It’s never been more important to talk to each other about tough problems.
Although currently we cannot meet around a boardroom table, we can still come together through videoconferencing with a Zoom meeting to practice deliberation, speaking face-to-face from our own homes and offices.
Practice listening with empathy and respect, considering other perspectives, and weighing the trade-offs of possible actions in a National Issues Forum hosted by the library.
Plan to Attend
Once you choose which conversation to attend, register at the event listings linked below so that you can receive the link to the online Zoom meeting. Consider inviting someone to join you in deliberative conversation, especially someone with a different perspective, life experience or background than you.
Upcoming Deliberative Conversations
Youth and Opportunity national issue guide
Deliberative Conversation: Youth and Opportunity – Learn and Practice Deliberation Together
Thursday, September 16: June 22: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
What Should We Do for Future Generations to Thrive? Practice deliberation through considering perspectives, listening with empathy & weighing trade-offs of possible actions.
Register for Zoom link.
Deliberative Conversation: Reframing Topeka
How should we improve Topeka? Use a local community-created framework to deliberate three possible options for taking action. Weigh tradeoffs and consider unintended consequences.
Please check back for updates and for more online face-to-face video forums to be announced.
Attend
How does a deliberative conversation work?
What happens after a deliberative forum?
2021 Reframing Topeka Project Updates and Timeline
Topeka: How should we take action to improve quality of life in our community?
Goal: Reframing Topeka’s challenges to create a framework for deliberation, considering approaches and tradeoffs and looking for common ground for action among multiple stakeholders and diverse groups
- Concern Collecting
- Advisor’s Role
- Reframing Sessions
- Testing the Draft Issue Guide
- Launching Local Deliberative Conversations around How should we take action to improve quality of life in our community?
1. Concern Collecting 2-3 pm, April 1
We’re reframing Topeka’s challenges to look for common ground for action among multiple stakeholders and diverse groups — and we need your input. What concerns you about HOW we are improving Topeka?
Report out from April 1, 2021 Concern Collecting (3 page pdf)
Contribute additional concerns and invite others to contribute through this form or email connect@tscpl.org.
2. Advisors know themselves and know our community
We consider you an Advisor in this work. As part of continuing work that Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is doing with the Kettering Foundation, we are working with the community around how we face our difficult issues. This is something groups are already talking about, so we’re trying to look at things in a new way, using a deliberative framework to examine different approaches, tradeoffs and unintended consequences. As a community we can explore the things we can mostly all agree on, the people these actions may affect, and include people from different backgrounds and with different priorities or values.
Advisors receive updates, send feedback, participate as you are willing and able in work sessions, embrace deliberating approaches to challenges we face in Topeka, explore possible unintended consequences and consider trade offs. Read more about our work with Deliberative Conversations.
3. Reframing Work Sessions (April and May 2021)
Topeka: How should we take action to improve quality of life in our community?
Goal: Reframing Topeka’s challenges to create a framework for deliberation, considering approaches and tradeoffs and looking for common ground for action among multiple stakeholders and diverse groups
-
Thursday, April 15, 2021 9-11 am
Session #1 Objective: Consider underlying values of concerns, narrow and group into 3-4 possible approaches
-
Thursday, April 29, 2021 2-4 pm
Session #2 Objective: Consider tensions between approaches, and what we would have to accept if an approach was successful. -
Mid-May 2021
Session #3 Objective: Identify possible actions for each approach, including actions from federal, state and local government agencies, elected officials, organizations, businesses, education, community groups, and faith groups. Also identify tradeoffs or unintended consequences for each action.
4. Deliberate to test using the drafted local issue guide (mid June 2021)
Objective: Use the drafted reframing to thoughtfully deliberate this issue of Topeka: How should we take action to improve quality of life in our community?. Identify areas to improve and rework within the draft.
-
Thursday, June 10, 2-4 pm
5. Launching Local Deliberative Conversations (early August 2021)
Publish the issue guide as a tool to encourage and support Topeka in addressing what matters most to our community.
Present issue guide framework to City Council, County Commission, media, stakeholders, others.
Share an initial report capturing what the participants identified as common ground, tensions or unintended consequences.
Encourage community groups to schedule additional community deliberation on this issue, add more public deliberation on this issue. Reflect on who is missing from the deliberation and seek out their perspectives.
Public Deliberations: Library hosts public deliberations using this reframing issue guide and shares reports with community.
-
August (date to be determined)
-
September (date to be determined)
-
October (date to be determined)
Notes from Recent Deliberative Conversations
Youth and Opportunity
What Should We Do for Future Generations to Thrive?
Summary of June 10, 2021 Deliberation: Youth and Opportunity
Back to Work
How Should We Rebuild Our Economy?
Summary of February 10, 2021 Deliberation: Back to Work
Policing
What should we do to ensure equal justice and fair treatment in our communities?
Notes from the October 7, 2020 Deliberative Conversation: Policing
Notes from the October 21, 2020 Deliberative Conversation: Policing
Making Ends Meet
How should we spread prosperity and improve opportunity?
Notes from the March 4, 2021 Deliberative Conversation: Making Ends Meet
Safety and Justice
How should communities reduce violence?
Notes from October 2019 Deliberative Conversation on Safety and Justice
Notes from March 2021 Deliberative Conversation on Safety and Justice
Mental Illness in America
How do we address a growing mental health problem?
Notes from March 2021 Deliberative Conversation on Mental Illness
Notes from April 2021 Deliberative Conversation on Mental Illness
A House Divided
What would we have to give up to get the political system we want?
Obesity in America
How should we reduce obesity in America?
Notes from November 2019 Deliberative Conversation on Obesity in America
Over the Edge
What should we do when alcohol and drug use become a problem to society?
Notes from March 2021 Deliberative Conversation on Over the Edge