Presentation by Donald Mowry

1. 2013 Upper Midwest
Civic Engagement
Summit
May 29-30th
Loras College, Dubuque,
The Public Achievement Model As a Useful Tool to Foster
Community/University Partnerships and Teach Citizens How
to Do Public Work.
Donald Mowry, PhD, Director, President, Clear Vision Eau Claire
Professor and Chair, Social Work Department
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire

2. Local Governance Crisis
• Wicked problems
• Lack of political will
• Formal government models
• Declining civic problem solving

3. Lack of Political Will
The structural inability to generate timely and
responsive policy decisions
• Fragmented political and institutional
decision-making
• Diminished citizen problem-solving skills
• Lack of public space

5. Formal Government Models
• Elected Boards, Councils and
Committees
• Problem/Analysis/Solutions formally
reviewed through public hearings,
public input sessions, etc.
• Elected officials determine solution

6. Declining Civic Problem-Solving
1. Fragmented institutional decision-making
2. Citizens loss of effective problem-
solving skills
3. Limited public space opportunities
4. Mystique of professional expertise
5. Formal citizenship paradigm

7. Stuck? Try Public Work!

8. Strengthening Local Communities and Democracy Through
Civic Engagement

9. • What is your vision for our community?
• How can we get there?
• Do we wait for existing institutions and
structures to address pressing community
needs?
• Can common citizens come together and work
across our many differences to find shared
self-interests and work to make our community
a better place for all?

10. Goals
• Build Community Capacity
• Enhance Community Outreach and
Engagement
• Support working groups and Clear Vision
Eau Claire Programs
• Create a Sustainable Organization

11. Core Values
• Respect for people, process and ideas
• Receptivity to innovation
• Commitment to active inclusiveness
• Belief in the citizen as co-creator in change
• Members noted for energy, inspiration, dedication,
persistence and civic-mindedness

12. Phase One
• 2007 citizen visioning
initiative,
• Ten stakeholder meetings
• Facilitated by National Civic
League
• Months of discussion,
collaboration, & planning
• 6 performance goals/125
priority actions
• Comprehensive Report
• Formation of an
Inplementation Committee

13. Phase Two
• 25 Member Implementation
committee charged with
supporting and monitoring
action plans
• Partnered with the Center
for Democracy and
Citizenship for training in
public work
• 38 citizens trained in
October and December
2008; 32 trained in March of
2009; and 14 citizens
trained to be coaches
• Enhanced sustainability
(move from committee to
official non-profit status;
publish a toolkit; move to a
train the trainers model)

14. Phase Three
• Public Work 101 Training
• Relational organizing concepts
and practices
• Issue-based civic work groups
supported by co-coaches and
the board of directors
• Ultimate goal—train at least
500 more citizens in public
work over a 3-5 year period
• Empowerment Summit all
2012 was first big step

15. Civic Action Teams
• 10-20 member work groups
• Diverse membership
• Shared self-interest in issue
• Recruited to participate
• Co-coaches trained to facilitate process
• Action oriented – fixed duration
• High-energy participation

16. 2009-2010 Eau Claire Teams
• Jobs for underemployed
• Treatment instead of incarceration
• Public parks funding
• Collaborative education
• Community events facilities
• Veterans re-entry
• Regional Transit Authority

17. 2011 Eau Claire Teams
• Fairfax Pool Funding
• County Exposition Center Future
• Community TV
• Neighborhoods
• Homeless Shelter (Sojourner House)
• Immigrant Drivers License Cards

18. Successes
• Education—books for 5,000
• Jobs map, resources map, food security
resources
• Sojourner House
• Community Day Revival at The
Community Table
• Regional Transit Authority development
• Sustainability advances

19. Confluence Center

20. Key Characteristics
• Emphasizes conceptual/reflective thinking
• Redefines core civic concepts
• Teaches civic problem-solving skills
• Creates public spaces
• Builds group process skills
• Develops public leadership
• Restructures mediating institutions
• Builds civic agency

21. Core Civic Concepts
• Power
• Politics
• Public Work
• Public Life
• Self Interest
• Diversity
• Mediating Institutions
• Relationships
• Free Spaces

