Want to Collaborate?
Let’s talk or, better yet, let’s discuss how we might collaborate. To do this important work of participatory discussion and civic engagement, we all need to help each other out and work together. In that spirit, we have collaborated with multiple organizations to help provide in-kind assistance in planning, organizing, and conducting a wide range of different participatory and exploratory discussion programs and initiatives. We continue to seek new partners to work with in developing more and better civil, civic discussion. If you are thinking about including some component of Exploratory Discussion in your program, we encourage you to contact us. We want to help.
Impact – By the Numbers
Since 2007, we have conducted approximately 600 different community conversations involving over 3,000 participants in Exploratory Discussions of over 40 different topics. Based on survey data from 2007-12 from about 1,000 of these participants and facilitators in over 200 of the community conversations, participating in an exploratory discussion—
- Encouraged 90% of participants to consider alternate points of view; including a wide range of ideas and policy possibilities.
- Led 75% of participants to change their view “somewhat” (68.3%) or “completely” (6.8%).
- Made participants want to engage in more discussion: 87% of participants reported that they are more likely to participate in another citizen and/or public policy discussion.
- Changed their likely political engagement and behavior: more than 40% of participants reported that they were more likely to vote, contact an elected or other government official, and/or become actively involved with a club, public service group, or other organization.
See “Let’s Talk Politics” (Gundersen & Goodney Lea, 2013), chapter 4, pp 67 – 78.
Testimonials from our Partners
