10:Community events
Thursday, Feb 28, 2008
Listen...and be heard
Come one and all to hear, listen and share in a community discussion about what's really going on in the Twin Cities!
Youth organizers who call themselves SPEAC - Sustainable Progress through Engaging Active Citizens - spoke with over 200 young people from all over the metro area about what is important to them. They took notes, sifted through the information, and pulled out the themes.
On March 19, SPEAC invites you to find out what youth are saying about their communities, and to share your ideas about the next steps we need to take to bring the Twin Cities to a bigger and brighter future!
Youth Listening Session Hear-back, Wednesday, Mar. 19, 5 to 7:30 p.m., Hope Community, 611 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis
For more information or to RSVP, contact Kristy Clemons at Kristy@hope-community.org or 612-435-1683.
Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008
The Work of Art and the Work of Democracy
On Thursday, February 28th, Diane Mullin is giving a lecture connected to Paul Shambroom’s Picturing Power exhibit at the Weisman Art Museum. Mullin’s lecture entitled “Laboring Over It: The Work of Art and the Work of Democracy” will “place the subject of work and art in the contexts of labor history, national mythologies, and notions of the individual.” This lecture takes place at 7 pm.
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
Humphrey policy students meet their neighbors
The following entry was written by Humphrey Policy Student and CHANCE member, Sarah Martyn Crowell.
About a year ago, a small group of Humphrey grad students, staff, and faculty started a movement to create better relationships and connections between the West Bank campus of the University of Minnesota and the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. The group is called CHANCE (Cedar Humphrey Action for Neighborhood Collaborative Engagement).
Several months ago, the CHANCE group decided to throw a neighborhood party, calling it the West Bank Celebration. The purpose was to bring a variety of people from the University and broader Cedar Riverside neighborhood together. We hoped to create new connections and instill a more encompassing sense of community, as well as to celebrate the many community partnerships and accomplishments over the past year.
Bedlam Theater, a local community theater on the West Bank, housed the event. 
We transformed the stage into an elegant dining room using tables and linens from a local church, mirror and candle centerpieces, and stringing lights around the room. Eighty people attended - neighborhood residents, leaders, and organizations; U of M and Augsburg faculty, staff, administration, and students; and many more.
We worked hard to create a welcoming environment that celebrated the neighborhood’s accomplishments while also encouraging new people to get to know each other. We intentionally mixed up the people at each table, so new connections could be made. We encouraged constructive community dialogue by asking each person to talk about why they were there, their experiences with the Cedar Riverside neighborhood, and why the community was important to them.
Strangers became friends and new connections for potential partnerships were made. Most importantly, the event helped to extend the notion of community to include both the University and the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. The event filled us with hope that as students, we could make a difference. Moreover, we began to see that the vision of inclusive community is possible and that we weren't alone in wanting to see it happen.
You can find out more about CHANCE and how to get involve on their website: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/projects/chance/index.html
Monday, Jan 14, 2008
Art and...democracy?
(This post is based on excerpts from a Jan. 11, 2008, piece "Exploring democracy and citizenship through art" by Minnesota Public Radio reporter Marianne Combs; read a transcript or listen on-line)
The Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota has pulled together several works of art from its permanent collection for a current, long-term exhibition titled "Who is a citizen? What is citizenship?"
In a few weeks, the museum will open one of several smaller exhibits that deal with notions of the democratic process. The traveling exhibition, Paul Shambroom: Picturing Power, is organized by the museum's lead curator Diane Mullin.
Mullin says the goal of the exhibition is to create a place where people can talk about issues and students can start thinking about their own responsibilities as citizens. "Art can teach us or demonstrate things about democracy," says Mullin, "but art can also participate in democracy because artists are in very important ways contributors to discourse, and contributors to our society. So they can put forth proposals and propositions to make us think about things, to make us think about where we live, how we live."
