To Georgia and Azerbaijan

I leave for Tblisi, Georgia, and Ganja, Azerbaijan, on Monday, March 22.  I am going on behalf of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship to train Public Achievement coaches in those two cities.  I am very excited about the trip (and not a little anxious - while the Embassy of Azerbaijan has assured me that my visa and passport are in the mail, until I have them in my hands, I will not be able to relax:)).

My trip is sponsored by PAUnite out of Poland, and the organizers, Julie and Ala, have been incredibly helpful preparing me for this work.  I strongly encourage people to view the PAUnite web site.  Of special interest to the Public Achievement community will be the descriptions of the Public Achievement team projects: they are doing some amazing work, and I've been inspired by the writings.

My primary task is to help the mentors (what Public Achievement coaches are called in both Georgia and Azerbaijan) to understand more clearly the dynamic role of coaching, as well as other Public Achievement roles such as mentor coordinator and site coordinator, so that the groups can work more collaboratively, both within their local sites and between the countries.  To that end, I have worked with Julie and Ala, the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, and colleagues within the Twin Cities Theatre of the Oppressed community to create a plan for the four-day gathering.  (I'll post the plan in a later blog.)

My plan is to blog almost-daily while I am in the Caucasus, and I hope that you'll enjoy the postings.  I encourage you to comment, too.  Depending on my technical abilities (and that is asking quite a bit), I'll be adding photographs and possibly short film and audio to the blog postings as well.

Let me know what you think.

New Settings for the Center for Civic Engagement blog

As of Friday, March 19, the settings for the Center for Civic Engagement blog have become public.  This means that using the blog should be much easier for everyone involved.  It also means that anyone, including those people not associated with the college nor the Center, will be able to view the blog and post comments. 

Minnesota Campus Compact

Photo by Dom Gullichon
Flickr Creative Commons

You'll note that I have uploaded the blog from our friends at the Minnesota Campus Compact.  You'll be able to find it in the "Civic Engagement Blogs" on the right gutter of our blog.

Feel free to add your own blogs of interest (click "new post," then click the "layout" tab), or you can always send the URL and name of the blog to me, and I'll upload it.

Will Richardson's Blog

Here's a link to a recent posting on Webblog-ed, Will Richardson's blog devoted to education and technology.  Within this particular posting are a number of great links, including one to a recent must-read column by David Brooks of the New York Times.  Richardson's posting contains his musings on the role of Web 2.0 to solve (or contribute to) the problems of our times.  It's good reading.

You'll notice, too, that I have added Webblog-ed to our list of linked blogs.

Engagement and/or Empowerment?

Masthead from David Warwick's blog, 2cents Worth

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

I follow David Warwick's blog, and I was interested in a recent blog post so much that I thought I'd share it with you.  Warwick examines the different connotations and denotations of the words engagement and empowerment.  It's a good read.  What Warwick doesn't address is the politics around the word empowerment.  I often hear people say that they want "to empower youth"  (or students, or  . . . pick your object term).  This seems to imply that one person (typically a person in power) possesses power and can then empower someone else.  It strikes me as teacher-centric language.  Chaka Mkali, a very effective community organizer at Hope Community, uses the phrase power development, which I think gets to the heart of the matter more succinctly and accurately.  I've tried to use Chaka's language in classes and meetings.   I'd love to know your thoughts.

Speaking of Social Media and Isolation (or Connection)

Photo by rikrak

Flickr Creative Commons

After we spoke about social media, it was fortuitous that the StarTribune published "Circle of Friends," which is a brief summary and commentary on new Pew Internet and American Life Project findings regarding techology and how people are using it.  Both the article and the findings are worth a few minutes of your time.  The Pew web site, if you are interested in this topic, is really a great resource.

I do not want to be misconstrued as someone who believes wholesale in the possiblities of technology to solve all the ills (including social) of the world.  However, I am really interested in how technology shapes the way that our students experience the world and - more fundamentally - how those experiences shape the way that they learn.  It's a Brave New World, folks.

CCE Winter Retreat

Center for Civic Engagement Retreat
5 January 2010

AM SESSION

It was good to see everyone at Diane's palatial estate: Cathy, Michael D., Lena, Jennifer B-K., Diane, and Greg.

We spent the morning session participating in "The World As It Is, The World As It Should Be" training. It was great conversation, and in recap, we identified certain elements in the world as it is that the Center needs to recognize and address.

Photo by JVConti
Flickr Creative Commons

Politics
pressure on accountability/measurable outcomes
new possibilities
partisan/ideological division
tough economic times
young people are engaged, but they are tired of the "old ways"
Hope <---> Impatience

Campus Climate
Us v. Them
Negative vibe (mistrust, budget cuts)
Measurable outcomes = the bottom line
Holes left from JR-T's departure
Assumptions and Possibilities

Personal
Seeking/Finding balance
Nurturing relationships
Self-care
Transition
Creating structures (rather than personalities) that sustain the work

Other Issues
"Good organizing is reorganizing."
Partnerships and grants
While the personnel within the CCE has morphed over time, our numbers have not grown significantly.

I'd love to hear what happened in the afternoon session.

PM SESSION

Purpose of the CCE

Foster internal relationships

Develop external partnerships

Train faculty/staff/students

Connect students with community-based learning/research/action opportunities

What have we done (fall semester)?

Community Conversation on homelessness, housing and hunger

Development of Master Academic Plan goals 7-10

Convened bi-weekly CCE meetings

Strengthened our relationship with CLPC

What should we focus on for Spring 2010?

Continue work with Social Responsibility Caucus to define Civic Engagement in the context of MCTC

Develop activities and outcomes for MAP goals 7-10

1 to 1 campaign with administrators and others

Visits to department and division meetings

Establish web presence and enhance communications

Explore partnership opportunities with the CTL

Community Events: sustainability fair, CCE block party, HPHP & WAY, Public Agenda Collaboration events (1/21/10 3:30-5:30 and 1/22/10 2:00-4:00)

Next Year

Continue to define Civic Engagement at MCTC

Build CCE identity

Participate in organizer training

Offer leadership and organizer training for students

Participate in conflict resolution skills training

Regain institutional support for faculty role in CCE

Organize/host/facilitate public fairs and events

3-5 Years

Accountability and assessment activities

Increase number of participants in CCE and corresponding support for involvement

Establish steady funding stream/institutional support

Establish a physical space/home for the CCE

Provide a range of community organizing services both internally and externally

Provide conflict resolution services internally and externally