Quotes:

Want to Engage Millennials? Let Them Make It Their Own | Social Citizens Blog

• Want to Engage Millennials? Let Them Make It Their Own
  
• by Kristin Ivie
  
• Empowering Millennials to support a cause or product their way has been a proven way to engage our generation
  
• innovative ways to involve individuals in the creation and marketing of products can draw in new users and loyal supporters for products and organizations with staying power.
  
• Post new comment
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

It's a win-win for business executives who say they want to give to a good cause but also seek to influence politicians' positions on [unrelated] legislation or policy.


Quotes:

Corporations spread influence through congressional charities

• Corporations spread influence through congressional charities
  
• by Anna Scalamogna
  
• Lawmakers are mixing charitable and political agendas creating yet another loophole that ultimately allows more corporate influence in Congress.
  
• "at least two dozen charities that lawmakers or their families helped create or run routinely accept donations from businesses seeking to influence them."
  
• Leave a Reply
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

More: http://www.economist.com/node/16943885


Quotes:

Economist - A cyber-house divided - Online as much as in the real world, people bunch together in mutually suspicious groups: Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire: Democracies Online

• Economist - A cyber-house divided - Online as much as in the real world, people bunch together in mutually suspicious groups
  
  
  
• From: Steven Clift
  
  
  
• A generation of digital activists had hoped that the web would connect groups separated in the real world. The internet was supposed to transcend colour, social identity and national borders. But research suggests that the internet is not so radical. People are online what they are offline: divided, and slow to build bridges.
  
  
  
• How do we successfully build bridges online? This is something I'd like to discuss on the international Digital Inclusion Network: http://e-democracy.org/di
  
  
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

This special issue emerges from work being done by the Participatory Culture and Civic Engagement Project (http://sites.google.com/site/participatorydemocracyproject/) at the University of Southern California (Henry Jenkins, Principal Investigator).


Quotes:

Call for papers – Transformative Works and Fan Activism (ejournal) « Blog dell'Associazione Culturale Fichu

• Call for papers – Transformative Works and Fan Activism (ejournal)
  
  
• Edited by Henry Jenkins and Sangita Shresthova, University of Southern California
  
  
• How might research on fandom and participatory culture inform our understanding of citizenship and activism? Cultural theorists have long speculated about how our fantasy lives and cultural engagements might inspire broader forms of public participation.
  
  
• In his book Understanding Popular Culture, for example, John Fiske describes one potential route which might lead a young woman from fannish interest in Madonna towards the resources, skills, and identities she needs to contribute to social change. Fan studies have long located localized resistances within the cultural productions and practices associated with fandom, looking at how fan fiction, say, might lead to new understandings of gender, sexuality, and race. Yet there has been less work that examines how these imaginative practices, at times facilitated by digital media, might lead to an enhanced sense of agency or a new vision of social change, or how the skills developed through fandom might be mobilized for getting people out to vote, protesting public policies, or encouraging contributions and volunteerism around emergency situations.
  
  
• Contact You are encouraged to contact the guest editors with advance inquiries or proposals: Henry Jenkins, hjenkins AT usc.edu Sangita Shresthova, sangita.shresthova AT usc.edu
  
  
• Comment
  
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Of the total homeowner pool, 17% of Hispanic individuals, 11% of African Americans, and 7% of white borrowers have faced foreclosure.


Quotes:

Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network Blog: Voting after foreclosure

• Voting after foreclosure
  
• the increased number of displaced people this year means increased issues of where to vote, updating registrations, showing documentation of residence and meeting new, unfamiliar deadlines.
  
• The Fair Elections Legal Network has responded by issuing a new report entitled Lose Your Home, Keep Your Vote: How to Protect Voters Caught Up in Foreclosure, that urges election officials to interpret state law and issue clear guidance in ways that would protect voters in residential limbo this November.
  
• Posted by R.Adams
  
• Post a Comment
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

State Voter Registration Deadlines for the November 2 Election Are Approaching .
Quotes:

National Voter Registration Month 2010

• National Association of Secretaries of State Declares September 2010 National Voter Registration Month
  
• Dunlap and other secretaries of state are working with federal, state and local officials in making the nation's eligible voters aware of registration deadlines and requirements for the November 2 general election, as well as promoting state resources to help with the registration process. Eligible citizens who plan to vote this November are urged to submit their voter registration information without delay.
  