22. Civic Problem Solving Skills
• One-on-one interviews
• Mapping power and interests
• Values house meeting
• Creating public spaces
• Cutting Issues
• Taking action
• Public evaluation
• Dynamic, iterative

23. One-to-One Interviews
• Purpose is to build public relationships
• Schedule interviews
• Keep it informal
• 20-30 minutes
• No note-taking during interview
• Ask direct, open-ended questions
• 80/20 active listening
• Look for interests, passions, connections

24. Values House Meeting
• Facilitated public conversations about personal
values and public life
• Round robin responses:
1. What values and traditions are important to you?
2. What are the values and traditions of this community?
3. What are the forces endangering these values?
4. What can we do to strengthen our civic life

25. Power Mapping
• Visual map of political environment
• List who has power to influence
• Map organizations and individuals
• Do 1:1 interview to identify interests
• Map power connections and relationships
• Do 1:1 interviews to build public
relationships

26. Public Evaluation
• Debrief each meeting – 10 minutes
• Assess progress of work
• Prevent misunderstanding
• Clarify roles and future tasks
• One or two word responses
• What worked? What didn t? What could we do
better?
• Check areas of group tension

27. Evaluation—Do Something
About It!

28. Findings
• Action oriented
• Inexpensive
• Adaptable
• Reinforces facilitative role
• Builds effective work
groups
• Creates public space for
joint work
• Strengthens community
American citizenship in its most
expansive sense is understood as
public work: visible effort on
common tasks of importance to
the community or nation,
involving many different people.
-Harry Boyte

29. Clear Vision Obstacles
• Community marketing and outreach
• Hacked Clear Vision web site
• Leadership succession for Board of Directors
(formerly Implementation Committee)
• Balancing citizen and public official
participation
• Incorporation
• Stable funding
• Institutional Limitations

30. Civic Engagement Challenges
• Diminished civic work skills of most
citizens
• Funding and ongoing administrative support
• Few public spaces for civic conversations
• Community silos
• Continued fiscal and budgetary cutbacks
• Integrating Civic Agency into citizenship
preparation at all age levels

31. Empowerment Summit Process
Session 1: Set the Stage for Engaging the
Community for the Common Good and Idea
Development
Session 2: Choose Priority Ideas, Select Coaches,
Develop Work Groups
Session 3: Work Group Training on Clear Vision
Process and Begin Work Group Work
Session 4: Work Group Training and Work

32. Session 4: November 15, 2012
Peace Lutheran Church

33. Agenda
• Donor Thank You
• Clear Vision Core Values
• Clear Vision Process…moving forward
• One-to-One Relational Meetings – Report Out
• Power Defined – Power Mapping
• Break (7:45) – 10 minute
• Work Group Work - Work Group Report Out
• Wrap Up
• Public Evaluation

34. Thank You Donors:
9 to 5 – National Association of Working Women
City of Eau Claire
Eau Claire County
Hope Lutheran Church
Peace Lutheran Church
RCU
Sacred Heart Hospital
UW- Eau Claire Foundation
UW-Eau Claire Learning and Technology Services
Wipfli

35. Clear Vision s Core Values
• Respect for people, process and ideas
• Receptivity to innovation
• Commitment to active inclusiveness
• Belief in the citizen as co-creator in change
• Members noted for energy, inspiration,
dedication, persistence and civic-mindedness

36. Clear Vision Process…what s next
The Clear Vision Process: (Tool Kit)
– Values House Meetings
– One on One Relational Meetings
– Power Mapping
– Evaluation
• Coaches Role
• Mentor s Role
• Clear Vision s Role

37. One-to-One Relational Meetings
Assignment Due:
• Conduct a one-to-one with each workgroup
member.
– Did you get it done?
– How did it go?
• Easy, difficult,
– Snags, concerns, questions
– Next…one-to-ones with Unknowns!

