You're Invited: Time For Citizen Solutions

As an InCommons Facilitator, I'm excited about the leadership of the Bush Foundation and its InCommons initiative to bring together Minnesota citizens across the state in an effort to deal with the current government shutdown and budget challenge. With tornado damage, increases in emergency food need, and other challenges facing our state and communities, it's time to bring about budget resolution by moving past fighting with each other to working together to address the more significant problems that require all of us to solve. Hopeful to share your ideas, perspective, and passion? They may well be part of the solution. More below.

Time For Citizen Solutions

Are you frustrated by how difficult it has become for elected officials to find common ground on how to address the state’s problems? You’re not alone. People across Minnesota are growing weary of our state’s annual impasse and stalemates.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Breaking this cycle of gridlock can start with ordinary citizens coming together to think creatively and reach consensus on our state’s biggest challenges. Now is your chance to get involved and share your ideas for creating sustainable, realistic solutions. WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. Citizen voices, like yours, need to be part of whatever decision our state leaders reach – in 2011 and in years to come – if we’re going to break Minnesota’s ongoing deficit cycle. We believe Minnesotans have great ideas and valuable insights to how our state should run, and the Citizen Solutions forums are designed to bring those ideas and insights to light. We also want to help you share those ideas with your friends, neighbors, and even our state’s leaders. The Bush Foundation, with InCommons, will also be capturing the ideas and content of these conversations, and will work to share your ideas with policy makers and with citizens across the state in the months to come. ORDINARY CITIZENS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. It’s simple: we believe that ordinary citizens like you, armed with good information, can reach consensus on difficult problems because they share: Common values about the kind of state we want to live in A desire to find compromises that reflect those values A willingness to work together to make the difficult choices that will honestly address our challenges. Our leaders need fresh ideas from Minnesotans to help end our state’s stalemates and shutdowns. And they need you to demonstrate the kind of leadership that will help them come together in a spirit of compromise. Now is the time to start sharing your ideas, participating in serious conversations and supporting new paths that will break our state’s deficit-cycle.

July 19th-21st we’ll be gathering people in Grand Rapids, the Twin Cities and Rochester who are excited about working together to find new approaches to address our state’s budget problems. These won’t be sessions for wallflowers. We’re looking for diverse ideologies and perspectives to come together for vibrant discussions across Minnesota. And to help get things started, we’ll provide dinner (after all, it’s hard to give your best thinking on an empty stomach!). But we’re limiting the number of attendees to ensure that every participant’s voice is heard, so to join you’ll have to act fast. LOCATIONS AND DATES Grand Rapids – July 19 from 5:30 to 9:00 Twin Cities – July 20 from 5:30 to 9:00 Rochester – July 21 from 5:30 to 9:00

Even if your voice shakes

Photo Credit: zaido

"Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind - even if your voice shakes."

-Maggie Kuhn

Accepting Applications: Minnesota Community Pride Showcase

The Minnesota Community Pride Showcase is great for many reasons: it allows us to highlight the great work taking place in every corner of the state, Community Pride Day will feature incredible local musicians and entertainment, and it gives us early cause to get excited about the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Consider entering your innovative community collaboration to be showcased and receive rave reviews at the State Fair alongside cheese curds and various foods on a stick!

MINNESOTA COMMUNITY PRIDE SHOWCASE DEADLINE JULY 11 THE MINNESOTA COMMUNITY PRIDE SHOWCASE IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU! The Minnesota Community Pride Showcase gives nonprofits, community groups and schools the opportunity to share work they're doing to make a positive difference in the community, and recognizes the many community improvement projects happening across the state. Thirty winners will receive $500 and the opportunity to exhibit their work during Community Pride Day at the State Fair! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WIN TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY PRIDE DAY Everyone who enters the Showcase will receive two tickets to Community Pride Day at the Minnesota State Fair on September 3. In addition to being a great opportunity to network and share community projects with others, Community Pride Day is sure to be fun! Some of the days' events include performances by the Willy Murphy Band, singer-songwriter Charlie Maguire, Indian dance troupe Ragamala, J.D. Steele and the MacPhail Community Youth Choir, female rap artist Desdamona, the Brave New Workshop and the Tom Hunter Band.Attendees will also enjoy the Minnesota Community Pride Awards Ceremony, newsmaker interviews, Showcase displays from the Minnesota Community Pride contestants and more. To enter, visit the Minnesota Community Pride Showcase page on InCommons.org. Don't forget, the deadline for entries is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 11. WANT TO LEARN MORE? InCommons, along with the Minnesota State Fair and MinnPost.com, is proud to co-sponsor the 2011 Minnesota Community Pride Showcase. The Showcase recognizes communities statewide for their efforts to move beyond current economic challenges with creative and proactive community and economic development innovations. The Showcase is designed to reward, inspire, showcase and share the collaborative work happening in Minnesota towns and neighborhoods to improve quality of life. For more information and to learn about guidelines, eligibility and the judging process, please visit theMinnesota Community Pride Showcase page on InCommons.org.