"Nobody Around Here Calls Me Citizen," painted by Robert Gwathmey in 1943, shows a tired black man next to the number two, implying he's a second class citizen. The lion in the corner, however, indicates his potential power. (Image and caption courtesy of the Weisman Art Museum)
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
Circles Celebration
This post was written by Emily Peterson, an AmeriCorps member at the Jane Addams School:
On Wednesday, December 5th, the participants of the Jane Addams School of Democracy held a celebration of all the circles that make up the school. The celebration was a time to see all the circles come together to eat, recognize accomplishments, share talents, and to learn from and teach one another. The celebration took place in the cafeteria at Humboldt High School, which was transformed to a friendly seating area and stage. Some people dressed in traditional clothing from their culture, and I myself was lucky enough to be dressed in traditional Hmong clothing.
The night started out with a "contestoria" from the children's circle telling a story about a hungry mouse in a big city. Then the program moved onto the food, as people had brought homemade food that formed a delicious potluck. Some people shared poetry while others sat and ate their food. With over 200 people at the celebration, eating took some time, but it was very enjoyable to try all the different kinds of foods from other countries.
After everyone had stuffed themselves, the talent show began. The emcees for the night were very creative in using actions and movements to get across their messages without using words, and they kept the program moving. 
Many people from different circles read their poetry, sang songs in their native language, and danced- styles varying from break dancing to bachata to swing. The outstanding talent of the performers was mind blowing for many audience participants.
One of the amazing things about the night was the mixture of people that came to the celebration; participants ranged in age from 4 to over 80 years old, from countries such as Thailand to Mexico and Somali, and five native languages were spoken. With all these distinguished people, it is no wonder a basic value of Jane Addams is that everyone is a learner and everyone is a teacher. This practice could not have been more evident than on Wednesday night.
Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007
Through the Eyes of a Soldier
Through the Eyes of a Soldier is a lecture series sponsored by the Veterans Transition Center at the University of Minnesota tomorrow night, November 29th at 7pm in Vincent Hall, Room 16. Local veterans will share their stories of facing war--the perspective that is often not explored by the media.
Come to hear the stories, deepen your understanding of our current war, and support local veterans in your community.
Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007
The Hastings Democracy Project
The Hastings Democracy Project is an example of what is at the heart of the Minnesota Works Together intiative: citizens and government working together to tackle issues in cities and communities.
Located 30 minutes south of St. Paul, Hastings is a small city on the Mississippi River with a historic downtown. The city is experiencing rapid growth on its periphery as more people seek a small-town way of life and housing that is less expensive than in the nearby metropolitan area. Like most people, Hastings residents want to have a say and a role in making their community the best it can be.
Dave Schwinghamer, a participant in the first Hastings Democracy Project meeting, wrote a reflection that illustrates both the importance of community discussion and citizen action.
The global ferment to recreate grassroots democratic institutions has bubbled up in Hastings. On October 24, responding to suggestions from local citizens, Mayor Paul Hicks convoked an informal meeting to launch the Hastings Democracy Project. Thirty-four residents responded to the mayor’s invitation.
Monday, Oct 29, 2007
Immigrant and Refugee Civic Engagement
The African Network for Development Inc.(ANDI) is hosting an event in Minneapolis this Saturday, November 3 on ways immigrants & refugees can be engaged in civic life. This event is one of a series put on by ANDI. For more information contact Charity Tatah Mentan, 651.283.4797, andiandi0102@yahoo.com or Download the flyer.
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
Creative Conversations Film Series
When I heard about the Creative Conversations Film Series, I immediately thought "What a great way to engage with like-minded citizens and meet interesting people!" I was also struck by its many connections to the work we do here at the Center for Democracy and Citizenship - it is about citizens working together to make change happen in their communities.
The Film Series is focused around "Community Approaches to Conflict for Justice and Change." Free and open to the public, each film is followed by a discussion of how individuals and communities can work against crime and injustice in creative ways. The films are being shown this fall at Hamline University, the Humphrey Institute, and William Mitchell Law School.
The next Creative Conversations Film night is Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 pm at William Mitchell College of Law Auditorium. The film, entitled, "A Force More Powerful," shares stories of successful nonviolent campaigns around the world. These stories shed light on how people can gather together to obtain the change they need. The film is presented by the Nonviolent Peaceforce.
To see the full list of films showing this fall visit www.creativeconversations.info and decide how you will work towards justice and peace through your own conversations.
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