Page 56 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

Importance of Civic Engagement

Citizens need to become proactive in voicing their concerns about society and the way the

populace is governed. Beyond the ballot box, civic engagement and deliberation is the cornerstone

of modern discourse and informs democracy (Rosenberg 2007; Saunders, 1999). As a method of

engagement, it differs from the nearly spontaneous information sharing afforded by the internet,

apps, forums, social media and where our attention to screens go on laptops, desktops and other

portable electronic devices and cellular forms of communication. Any engaged public discourse

can display a process of rich activity that promotes further dialogue exchange and allows members

of the public to gather and share thoughts and opinions in conjunction with or separate from local

government officials. As deliberative discourse has grown in popularity, it is obvious that

Community Conversations has its utility as a method and process for sharing diverse perspectives

and opinions in public forums. Public gatherings such as CCs give citizens and community

stakeholders the opportunity to meet face-to-face to share opinions and confront community issues.

The process of gathering and in-person interaction creates civic and deliberative

encounters, places where individuals and neighbors get to know each other in the context of issue-

oriented dialogue versus greeting customs or trivial utterances about the weather or sports. These

qualities may provide the container or instigate the conditions for the prescribed ‘Metasphere’

which I will elaborate on can stimulate and support genuine interaction among diverse groups. I

argue that creating the type of space that welcomes and supports dialogue offers the occasion for

transformation to occur as Community Conversations share challenges and explore perspectives.

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