You're Invited: Ice Cream Social Justice!

Next week, Headwaters Foundation is bringing together two of the greatest passions of Minnesotans: ice cream and social justice! Over delicious frozen treats, you'll get a chance to interact with community change agents, cutting-edge organizers, and other emerging leaders. You can escape brain freeze by engaging in lively questioning and conversation about the latest social justice trends and issues, all in a gorgeous setting at Minnehaha Falls. A scenic vista - make that 3 things Minnesotans love!

Ice Cream Social Justice 2011

Register Now! I can't make it Where: Minnehaha Falls: Wabun A Picnic area 4801 Minnehaha Ave S Minneapolis, MN Driving Directions When: Thursday July 14, 2011 from 5:00 PM CDT to 7:00 PM CDT Add to my calendar

Join cutting edge organizers, next generation donors, inquiring minds and emerging leaders of all kinds for a lively discussion and exploration of the emerging issues and trends in the world of social justice. If social justice is a new term or concept don't worry. Social change is simply an idea. It begins with a belief that we can have a fair and just society. Following that belief with action that makes our society better is social change. Have you ever wondered: why are some people homeless and others have more than one home? How can we have so many choices at the stores and yet we have a growing number of people in poverty? Or how can we have 6 billion people on planet and not run out of water, food and gas? What will happen when we run out of oil? All of these questions and many more lead us to social change. Simply put, social change is moving from questions to answers and from answers to solutions. Thursday, July 14, 2011 Minnehaha Falls- Wabun A Picnic area 5.00 - 7:00 PM Click on the link to the left to RSVP. Join Headwaters Foundation for Justice as we bring together community members who are wrestling everyday to move from the questions of our day to solutions for a better tomorrow. We have an all-star lineup for you. What are local communities doing to reshape their lives to fit into earth's limits? Join Shalini Gupta, Executive Director of Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy, as she explores climate justice. Shalini will talk about local efforts to create a triple bottom line: 1. Sense of community 2. Sustainability 3. Smaller footprint Minnesota is the center for some alarming statistics on racial disparities. If racial inequities are so pervasive, then why don't we end racism? Join Steven Renderos, Project Director with the Mainstreet Project, on a journey to explore structural racism and the local solution communities that are advancing to address some of our community's long standing problems. Possible areas to explore with the group include: the intersection between education, employment, and race. Can the common good bring about equity? Who defines and ensure that we have a "common good"? Ensuring each of us has a voice and a choice in important decisions that affect our lives is vital to health economy and strong democracy. Join Veronica Burt*, Director of JustEquity, as she shares lessons learned in building a sense of "the commons" in local transit planning and efforts to wrangle the telecommunication companies. Everyone wants to believe that youth are the future, but so why don't we listen to them? Join Jesus Torres lead organizer from Centro Campensio to share in dialogue about youth organizing and youth leadership. Come ready to share your experiences and insights in creating a space for youth to come together and have voice.

The White House: Open for Questions – Youth and International Development

Much has been made of the web savviness of the Obama campaign and administration. The campaign developed and leveraged an online community with my.bo, President Obama gives his weekly address via YouTube.com, and the White House is open for questions with American citizens on the web. To join in these two-way, interactive conversations, tune in tomorrow for a special live discussion regarding poverty, here and abroad, with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, Raj Shah, and Kalpen Modi (of Harold and Kumar fame) from the White House Office of Public Engagement. Registration details below and here.

How to Make Change: Open for Questions – Youth and International Development

Join U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Raj Shah and Kalpen Modi from the White House Office of Public Engagement on July 7, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. EDT for a special live discussion with young Americans about international development.

Poverty affects young people here in America and around the world. The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country.

Use the form below to tell us:

• How are young people changing the game when it comes to poverty in the United States and around the world?

• What do you think about the role of USAID and what should the Obama Administration be doing to tackle challenges related to global poverty and international development?

And be sure to tune in to WhiteHouse.gov/live on July 7 at 1:30 p.m. EDT to join the discussion.