Local Wisdom Councils

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From: Laura Wells lwlaura at yahoo dot com
Date: Sun, May 4, 2008 at 9:58 AM
Subject: WDO Wise Democracy Oakland is TWO WEEKS away!

Hello friends of Wise Democracy Oakland,

I'm writing this early on a Sunday morning. That means that in TWO WEEKS, the first ever Wisdom Council in Oakland, CA, will have happened!

Thought you might like to see the invitation letter the group of us sent to 300 neighbors. We have a goal of 12 of them (4 percent) accepting our invitation. We've gotten 8 or more responses so far, so we're on our way.

The letter had a cover sheet that was short and to the point. The second sheet was two-sided, containing Frequently Asked Questions. This is long for an email, but you can skip around.

Thanks for reading this!
AND, it would be wonderful if you could be at the Community Reception after the Wisdom Council at 4:00 p.m. address below.

Laura,
for Claudia, Eric, Janet, Marc, Molly, Rudi, Sally, and Ted

Jackson-Alice Neighborhood Wisdom Council 2008
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Malonga Casquelourd – Alice Arts Center
1428 Alice Street
Fri., May 16, 7pm–10pm
Sat., May 17, 10am–7pm
Meals included.
___________________

You are invited …

to be one of the 12 participants on the first neighborhood Wisdom Council in Oakland. You can apply this invitation to any one person in your household, age 15 or older, whether it’s the name on the mailing label or not.

For more information, please read the accompanying details, and talk with Eric or Sally by phone or email (see contact info below).

Members of the council will meet Friday, May 16, from 7 pm to 10 pm (dinner included), and all day Saturday, May 17, from 10 am to 7 pm (light breakfast, and lunch included). The council will take place at the Arts Center at 1428 Alice Street.

You must contact us by April 30, 2008 to be part of the Wisdom Council!

Eric:   (510) 836-3378 /
Sally:  (510) 843-3651 / s_


Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs


How did I get picked?

You’re one of a small number of people chosen at random from voter rolls and the phone book to be part of a real democratic experience in the Jackson-Alice neighborhood.
Please listen up. This invitation is unusual. It’s from some of your neighbors. We aren’t selling anything, and we aren’t weirdos! You may have seen us on the sidewalk on Saturday mornings at 15th and Jackson, chatting with passersby.
We are inviting you to have some fun and do something important and different, without having to spend a dime.

What will it be like?

Here’s what’s going to happen. It’s called a “Wisdom Council”:

•       You get together with a dozen or so neighbors. People like you, picked at random. Nobody “special.” We’ll have a relaxed gathering. Fun. No pressure.
•       You get to be just who you are, just like you want to be.
•       And, yes, you get free food.
•       The group talks together to find out what you all really think and care about: what you wish wasn’t true, and what you wish was.
•       A facilitator makes sure everybody gets respected, and heard.
•       Everyone gets their real thoughts and feelings out on the table — about this neighborhood, about this city, about this country.
•       Funny, serious, angry, silly, fed up, passionate, sad, heartfelt, hopeful, and visionary — it’s all O.K. Say what you want.
•       Everybody gets down to what they really want to say.
•       Then you make sense of the whole, together.

And what happens? It’s amazing. We guarantee it: Wisdom emerges. Community emerges. We share the truth, as if for the first time. For once, the neighborhood feels like it belongs to us. We live the experience of “we the people.”

Who leads it? What’s on the agenda?

This is a different kind of meeting. There will be a trained facilitator whose skill serves the Wisdom Council members in talking about whatever they choose. The facilitator does not have any agenda. The facilitator just makes sure everyone gets to talk, that no one monopolizes the discussion, and that everyone gets to develop his or her ideas and gets heard and respected.
The Wisdom Council participants discover what issues are most important to everyone. The council explores solutions, and comes up with a powerful group statement, which is then shared with the whole neighborhood. Being on the Wisdom Council is like being a signer of the neighborhood’s “Declaration of Independence”!

Then what happens?

Right after the council itself, a community reception takes place from 4–7pm on Sat., May 17 at the same location, the Arts Center at 1428 Alice. Everyone is invited to the reception, where the Wisdom Council will share its results with this larger group of interested folks, including more neighbors from the community, and the media!
At the reception, all attendees will get a chance to meet neighbors, discuss the statement of the Wisdom Council together, and experience something of what it means to be “we the people,” actually capable of creating a world more like the one we all want.
At the end of the reception, the Wisdom Council officially disbands, 24 hours after it started, and those of us who are inspired by the possibilities will begin planning the next event to keep this new, joyful spirit of neighborly democracy alive and growing among us.

Who is behind this?

You may have seen us on Saturday mornings on the corner of Jackson and 15th. There are ten of us altogether. Eight of us live right here in Oakland; three live on the Jackson-Alice block. We call ourselves “Wise Democracy Oakland” because we have chosen the Wise Democracy/Wisdom Council process to build our dream starting here where we live: participatory democracy, real power to the people. We dream that it will spread to the rest of the city, the state, and all of America . . .. but we know that will take a while.
We have put in our own time and our own money to pay for paper, printing, postage, refreshments, and rental space for the Wisdom Council and the public meeting following it. We also asked personal friends to chip in.
In other words, what’s behind this Wisdom Council is the ten of us, nobody else... Not yet! Of course, we welcome volunteers.

What about existing neighborhood groups?

We envision that the Wisdom Council may become a regular event, and provide a bridge between groups in the neighborhood. Democracy depends on pluralism, with lots of overlapping groups in the same place.
The intention is to receive the broadest possible publicity in the hope that it will generate a public discussion of the issues identified by the council. In other communities, Wisdom Councils have resulted in people acting to effect changes for the better.

How can I find out more about the Wisdom Council process?

The Center for Wise Democracy, of Seattle, Washington, developed the Wisdom Council process. How and where to start, things to look out for, what to do when things go wrong, how to get the most for your money and time as a volunteer group — they worked this out. So we decided to use their model. There are many other new and exciting models for real participatory democracy. After May 17, we hope to have many new helpers. The group may choose to add elements of one or more of those other processes.
You can learn more about the process by going to the Center’s web site:       
http://www.wisedemocracy.org/ .

If you have any questions (we hope you will!) contact us:

       Eric:           (510) 836-3378 /
       Sally:  (510) 843-3651 / s_