Contemporary Community Conflicts: Building Inclusive Decision Making Processes
Institutional Affiliation
American Public University System
Start Date
17-1-2025 2:30 PM
End Date
17-1-2025 4:00 PM
Proposal Type
Presentation
Proposal Format
On-campus
Proposal Description
In the United States, local elected officials and professional staff are at the front lines of political polarization. Research is showing an eroding level of trust in institutions of government, and we see this on the news with the images of angry citizens excoriating elected officials at school board meetings and council hearings. The ability of the public to engage with people they disagree with is also at alarming low levels. This lack of trust in the institutions is coupled with increased demands for local governments to tackle hard issues of race, equity, and justice with activated constituencies from multiple sides of the issues making their loud voices heard. Local governments are clamoring for help navigating these challenging questions of equity, social justice, and complicated historical legacies in an atmosphere that demands radical efforts at inclusion. This presentation reviews the results and lessons learned from a decade of work supporting local governments to support effective community engagement initiatives including conflicts in schools, over confederate legacy names and monuments, police reform, and many others. The presentation will build upon previous work to build out models for inclusive community engagement that leave communities better off and more capable of tackling future challenges.
Contemporary Community Conflicts: Building Inclusive Decision Making Processes
In the United States, local elected officials and professional staff are at the front lines of political polarization. Research is showing an eroding level of trust in institutions of government, and we see this on the news with the images of angry citizens excoriating elected officials at school board meetings and council hearings. The ability of the public to engage with people they disagree with is also at alarming low levels. This lack of trust in the institutions is coupled with increased demands for local governments to tackle hard issues of race, equity, and justice with activated constituencies from multiple sides of the issues making their loud voices heard. Local governments are clamoring for help navigating these challenging questions of equity, social justice, and complicated historical legacies in an atmosphere that demands radical efforts at inclusion. This presentation reviews the results and lessons learned from a decade of work supporting local governments to support effective community engagement initiatives including conflicts in schools, over confederate legacy names and monuments, police reform, and many others. The presentation will build upon previous work to build out models for inclusive community engagement that leave communities better off and more capable of tackling future challenges.