• For a calendar with state voter registration deadlines and other November 2010 election resources, click here.
  
• Media contact: Kay Stimson 202.624.3528 or nass@sso.org
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

How to keep your social media data collection from being an onerous task.


Quotes:

Actionable analytics for your social media efforts

• Actionable analytics for your social media efforts
  
• SpreadSheet Aerobics, an actionable social media measurement strategy that is fit and trim and light on its feet.
  
• Beth Kanter is CEO of Zoetica, a consultancy for nonprofits. See her profile, visit her blog, contact Beth or leave a comment.
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

This is probably the first time that any state has used Instant Runoff Voting for a statewide office in a general election.


Quotes:

Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » North Carolina Will Use Instant Runoff Voting in One Statewide Race

• North Carolina Will Use Instant Runoff Voting in One Statewide Race
  
• On November 2, 2010, North Carolina voters will use Instant Runoff Voting to choose a State Court of Appeals judge. This is a statewide, non-partisan office.
  
• Leave a Reply
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Civic engagement may not always lead to policy actions but it is an undeniable force of change that hasn't been properly measured and publicized.


Quotes:

The Europe roundup: Does civic engagement make a difference? | Personal Democracy Forum

• The Europe roundup: Does civic engagement make a difference?
  
• By Antonella Napolitano
  
• Does civic engagement make a difference?
  
• There are many indicators that could help demonstrate the degree to which the exercise of democratic citizenship is increasing, the authors note, including polling on awareness of rights, knowledge of legal and institutional procedures, disposition towards action, organizing skills and the "thickness" of civic networks. Given this research, rather than question the value of civic engagement, we should instead focus on how to strengthen and encourage more of it.
  
• Add new comment
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

To reserve a copy or inquire about bulk sales, please contact the office[link]. We anticipate a single copy will cost $2.75 (postage included), with discounts for bulk purchases.


Quotes:

The Alliance For Democracy - News, eNewsletters, Alerts and Chapter News: The return of "Political Bribery"

• The return of "Political Bribery"
  
• We're working to update to our 2001 booklet, "Political Bribery in the U.S.A.: How Corporations and the Wealthy Buy Power & What We Can Do to Stop It." The revisions will reflect the new reality of corporate political bribery post Citizens United, and the "case studies" sections will be brought up to date.
  
• Posted by Alliance for Democracy
  
• Post a Comment
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Ways to keep all races of people who are stakeholders in the communication process.


Quotes:

Everyday-Democracy.org: 4 ways to address issues with racial dynamics in the action phase

• 4 ways to address issues with racial dynamics in the action phase
• by Carolyne Abdullah
  
• I've talked before about racial dynamics in the planning and organizing stages as well as in dialogues and facilitation. To round off my posts, I'll give you examples of racial dynamics to watch out for when working on action.
  
• Carolyne Abdullah, Director of Community Assistance for Everyday Democracy
  
• Tell us your story now!

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Quotes:

NCDD Resource Center » Blog Archive » Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity

• Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity
  
• Change is everywhere these days—at times it seems like barely controlled chaos. Yet within this turmoil are the seeds of a higher order. When a new system arises from the ashes of the old, science calls the process "emergence." By engaging it, you can help yourself and your organization or community to successfully face disruption and emerge stronger than ever. In the book Engaging Emergence (2010), Peggy Holman offers principles, practices, and real-world stories to help you work with compassion, creativity, and wisdom through the entire arc of change—from disruption to coherence. You'll learn what to notice, what to explore, what to try, and what mindset opens new possibilities.
  
• Peggy Holman is founder of the Open Circle Company, a management consultancy for business, nonprofit, and governmental organizations; cofounder of Journalism That Matters, an initiative that supports pioneers in the emerging news and information ecosystem; and coauthor of The Change Handbook.
  
• Leave a Reply
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Quotes:

Mark Mix: FEC allows SEIU's illegal political fund-raising scheme | Washington Examiner

• Mark Mix: FEC allows SEIU's illegal political fund-raising scheme
  
• By: Mark Mix OpEd Contributor
  
• To meet their ambitious fundraising targets, Service Employees International Union bosses are now threatening to fine any local affiliate that doesn't meet its PAC contribution requirements. The only problem with this racket is that FEC guidelines explicitly prohibit organizations from collecting PAC funds by threatening members with financial reprisals.
  
