The world as it is vs. the world as it should be.
Tools of the Trade
The world-as-it-is in tension with the world-as-it-should-be is the raw material of practitioners of the democratic faith. Public skills of conversation, debate, and inquiry take time, patience and space to learn. Central to this craft are one to one relational meetings, small group meetings, research actions and leadership assemblies. Workshops, modeling and mentoring define the teaching and learning of any craft, especially the democratic craft.
The world-as-it-is in tension with the world-as-it-should-be is the raw material of practitioners of the democratic faith. Public skills of conversation, debate, and inquiry take time, patience and space to learn. Central to this craft are one to one relational meetings, small group meetings, research actions and leadership assemblies. Workshops, modeling and mentoring define the teaching and learning of any craft, especially the democratic craft.
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Relational Skills
Broad based community organizations rely to different degrees on technologies that properly employed enhance the core work of relationship building and durable pathways of innovation and community improvement. But these technologies when overused undermine face to face engagement. Technologies of measurement are incapable of plumbing the depths of relational skill development. Just as no computer can pass judgment on an original furniture design or a work of art, the same is true of relational work central to building broad based community organizations. Because mentoring lies at the heart of the emergence of leaders and organizers in public life, public performance in turn lies at the heart of serious evaluation. |
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