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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2018-01-23 Community Conversations_201801301224035271 Watertown Community Conversations Background In the past several years there have been a number of community policy and planning issues affecting residents and people who work in Watertown that have generated much discussion, some of which has been acrimonious and has furthered divisions within our community. We believe that our community would benefit from employing processes that have been used with great success in many other communities nationwide to: • Promote civil discourse on important issues • Strengthen the social fabric of the community • Help elected officials and Town staff make more widely supported decisions. Purpose Watertown Community Conversations promotes the use of successful, proven techniques, tools, and technologies to engage in thoughtful and productive public dialogue about issues and concerns affecting the Watertown community. Overall Benefits • Improved civil discourse across diverse viewpoints • Strengthened sense of community and local democracy • Better-educated public regarding difficult, complex issues • Increased public involvement on important issues • Informed input for Town officials, resulting in better and more widely supported decisions • Potential increase of volunteerism on Town Boards Our Role Act as a catalyst to: • Provide information and skill building to stakeholders interested in improving civic engagement and public dialogue • Promote new ideas and methods for civic engagement and dialogue • Collaborate with Town officials, community leaders, and the public to identify issues appropriate for enhanced public dialogue Who are we? Ora Grodsky, Nancy Hammett, Cecilia Lenk,Janet Penn, Larry Raskin, Maya Townshend wa terto wn con versa tions.org to Watertown G&rnmunity Presentation Town Council Conversaii(ons January 23, 2018 a Our Mission Watertown Community Conversations is a non-partisan group that promotes the use of successful techniques, tools, and technologies to engage our community in thoughtful and productive public dialogue about the issues and concerns affecting Watertown. 1 1/22/18 Who We Are We all have diverse backgrounds, with many years of experience in organizational development, process change, facilitation, team building, and helping groups define their goals and achieve their objectives. Cecilia Lenk Ora Grodsky Larry Raskin Janet Penn Maya Townsend Nancy Hammett Differing Perspe - onissues 1/22/18 i Watertown Fares Many Important Issues ■ Plans for new/renovated school buildings and costs ■ Planning for Watertown Square ■ Traffic impacts on development ■ Community Preservation Act ■ Welcoming city/ sanctuary city ■ Housing affordability ■ Mass transit improvements Our Key Goals ■ Enrich public dialogue through techniques and methods that lead to more energizing, meaningful conversations about what matters in Watertown Create opportunities for conversations in which people listen together and come to shared solutions • Increase involvement in public discussions ■ Broaden support for decisions on public issues 3 1/22/18 Watertown Can Do This Many other cities and towns have successfully implemented new ways to engage the public. We're learning from them. Gloucester, Somerville, and North Quabbin Region, Portsmouth, NH Facilitated public meetings, kitchen conversations, on-line tools We've already begun the work here. Kickoff meeting with group of Town leaders Public drop-in sessions In-service to Watertown organization What's Next Organize 2018 programs (funding from Watertown Community Foundation) Community Conversations: How to Talk About What Matters Facilitator Training Advise town leaders, groups on design of events, use of facilitators Visit our web site at for information and resources; and share yours We're all in this together and we're all learning! 4 r 1/22/18 i Watertown Community Conversations i i 10iF'<1i� r P ! OUR MISSION: i Engage Watertown Community Conversations promotes the use of successfW,proven ' techniques,tools,and technologies to engage our community in thoughtful and productive public dialogue about issues and concerns afl'rcting the Watertown. www.watertownconversations.org 5