Kettering Foundation's recent Public Policy Workshop (PPW) and Deliberative Democracy Workshop (DDW) provided an opportune and appropriate setting for over 250 participants from around the world to celebrate 25 years of work in public deliberation.
During the last week of June 2006, 189 participants from 37 states and the District of Columbia and 67 participants from 16 foreign countries gathered in Dayton, Ohio for these workshops. This year, Kettering Foundation in collaboration with the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) hosted a special dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this deliberative effort. NIFI is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization chartered in 1989 for the purpose of promoting the National Issues Forums (NIF), a nationwide network of locally sponsored public forums for the consideration of public policy issues.
Dr. David Mathews remembers 25 years of deliberation . . . |
A series of meetings of small groups of citizens from communities around the United States began in 1981. The early meetings, sponsored in part by the foundation, led to the establishment of the Domestic Policy Association which later became the National Issues Forums Institute.
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Dr. Mathews, Kettering Foundation President, opened the plenary session of the PPW with his recollection of the first meeting held in Racine, Wisconsin, at the Wingspread Conference Center run by the Johnson Foundation. Listen to excerpts from Dr. Mathews' opening remarks: |
Comments and reflections . . . |
At the close of the PPW, Dr. Mathews reflected on the comments he heard and received during the gathering. He said, "Perhaps the most important thing that people said when they reflected on what they shared was that it is far more than a process called deliberation. What they discovered in their work is a different way to look at and think about politics." Listen to excerpts from Dr. Mathews' closing remarks. |
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Celebration dinner keynote address . . . |
The week-long event was highlighted by a celebration dinner. Special guest John Glenn-the first American to orbit the earth and a four-term U.S. Senator from Ohio-joined workshop participants and esteemed guests who have worked with the foundation during the past 25 years on this gala occasion.
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Senator Glenn graciously gave the keynote address. In it he shared his belief that for democracy to succeed in today's world we must be more collegial, especially in Congress, and improve our capacities for education and research. He said, "The combination of education and research, it seems to me, has been key to our past and will be key to our future and key to the developing countries [of the world]. . . . these, to me, have been the twin engines of progress." Listen to excerpts from Sen. Glenn's keynote address. |
