2015 IAP2 North American Conference: The Countdown is On!
The web page is now live for the 2015 IAP2 North American Conference September 9th through 11th in Portland, Oregon. We're getting excited about another great gathering of P2 professionals – the largest of its kind in North America, in the "birthplace of IAP2".
Two well-known and inspirational keynote speakers are confirmed: Denis Hays, Time Magazine "Hero of the Planet" and chair of the International Earth Day Network, and Andrew DeVigal, Chair of Innovative Journalism and Civic Engagement at the University of Oregon.
Register for the Conference by May 1 and you can get the Super-Early-Bird Conference rates. The Conference Hotel, the Hilton DoubleTree, is offering a Conference rate (starting at $149/night) until Aug. 12 (or until the blocked rooms are sold out).
"Call for Proposals"- consider being a presenter, you have until March 6 to submit your proposal (applicants will be notified in April whether they're been accepted).
Come and join us we're looking forward to welcoming you to Portland in September!
Best Practices by Ryan Henderson
The City of Palo Alto, CA and Know Your Neighbor
I've written on the IAP2 USA blog (blog.iap2usa.org) in past months to advocate for what I believe to be some of the most effective ways local governments increase public participation within their communities.
Inevitably, these programs are in some way tied to getting its citizens to better know one another and to volunteer in their community. It's my strong belief that a local government will see an increase in governmental participation when it promotes and advocates ways for neighbors to connect with neighbors.It's also my belief that government participation is cultivated when neighbors care about where they live and care about those who live in their community. I recently came across a program out of Palo Alto, California that aims at connecting neighbors with neighbors, building community, and increasing public participation.
Member spotlight is a frequent feature of the IAP2 USA newsletter. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, please email Lance Robertson at lance.robertson@eweb.org.
Briefly introduce yourself. Who are you, and what do you do?
I am the Public Involvement manager in the Northwest for HDR Engineering. We are a large site-civil infrastructure firm. I have been with HDR for three years. I was practicing P2 before I had ever heard of the term "public involvement."
As social media users, we seek likes, shares, comments, and retweets as at least a surface indicator of how we're doing with our Facebook Page/Twitter Account/LinkedIn Profile. We facilitate conversations and encourage interactions, creating opportunities for fans and followers to build connections. The question is - how do we source and leverage great content to boost interactions?
We are delighted that IAP2 Australasia is joining in with our monthly Learning Webinars, and on April 14, we'll be welcoming long-time colleague Desley Renton with the City of Melbourne, to lead a webinar on Melbourne's Community Engagement Framework. Please note that, due to the time difference, this webinar will begin at 4pm Eastern time in North America.
Save the date: 2015 Frontiers of Democracy conference, June 25-27 in Boston
While powerful forces work against justice and civil society around the world, committed and innovative people strive to understand and improve citizens' engagement with government, with community, and with each other.
Every year, Frontiers of Democracy convenes some of these practitioners and scholars for organized discussions and informal interactions.
Topics include deliberative democracy, civil and human rights, social justice, community organizing and development, civic learning and political engagement, the role of higher education in democracy, Civic Studies, media reform and citizen media production, civic technology, civic environmentalism, and common pool resource management.
Devoted to new issues and innovative solutions, this conference is truly at the frontiers of democracy. More information, including a link to a registration page, can be found here: activecitizen.tufts.edu/civic-studies/frontiers/
An assessment of NextDoor, Google+, and Facebook, three foundational engagement tools communities could use - ow.ly/I1T0E - is one of the first resources on the University of North Carolina's new Community Engagement Learning Exchange
"Trickle-Down Community Engagement" - ow.ly/HT5k2 - may be a symptom of the lack of grassroots infrastructure for sustained public participation
mySociety has received a $3.6m grant from the Omidyar Network to build citizen empowerment tools for other organizations - ow.ly/HJE4T
KNOW YOUR WEBSITE!
Did you know that our website – www.iap2usa.org – contains all sorts of information and tools for your use and enjoyment?
IAP2 USA is looking for a Financial Administrator. Want to move to Boulder, CO? The College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is looking for an instructor in public debate, deliberation and dialogue.
We're always pleased to post job and volunteer opportunities of interest to IAP2 USA members. Visit the Job Opportunities section for more information. Members can post openings directly to the website; non-members can send their notices to us at info@iap2usa.org.
"Cultural Transformations" NOTE SPECIAL TIME: Tues. Feb. 10, 1pm (Eastern)
Some problems in our world require a total paradigm shift in thinking in order to solve them, whether it's addressing the complex issue of mental illness or bringing a diverse municipal workforce together for better services and a better work environment.
The upcoming IAP2 Webinar will look at two such projects, both of which were honoured at the 2014 IAP2 Core Values Awards last fall.
Coming this spring – IAP2 USA Skills Symposium! Looking to shore up areas in your practice? Want to learn new methods, approaches, techniques? Watch this newsletter and the IAP2 USA website for details about the Skills Symposium in spring 2015.
To help shape the Symposium content, contact the Training Committee with specific course suggestions or skills you'd like to learn, or if you have a course to offer.
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