Each year communities and groups across Iowa collectively develop thousands of plans. Prepared by Northeast Iowa RC&D, this series provides strategies from their experience that will help transform your plan from a cookie cutter document that sits on a shelf to an action orientated guide for the future.

When you approach community problems, mindfulness can broaden your perspective. You can gain awareness of the context surrounding a problem, and the layered and diverse perspectives of those affected by the problem, whatever the problem may be.

When a situation calls for community-based engagement, it is important to have someone there who can lead the discussion in an efficient, effective way. Facilitators play an important role in community discussions; they are the ones to keep the discussion on track and guide the conversation to a productive place. 

The National Issues Forum issue advisory states that one in five Americans will have mental health problems in any given year. But, many individuals feel that mental health is not being treated appropriately, and that dangerous mental illnesses are going undetected and untreated. Therefore, the driving question in this resource is: How can we reduce the impact of mental health problems in America?

The authors of “Equality and Equity in Deliberation: Introduction to the Special Issue” state that inclusion is a foundation of deliberative democracy. But should programs focus on equity or equality in their process of dialogue and deliberation?

“Repairing the Breach: The Power of Dialogue to Heal Relationships and Communities” is a resource written by Robert R. Strains Jr. as a part of the Public Conversations Project. This project, now called Essential Partners, focuses on dialogue about difficult topics, such as gender, race, and sexuality. The resource was published in the Journal of Public Deliberation in 2014. The Journal of Public Deliberation collects research and projects with a focus on deliberative democracy.

How Should We Prevent Mass Shootings in Our Communities? Mass shootings have devastating effects on communities. Much of the discussion surrounding this topic is often polarized and charged with emotion, making it difficult to come to a solution.

While many individuals are coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender at an earlier age, schools are not adapting to meet these student’s needs and prevent discrimination. In addition, many states do not have anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT youth from violence and harassment. 

To sustain a program, updating participants and the community on progress and future events is crucial. Once these individuals are updated, they are more likely to share this information with the rest of the community. But there are even more methods for sharing this information, including blogs and social media. The benefit? Not just informing individuals, but possibly attracting the media or partners.

Everyday Democracy provides the keys to success in their resource called “10 Strategies for Recruiting Active Volunteers.” Founded in 1989, Everyday Democracy strives to bring together diverse groups of individuals to discuss social and political issues. Their hope is that dialogue between individuals of all backgrounds will help communities facilitate solutions and change.