38. Power
When we say the word Power, what
comes to mind:
– Dictator, Power Corrupts
– Money & Wealth
– Political Influence
– Power over

39. But, what is the Spanish word for power, poder,
what does it mean?
• To be able…the capacity to act…to effect
change
• Power is a good thing, everyone has it, and the
degree is related to the number of people who
can leverage relationships and networks—
• Ability to organize people and organize money
Power

40. Power Mapping
• A framework, helps to identify and understand
the political and cultural resources that affect
or are affected by an issue
• A tool, helps you to determine whom you need
to influence, exactly who can influence your
goal, and whom you can influence to get the
ball rolling
• A visual reality, shows the networks of
relationships that are critical resources to
support strong solutions

41. As you Map, Keep these in
mind
• Interests—what are the interests of the
stakeholders?
• Are they allies, beneficiaries, or opponents?
• Power—What power do stakeholders have
and what power is needed to accomplish our
goals?
• Rules—What is the protocol to engage with
the various stakeholders?

42. Place the Issue in the Center

43. Research
• Create assignments for team members to research
the interests and power of the stakeholders identified
• Put the one-to-ones in the corner—this is research
• Write the names of people and organizations on the
chart, record who is doing what and hold each other
accountable
• Consider the difference between allies,
beneficiaries, opponents, decision makers, and
influencers

44. Recycling
Program
at
a
School
Recycling
Program
School
Board
Students
Parents
Principal
Teachers
City
Government
Garbage
Collectors
Cafeteria
Staff
Janitors

45. Research
• Create
assignments
for
team
members
to
research
the
interests
and
power
of
the
stakeholders
idenAfied
• Put
the
one-­‐to-­‐ones
in
the
corner—this
is
research
• Write
the
names
of
people
and
organizaAons
on
the
chart,
record
who
is
doing
what
and
hold
each
other
accountable
• Consider
the
difference
between
allies,
beneficiaries,
opponents,
decision
makers,
and
influencers

46. ReMap
Recycling
Program
at
a
School
Recycling
Program
School
Board
Other
Students
Parents
Principal
Teachers
City
Government
Garbage
Collectors
Cafeteria
Staff
Janitors
State
Recycling
Program
Students

47. Reporting Out
• Identify Coaches
• Select Date for first
post-summit meeting
• Mission Statement?
• Status of your Issue,
Problem, Project?
• Verify and submit
contact information
• Group Name
• Success doing one-to-
ones, questions &
comments
• Success with power-
mapping, questions &
comments
• Group size and need for
growth
• Group s next steps

48. Wrap Up
Next 6 – 8 Months:
– Work Group Meetings
• Work the process
– Power Map
– Research and One-on-Ones
– Power Map
– Action!
– Coaches meet, share, learn
– May/June Reconvene
• Update on Work Groups
• Celebrate Successes

49. Public Evaluation
• What worked well?
• What could be done differently…improved
upon?

50. Thank You &
Acknowledgement
Thank You to our Donors
Clear Vision Board & Committee Members
Ann Rupnow Jane Lokken Ann Schell
Emily Moore Heidi Fisher John Stoneberg
Dave Morley Bob McCoy Selika Duckworth
Sue Bornick Mike Rindo Laurelynn Wieseman
Tom McCarty Mike Huggins Julie Keown-Bomar
Don Mowry Vicki Hoehn Catherine Emmanuelle

51. Clear Vision Process…what s next
The Clear Vision Process: (Tool Kit)
– Values House Meetings
– One on One Relational Meetings
– Power Mapping
– Evaluation
• Coaches Role
• Mentor s Role
• Clear Vision s Role

52. “Americans concerned about civic renewal and democracy are
watching Eau Claire, which is already regarded as a leader in
constructive civic work. Clear Vision Eau Claire is an impressive next
step that will set the standard for other American cities.”
Peter Levine,
Director of CIRCLE
Tufts University
Boston MA

53. Change is Challenging,
Threatening, and Exciting

54. Additional Information
• www.publicachievement.org
• Center for Democracy & Citizenship www.augsburg.edu/democracy/
• Harry Boyte, The Citizen Solution
• Harry Boyte, Everyday Politics
• Frances Moore Lappe and Paul Martin DuBois, The Quickening of America
• Carmen Sirianni, Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance
• Matt Leighninger, The Next Form of Democracy
• Contact
Mike Huggins, City Manager, City of Eau Claire, 715-839-4902,
mike.huggins@eauclairewi.gov
Tom McCarty, Eau Claire County Administrator, 715-839-5106,
jt.mccarty@co.eau-claire.wi.us
Donald Mowry, Ph.D., Director, Center for Service-Learning, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, 715-826-4649, dmowry@uwec.edu