Civil War Or Civil Discussion: On the Ground in Chicago & Detroit

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This episode: In part 1, Maya Lea discusses the 2019 Chicago Community Discussion Project, where everyday people set the media agenda for the next local election. In part 2, Elaine Bassett talks about empowering first-generation college students in Detroit.

About the Civil War Or Civil Discussion podcast:

Join Interactivity Foundation fellows and guests for insights on how to have better conversations about public policy and public life.

About the Interactivity Foundation:

The health of our democracy depends greatly on how well citizens discuss, explore, and develop public policy.  Ideally, public policy choices will be based on citizens’ and policymakers’ careful consideration of reasonable alternatives and their likely consequences. Increasingly, in the real world, however, policy choices are made in response to crisis or in highly-charged political contexts. Frequently the opportunity for the development or
consideration of meaningful citizen input is negligible, and the considered policy options are similarly underdeveloped and limited to a split-the-difference or the lesser of two evils approach.

In response to these challenges, the mission of the Interactivity Foundation (IF) is to enhance the process and expand the scope of our public discussions, thereby improving the health of our democracy and its development of public policy. That is, IF works to improve both the quality and quantity of the public discussions that shape the development of our public policy options. To do this, we’ve developed a small-group discussion process designed to help people collaborate in the exploration and development of a) the diverse concerns and values that relate to an area of societal concern, (b) multiple contrasting policy possibilities to address those concerns, and (c) the possible implementations and consequences of those policy possibilities. For more information check out: http://www.interactivityfoundation.org/

Civil War Or Civil Discussion: Wisconsin Civics Games

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This episode: A conversation with Eve Galanter, creator of the Wisconsin Civics Games. The former Madison councilwoman and a top senatorial aide speaks about developing the next generation of public servants.

About the Civil War Or Civil Discussion podcast:

Join Interactivity Foundation fellows and guests for insights on how to have better conversations about public policy and public life.

About the Interactivity Foundation:

The health of our democracy depends greatly on how well citizens discuss, explore, and develop public policy.  Ideally, public policy choices will be based on citizens’ and policymakers’ careful consideration of reasonable alternatives and their likely consequences. Increasingly, in the real world, however, policy choices are made in response to crisis or in highly-charged political contexts. Frequently the opportunity for the development or
consideration of meaningful citizen input is negligible, and the considered policy options are similarly underdeveloped and limited to a split-the-difference or the lesser of two evils approach.

In response to these challenges, the mission of the Interactivity Foundation (IF) is to enhance the process and expand the scope of our public discussions, thereby improving the health of our democracy and its development of public policy. That is, IF works to improve both the quality and quantity of the public discussions that shape the development of our public policy options. To do this, we’ve developed a small-group discussion process designed to help people collaborate in the exploration and development of a) the diverse concerns and values that relate to an area of societal concern, (b) multiple contrasting policy possibilities to address those concerns, and (c) the possible implementations and consequences of those policy possibilities. For more information check out: http://www.interactivityfoundation.org/

Civil War Or Civil Discussion: Civility on the Web and on the Page

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This episode: In part 1, Will Ferguson, CEO of EnCiv, talks about a new initiative to build a better social media platform from the ground up. In part 2, the hosts revisit Let’s Talk Politics, Gundersen and Lea’s 2013 book about restoring civility in public life.

About the Civil War Or Civil Discussion podcast:

Join Interactivity Foundation fellows and guests for insights on how to have better conversations about public policy and public life.

About the Interactivity Foundation:

The health of our democracy depends greatly on how well citizens discuss, explore, and develop public policy.  Ideally, public policy choices will be based on citizens’ and policymakers’ careful consideration of reasonable alternatives and their likely consequences. Increasingly, in the real world, however, policy choices are made in response to crisis or in highly-charged political contexts. Frequently the opportunity for the development or
consideration of meaningful citizen input is negligible, and the considered policy options are similarly underdeveloped and limited to a split-the-difference or the lesser of two evils approach.

In response to these challenges, the mission of the Interactivity Foundation (IF) is to enhance the process and expand the scope of our public discussions, thereby improving the health of our democracy and its development of public policy. That is, IF works to improve both the quality and quantity of the public discussions that shape the development of our public policy options. To do this, we’ve developed a small-group discussion process designed to help people collaborate in the exploration and development of a) the diverse concerns and values that relate to an area of societal concern, (b) multiple contrasting policy possibilities to address those concerns, and (c) the possible implementations and consequences of those policy possibilities. For more information check out: http://www.interactivityfoundation.org/

SchoolHouse: Equity in Education

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This week:  CJSF’s Allison R. Brown talks with Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, Assistant Professor at Howard University and Fellow at the Interactivity Foundation, about how slavery’s legacy manifests today.

About the SchoolHouse: Equity in Education podcast:

SchoolHouse is a podcast created by the Communities for Just Schools Fund and hosted by Allison R. Brown. SchoolHouse shares stories about how young people, their families and communities, and other advocates and activists are working in and around schools to make them healthy, safe, and equitable places for children to be. In SchoolHouse, we will learn together about the global implications of local movements for change in our schools.

About CJSF:

The Communities for Just Schools Fund (CJSF) is a nationally-focused donor collaborative. CJSF provides resources in support of community-led organizations that are working to ensure positive and supportive school climates that affirm and foster the success of all students. CJSF’s community partners organize young people, parents and caregivers, educators, and other community members to advocate on behalf of students who are disproportionately impacted by the over-use of exclusionary school discipline practices, including suspensions, expulsions, and arrests in schools. They organize community members to stand up for positive, healthy, and supportive school climates that produce better academic and social outcomes for the students who enroll than school climates with a heavy police presence, zero tolerance school discipline policies, and over-reliance on exclusionary discipline methods. CJSF’s community partners educate students, parents and caregivers, school officials and teachers, police departments, and community leaders on highly beneficial alternatives to suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrests. For more information, email us at info@cjsfund.org and sign up for our newsletter at www.cjsfund.org.

IF… Podcast: Occupy Wall Street

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OWS participant Gavin Mueller, economists Daniel Heath (Georgetown Law Center) and Mark A. Calabria (Cato Institute) join IF fellows Mark Notturno and Natalie Hopkinson to discuss how to bring back trust to the financial sector.

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IF… Podcast: We’re Here to Help

Interactivity Foundation Fellows Natalie Hopkinson and Dennis Boyer discuss his new report, "Helping Out: Humanitarian Policy for Global Security." Also discussed: staving off another Darfur, disaster capitalism, and the fallout from the Arab Spring.


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IF… Podcast: Family Guys

Join the Interactivity Foundation’s Natalie Hopkinson, Jeff Prudhomme and Melissa Simonson to explore what's so public about Arnold Schwarzenegger's marriage, the "Nanny State" v. the obesity epidemic, and when art meets development.


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IF… Podcast: Welcome

In their inaugural podcast, Interactivity Foundation fellows, Natalie Hopkinson, Jeff Prudhomme, and Sue Gooney Lea discuss finding hope for public discourse in Wisconsin, IF’s new K-12 education public discussion guide, and other news of the day.


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