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The David Mathews Center for Civic Life
Mission:The Mathews Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt corporation that works with citizens who want to make positive, innovative decisions that lead to action in their communities on issues that concern them. The Center honors the life and work of David Mathews, a native of Grove Hill, Alabama and president and CEO of the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio.Signature Programs:
• Alabama Issues Forums• Coaching Community Innovation Workshops• Teachers’ Institute• Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program
“As a democracy, the United States depends on a knowledgeable, public-spirited, and engaged population.” ~The National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, A Crucible Moment, pg 2
“(Civic engagement is) [a]ctive participation in the public life of a community in an informed, committed and constructive manner with a focus on the common good.”American Association of Community Colleges
“The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.”Alexis de Tocqueville
Civic Engagement
“Changing the way people talk can change the way they relate to each other and their problems – and that
can eventually change the community.”
~ David Mathews
Public Deliberation
Why Public Deliberation?
“Face-to-face discussions of community issues have been found to produce good policies and the political will to support
these policies, to educate the participants, and to enhance solidarity
and social networks.” - Peter Levine, Civic Engagement and Community Information: Five
Strategies to Revive Civic Communication, 2011, pg. 25
• AIF is a signature program with one primary goal – to bring Alabama citizens together to deliberate and take community-based action on a public issue.
• In a community forum, citizens are encouraged to think through multiple approaches to an issue of public concern, while also considering the trade-offs and potential consequences associated with the actions discussed.
• Using the information gathered through recorded notes and post-forum questionnaires, the Mathews Center provides annual reports to the public on how citizens are thinking on issues in the following areas:
Citizen ResponsibilitiesEducation
Economic DevelopmentPublic Health
Alabama Issues Forums
Naming: AIF 2014-2015 “Minding Our Future” forum series.
Framing: Follow-up workshops.
Issue Guide: Three-approach framework, “Minding Our Future: Investing in Healthy Infants and Toddlers.”
Deliberative Forums: Our goal is to convene forums in all 67 counties, with 2500 Alabamians. Neutral DMC moderators and recorders. Audio and digital recordings will be captured.
Post-Forum Questionnaires: Demographic, open-ended, and Likert-scale questions.
Comprehensive Report: A comprehensive report will be authored at the end of AIF 2014-2015 by Mathews Center staff referencing the recorded forum audio and digital notes.
Methodology: Public Deliberation
Minding Our Future Participating
Counties Bibb Calhoun
Cherokee Clarke
Coffee Colbert
Conecuh Crenshaw
Dale Dallas
DeKalb Elmore
Etowah Franklin
Greene Henry
Jackson Jefferson
Lauderdale Limestone
Madison Marshall
Montgomery Morgan
Pike Shelby
Tuscaloosa Wilcox
Alabama Issues ForumsCONVENERS
Elements of a Successful Forum
Elements of an Effective Forum
Welcome Introduce the agenda and goals of the forum.
Establish Guidelines
Set out the forum ground rules.
Starter Activity A starter video may be used to introduce the issue and set the tone for deliberation
Personal Stake Participants share personal experiences related to the issue. “How does YOUR community support early childhood development?”
Deliberation Participants examine all approaches.
Reflection Going from “I” to “we.”
Post-Forum Questionnaire
Demographic, open-ended, and Likert-scale questions.
Ground Rules
- Everyone understands that this is not a debate.
- Everyone is encouraged to participate.- No one or two individuals dominate.- Participants should address one another,
not the moderator.- The moderator must remain neutral.- Participants should consider fairly
and fully each approach.- Participants should examine fully all
the tradeoffs involved in an approach.- Actively listening is as important as
speaking!
The Framework:“Minding Our Future: Investing in Healthy
Infants and Toddlers”
• Informative Essay
• Early Childhood Development Data
• Three Approaches
Minding Our Future by Dr. Ellen Abell
• The foundation for a person’s growth, learning, and health is laid during infancy and toddlerhood.
• Research tells us that the structure of babies’ brains is built in the first three years. During this time, the brain creates 700 neural connections each second, a rate faster than at any other time of life.
• [B]rain development and learning are blocked by adverse experiences.
• [W]eak language skills in early childhood put children at risk for early reading failure, poor social emotional behaviors, and school dropout.
1. Review the state data sheet
2. Select one number that makes you feel proud
3. Select one number that you want to improve
4. Share!
Community/State Impact
What makes this issue real for YOU?
Understanding the Issue
The primary goal of public deliberation is not for citizens simply to relate their opinions, but rather to weigh choices and make decisions to
act together.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Informed Public Judgment
Resources for Moderators
Issue Guides Available for digital download at mathewscenter.org/resources.
Moderator Development Handbook
Provides an overview of effective moderator practices and questions to stimulate deliberation. Available at mathewscenter.org
Forum Guidelines Available for digital download at mathewscenter.org/resources.
Post-Forum Questionnaires
Post-forum questionnaires for all AIF Issue Guides are available at mathewscenter.org/resources.
