Citi-Zen Engagement - America Speaks Up!

On a sweltering Saturday in June, 3500 Americans convened in 19 cities across the country to face the truth about our ailing economy and voice their opinions about the solutions. Just as most every household in America is engaged in a personal process of belt-tightening, so, AmericaSpeaks organizers and an array of budget experts contend, must America be.

Down on the floor in Philly, as an area facilitator, I was responsible for supporting 15 tables of citizens in their deliberation process. I zipped around the ballroom floor with my headset on, answering questions, trouble-shooting problems, and calling-in experts on the collaborative technology and complex subject matter, if and when needed. And I had a chance to witness democracy in action - not the staged 'town hall' antics that characterized the health care debate last summer. Not the screaming, arguing talking heads we see on TV on Sunday mornings bombarding us with ideology. This forum was the real deal - characterized by informational presentations, group discussions, argument, deliberation, differences, and ultimately, decisions.

The process was infused with rigor and neutrality: from the development of the Budget 101 guidebook posted on the website and distributed to each participant, to the comprehensive efforts to bring a representative demographic into the room, to the structured facilitation provided at the helm by Carolyn Lukensmeyer, AmericaSpeaks Founder and President, and down to each one of the trained volunteer table facilitators. Even the care the organization took to generate funding from
diverse sources on the left and right allowed this to be a truly open forum.

Of course the attacks and skepticism still came - from both sides - liberal economists, Move-on, Tea Party - all protecting their rice bowls and the status quo.

But it didn't matter. These folks had work to do - and work they did - taking 8 hours out on a summer Saturday to hole up on ballrooms across the country and make hard choices about our country's budget. The paid politicians aren't even willing to do that! (Dr. Alice Rivlin, former budget director under Clinton, pointed this out from the pulpit, during an afternoon break, after I watched her work with Table 30 through their spending decision process.)

It was electric!

I watched enamored, almost tearful, as tables of folks of all ages and races and political persuasions conversed debated and ultimately thrust their hands up in the air to cast their votes. These were tough decisions with complex pros and cons, as evenly outlined in the guides. As a facilitator I was to remain agnostic - but I wasn't sure how I'd vote on the carbon tax or VAT if I had to.

When the day was done, and they had completed their work, the participants walked out of the room tired but energized and smiling, and each was handed a full report, hot off the press, documenting the decisions THEY made and ideas THEY generated that very day - thanks to the powers of brilliantly-orchestrated technology.

This process, in my opinion, was not about the economy; it was about something much bigger - change in mindsets - from jaded to engaged, from ideological to informed, from victim-hood to empowerment. This process helped citizens get a taste of what real democracy is like - and it starts with them.

I was so fortunate to be part of the experience. As an organization development professional, Our Budget, Our Economy was a chance to test the limits of collaboration and renew my belief that underlies my work: that the answers truly lie within the people. As an American, it was a chance to see what democracy could look like if our leaders actually had faith in the peoples - and the people had faith in themselves.

For more info on the findings, and to get engaged, go to: http://usabudgetdiscussion.org.