Last week, as I listened to animated discussions at an education forum organized by the new community group Common Ground, I knew I wasn't indulging in wishful thinking. We are building a reserve of accomplished facilitators, organizers and a public that is unafraid to poke at the roots of problems. That gives me confidence that when divisive issues arise, we have in Akron the capacity to respond with our heads rather than with the capacity of our lungs or fists. Common Ground, founded in June of 1998, was designed to bring citizens in the community together to explore and determine action on the complex issues related to improving schooling and learning for all children in Summit County.
Public deliberation is a process of open but structured dialogue about issues of concern.
It allows people to work through conflicts and deal with the trade-offs until they come to a point where they have a shared sense of direction for moving ahead. The point is not to come to full and complete agreement, but for each to understand what people are and aren't willing to do to solve a problem. Often we live our lives on the extremes of complete agreement with another or complete disagreement. Citizens work together on an issue to identify and take steps to make a positive difference on that issue. This helps to build a shared voice among diverse individuals and groups, and in turn helps the community make well-informed judgments and take action on issues affecting all of us.