If you are interested in applying a values-based message to a current political issue, we invite you to join the dozens of Wellstone Action members who have agreed to host a National Civic Dialogue on Social Security discussion. The National Civic Dialogue, set for April 19, will consist of discussions across the country about how to develop and deliver values-based progressive messages about Social Security.
When Wellstone Action announced the Civic Dialogue on Social Security, we heard back from dozens of our members across the country who signed up to be facilitators of discussions in their communities. Some of these facilitators have already hosted discussions as part of our first Civic Dialogue last year, while others have never done anything like this before.
To give you an idea of what a Civic Dialogue discussion will be like, we talked to a couple facilitators and asked them what people should expect at their local discussions.
Merrie Sorensen lives in the small community of Wells, Minnesota, near the Iowa border. Merrie will host a Civic Dialogue discussion at a local restaurant, and is working hard to spread the word in her community. She put an ad in the local paper that reads, "WE VALUE SOCIAL SECURITY: Join the Civic Dialogue on April 19," and she has already created her own set of discussion questions that she will add to the current discussion guide. She expects a lively and interesting discussion, with people breaking into small groups and talking about their core values and why we need to value Social Security.
The Civic Dialogue facilitated by Carlos Pereira in New York City will be a dramatically different setting than the Wells, Minnesota discussion, but the focus will be the same. "The main reason I have decided to host a meeting is that I believe meaningful information about Social Security is not accessible to most people," Carlos told us. "It's impossible for everyone to read enough about the issue." The discussion will focus concrete ways to frame the Social Security debate, and many participants have already signed up.
If you want to take action in your community on this issue, it's not too late to sign up to be a facilitator. Click here to learn more about how to be a facilitator. If you'd like to attend a meeting but are not able to facilitate, click here to search for a discussion near you.