• The DISCLOSE Act, a bill being pushed in Congress that would require political organizations to release the names of top donors, features yet another Big Labor carve-out.
  
• Mark Mix is president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the National Right to Work Committee.
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Quotes:

Activism in America: The conservative takeover

• By Erik Loomis Erik Loomis is a visiting asst. professor of history at Southwestern University. He blogs at Alterdestiny. He can be reached at eloomis20 [at] gmail [dot] com
  
• Activism in America: The conservative takeover
  
• The New Right came to prominence largely as a response to the 60s, while also borrowing heavily from their enemies' tactics.
  
• Why has conservatism had so much success? Why have the Tea Parties washed over the American political scene, possibly altering the nation's history? I suggest two major ways conservatives have outflanked progressives. First, conservatives better understand how to move the levers of power in this nation. Second, conservatives have a defined ideology to guide them and progressives do not. Together, these two issues have done more than any of conservatism's inherent advantages to make them successful and to push us to the political margins.
  

This message was sent to you by David Weller via Diigo

Civic engagement for the week of Sat Jul 24- Fri Jul 30, 2010:

Advocacy training:

The civil person is someone who cares for his or her community and who looks at others with a benevolent disposition rooted in the belief that their claim to well being and happiness is as valid as his or her own. More Americans are discerning with increasing clarity the connections between civility and ethics, civility and health, and civility and quality of life. In fact a consensus is developing around the notion that a vigorous civility is necessary for the survival of society as we know it. Blog

“[Localize This! Artful Action Camp] is designed to give concerned citizens an expanded tool kit for engaging in their democracy,” organizer Moyer said. In addition to teaching general nonviolent action tactics, the camp will focus on using art as a tool for change, offering workshops on creating banners, T-shirts and large puppets. Attendees will also learn kayaking and rappelling skills and how to incorporate those activities into their actions. Blog

Building strong communities is not easy. Even so, my 32-year background in community building has taught me some simple rules of engagement that still hold true today. Blog

Two very different authors advocate adding branches to the traditional troika (legislative, executive, and judicial).* In general, a "branch" is a part of government with distinctive guiding principles and forms and functions appropriate to those principles. It has autonomous powers, checked by other branches. These checks are not only designed to prevent tyranny but also to promote various kinds of inter-branch collaboration for the public good. Blog

The U.S. Public Service Academy will be the civilian counterpart to the military service academies, a flagship institution designed to build a “more perfect union” by developing leaders of skill and character dedicated to service in the public sector. Blog

Citizens around the world are using digital technologies to push for social and political change. Yet, while stories have been published, discussed, extolled, and derided, the underlying mechanics of digital activism are little understood. This new field, its dynamics, practices, misconceptions, and possible futures are presented together for the first time in Digital Activism Decoded. Blog

A new book by a University of Illinois at Chicago communication scholar examines how democracies are evolving in the Internet era. "A Private Sphere: Democracy in a Digital Age" by Zizi Papacharissi, UIC professor and head of communication, explores how online media has influenced political culture, redefined contemporary society's understanding of public and private, and shaped civic engagement. Blog

"Citizens have been trained to think that a politician asking for feedback is taking a poll - not honestly asking for help or collaboration." Can we help Walter Neary, an elected official who gets it, succeed in the face of constituent skepticism? How long can we expect those elected officials truly interested in engagement to hang themselves out there online in a less than accepted collaborative stance? Blog

Under-appreciated and often ill-trained poll workers need your help

The Associated Press (AP) has published an article about many of the problems experienced by poll workers so far this election season; the Feb. 23rd story is entitled "Precinct hiccups blamed on poor training". These employees often are ill-trained for the variety of voting machines on the market today and complicated voting rules; they sometimes have to manage long voter lines; and possible problems with voter rolls or other election official snafus complicate an already under-appreciated job.

You can help if your state still has not had primaries or caucuses, or you can wait until the upcoming November general elections to assist. Just contact your local elections office for details. Also, there are many nonprofit organizations that reform the electoral process and help voters-- you can find a list of these on this blog's left hand column.

Audio clip on helping make election work more accurate

The BRAD BLOG has a very informative audio clip-- an interview with Tom Herman of Vocalo.org about how the general public can help see that the polling place during election day is effective and their ballot counting is accurate. Listen to the clip and get inspired to volunteer for a democratic process the is the best in the world. It's 14 minutes long.