Category: civic engagement
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Time To Reinvent The Civic Purpose Of Political Parties
This guest article is by my friend Eric Siegel: One of the ironies of the current transition in community and network building is that we seem to have forgotten or ignored the previous transition. The “institution-centric” mode of civic engagement (to use Brad’s phrase) is a relatively recent invention, at least in America. (For a…
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Video Dialogue: Beyond "Connecting"
My friend John Creighton and I have recorded another video dialogue about the shift in public life away from an “institution centric” world to a “citizen centric” world. Our starting point was a comment that I heard at last week’s working session so social media and community benefit organizations, which was organized by the National Conference on Citizenship,…
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A New Forum To Discuss Health Care
Interest in health care, and health care reform, have hit a fever pitch with President Obama’s speech last night and the public debates (and arguments) that have precipitated it. I wanted to let readers know about a new resource to think through the issue of health care costs and what to do about them. It’s…
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Video Dialogue: Activate, Don't Engage
My friend John Creighton and I have been talking about the shift in public life from an “institution centric” world to a “citizen centric” world. People no longer organize their lives and activities for the convenience of institutions, instead, they expect institutions to conform to their expectations. In this context, we propose that the notion…
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The Old Vs. The New Guard In The Citizen-Centric Era
Yesterday I had the good fortune to be part of a very interesting conversation at United Way headquarters. This venerable organization is trying to help its 1,300 local chapters, each with a high degree of autonomy, make the shift from an old model of working (fundraising oriented with direct relationships with company heads) to a…
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On Mannakee Circle
I live near a crossroads of sorts in our town. It’s a large traffic circle at the intersection of two residential roads that serve as thoroughfares. It’s not a big Boston rotary, it’s more like a village square – only round. There’s a park in the middle that was recently named for a longtime resident,…
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Don't Hold That Town Hall
Across the nation, so-called “town hall meetings” have been held in our church basements, libraries, and other community spaces. Typically convened by lawmakers, their purposes is to “talk” about health care reform. They’ve become a key battleground for the issue, as conservative groups have organized to disrupt them by shouting down speakers, and liberal groups…
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Video Interview: New Challenges When Public Leaders Engage The Public
My friend John Creighton and I have been discussing and writing about a shift that has taken place from an “institution-centric” world to a “citizen-centric” world. The question for public leaders is how to respond to this new ecosystem. We are creating videos about a number of different aspects to this question, and also working…
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Ordinary People Stepping Into Public Life
Yesterday, I described one way in which my local blog, Rockville Central, is different from our local newspaper, even though my blog contains “news.” The key lies in the purpose behind the blog, which is to improve community life in the town I call home. In essence, with Rockville Central I am trying to open…
Brad Rourke 