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December 20, 2021
Coming in January
Updated Issue Guide for Deliberation on Policing
and a Webinar
For the past several months, National Issues Forums convenors around the country have been testing “pre-publication” draft issue materials on policing and providing invaluable feedback on its use in community and campus settings. Based on this input and on continued research and development by the Kettering Foundation issue guide development team, an updated guide and video will be released in mid-January.  

As people in communities across the country are considering policing practices that treat all people fairly while still enforcing the law, these policing materials focus on what might be done to work toward both of those key goals.
 
The discussion framework includes multiple options for increasing fairness and safety, each suggesting different ways of thinking and acting. Forum participants will consider questions such as these: 

  • What law enforcement functions do we most value and want to enhance? What aspects do we want to eliminate or rethink?
  • What roles should community members, law enforcement, officeholders, social services, educators, businesses, and others play as we work to enhance and improve policing?
  • Change takes time. What changes are urgent? What can be made over time?

In addition to discussion guides, the National Issues Forums Institute will provide a wide range of complimentary resources to those who wish to convene discussions on policing.

  • Moderator's guide
  • Online questionnaire
  • Conversation starter video
  • PowerPoint slides containing elements of the guide for use on online platforms  

Materials will be posted on the NIFI website in mid-January. Look for up-to-date information related to the policing initiative and materials.
Webinar on Convening and Moderating Policing Forums

Thursday, January 13, 2022
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET Interactive Webinar
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET Networking among participants

The National Issues Forums Institute is partnering with the Kettering Foundation to offer an online learning and networking opportunity for those interested in leading impactful deliberative discussions on policing. Participants will examine the updated public framework as well as a wide range of practices and resources that encourage productive deliberative forums:

  • An exploration of the multi-perspective framework for deliberative discussions on policing
  • Convening and outreach practices for broad forum participation in communities, on campuses, in classrooms, and in online spaces that cross boundaries
  • Effective practices for moderating to promote deliberative interactions that contributes to public decision-making
  • Ways to localize national materials to address community and campus contexts
  • Support materials for convening, moderating, and sharing outcomes of deliberative discussions

The networking portion of the webinar will provide an opportunity for participants to learn from each other’s experiences and plans for future work.
A Public Voice 2022


For more than 30 years, the National Issues Forums Institute and the Kettering Foundation have collaborated in the organization of A Public Voice, an annual gathering that brings together representatives from community forum groups around the country with policymakers and others to explore the contributions that a deliberative public can make to addressing some of the most challenging issues facing our country. 

In May, A Public Voice 2022 will focus on policing forums throughout the country, providing both an opportunity to share public insights gathered by that time and to launch additional discussions throughout the rest of the year. Convenors of these forums are encouraged to share insights from local forums through participant questionnaires and moderator summaries.

Complimentary discussion guides and support materials will be provided to convenors of policing forums. Contact Darla Minnich at dminnich@nifi.org for more information.
About Deliberation in National Issues Forums
National Issues Forums issue guides are designed to stimulate public deliberation, which is a way of making decisions together that is different from discussion or debate. The purpose of deliberative forums is to inform collective action. As citizens, we have to make decisions together before we can act together, whether with other citizens or through legislative bodies. Acting together is essential for addressing problems that can't be solved by one group of people or one institution. These problems have more than one cause and therefore have to be met by a number of mutually reinforcing initiatives with broad public participation. 

About the National Issues Forums Institute

The National Issues Forums Institute's mission is to promote the use of public deliberation in schools, colleges, civic organizations, and religious institutions in the United States. The institute's board members are volunteers drawn from leaders in government, colleges and universities, libraries, civic organizations, the media, and medicine. For more information visit www.nifi.org.