in February 2009. At the Summit, we updated and refined The Blueprint Action Plans, launched 
Thanks to Our Partners
April 29, 2009 by Taylor Willingham
Over the past six years, Texas Forums has partnered with a number of organizations around Central Texas and across the country. We have had students from Universities do research with and about us. We have worked with organizations to frame issues for public deliberation and to train their members to be moderators. We have co-hosted events like the Tavis Smiley Presidential Forums Watch party and the Presidential Health Care forums. Through our partnership with E3 Alliance, we have been in nine school districts conducting forms on closing the achievement gaps and preparing our youth for tomorrow’s jobs. It’s an amazing list of partnerships and I even know of one that we inadvertently left off – the Community Action Network. I’m sure there are more ommissions, but it’s still an impressive list.
This is the lovely document that Balmore prepared for our Six Year Celebration event and I’ve listed the partners below since the print is so small. I hope you’ll forgive me for not linking each of the partners names to their home page. Clearly that would be a big job!
Austin Area Urban League
Austin ISD
Austin Listen
Austin Public Library
Austin Public Library Carver Branch
Austin Voices for Education and Youth
Bastrop ISD
BrightSpot Information Design
Capitol Area United Way
Center for Public Policy & Political Studies at ACC
Center for Public Policy Priorities
Central Texas World Future Society
Champion Austin
Christian Life Commission
Civic Engagement Initiative of the UT Center for Sustainable Development
Collaborative Communications Group
E3 Alliance
Eanes ISD
Envision Central Texas
Fielding Graduate University
George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center
Huston-Tillotson
Hutto ISD
KERA
Kettering Foundation
KLRU
LBJ School of Public Affairs – Center for Health and Social Policy
League of Technical Voters
Leander ISD
Manor ISD
Media Bloggers Association
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
National Issues Forums Institute
Pflugervile ISD
ProArts Collective
Project on Civic Reflection
Round Rock ISD
San Marcos ISD
St. Edwards University
Study Circles Resource Center
Texas Health Institute
Texas Impact
Texas State Library
The Harwood Institute
University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan Graduate Library School
University of Texas Center for African and African-America Studies
World Preparatory
Posted in Commentary, Partners | Tagged Austin Area Urban League, Austin ISD, Austin Listen, Austin Public Library, Austin Public Library Carver Branch, Austin Voices for Education and Youth, Bastrop ISD, BrightSpot Information Design, Capitol Area United Way, Center for Public Policy & Political Studies at ACC, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Central Texas World Future Society, Champion Austin, Christian Life Commission, Civic Engagement Initiative of the UT Center for Sustainable Development, Collaborative Communications Group, Community Action Network, E3 Alliance, Eanes ISD, Envision Central Texas, Fielding Graduate University, George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center, Huston-Tillotson, Hutto ISD, KERA, kettering foundation, KLRU, LBJ School of Public Affairs - Center for Health and Social Policy, League of Technical Voters, Leander ISD, Manor ISD, Media Bloggers Association, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, National Issues Forums Institute, Pflugervile ISD, ProArts Collective, Project on Civic Reflection, Round Rock ISD, San Marcos ISD, St. Edwards University, Study Circles Resource Center, Texas Health Institute, Texas Impact, Texas State Library, The Harwood Institute, University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan Graduate Library School, University of Texas Center for African and African-America Studies, World Preparatory | 1 Comment »