Transcript Community Forums to Increase Awareness of Mental Health …

Center for Civic Life at
Ashland University
A group of citizens
committed to citizen
solutions to issues that
concern them.
 Host deliberative forums for the public
 Hold Community Conversations
 Help to recruit volunteers related to
issue(s)
 Consult with agencies and
organizations
 Hold moderator trainings. Introducing
a certificate program.
Held two forums, in
cooperation with the MHRB
in Ashland County:
 Prescription Drug Abuse: A
Problem Hiding in Plain Sight?
 Are We Overmedicating Our
Children: How Should a
Community Respond to Emotional
and Behavioral Issues in Children
and Youth?
Community Conversations,
which resulted in two
working groups:
 Prescription Drug Abuse – article
series in Times-Gazette, starting of
a Families Anonymous chapter
 Are We Overmedicating Our
Children? – four committees
working on online parenting
recordings; workshop series for
teachers and parents; family
therapy group(s); healthy activities
for young people
 To work toward solutions
 To engage citizens in problem
solving
 To learn about how to talk
together about issues that
concern us all
 To consider at least three options
fairly
 To discuss what we value, possible
actions, benefits, and trade-offs
 Identify a common problem
 Title should be broad, stated a
problem, in a neutral way
 Research issue
 Interview a diversity of people
 Framing:
 Identify 3 or more options for
solutions (based on research
and interviews)
 Each option should have
possible actions
 Each option should have
potential trade-offs
 Moderator remains neutral,
clarifies points, asks questions,
leads discussion
 Recorder remains neutral, captures
essence of comments. Notes are
used to inform stakeholders.
 Participants are encouraged to
participate
 Keep remarks focused on options
 Focus on your own experiences
and values
 Listen carefully to others and seek
to understand them
 No one should dominate. Please
keep remarks brief.
 Everyone should above all be
respectful.
 Personal stake
 Consider Options (by
deliberation)
 Possible actions
 Benefits
 Trade-offs
 Actions we can agree on
 Trade-offs we are willing
to accept
 Next steps
Resources
Community Conversations about Mental Health: Planning Guide,
http://store.samhsa.gov/product/Community-ConversationsAbout-Mental-Health-Planning-Guide/SMA13-4765
Everyday Democracy, www.everyday-democracy.org
Kettering Foundation, kettering.org
Dayton Office
200 Commons Road
Dayton, OH 45459
937.434.7300
800.221.3657
National Issues Forums, www.nifi.org