Interviews & Stories by Jack Becker
Kettering Foundation News, Sep 16, 2014
kettering.org /kfnews/real-impact/ Many communities lack the basic civic muscle necessary to form... more kettering.org /kfnews/real-impact/ Many communities lack the basic civic muscle necessary to form a strong community. Conflict management and decision-making skills seem far and few, and basic political knowledge about our communities and nation, many argue, seem scarce. There are many ways to talk about this problem: for example, Robert Putnam has talked about a decline in social capital, while John McKnight has problematized what he sees as an overly intense focus on individuals' and communities' deficits; a problem that undervalues the assets citizens bring to public life. The Kettering Foundation has talked about these problems more broadly as "problems of democracy" that keep democracy from working as it should. For example, there are concerns over too few opportunities for young people to learn the skills required to help strengthen their communities. On this point, the Kettering : One of the perennial questions at Kettering is a simple one: why do people get involved in public life? You've been engaged in teaching and learning for democracy for quite some time now. Why do you keep coming back? Tim Shaffer: At the heart of it is my own question that I keep coming back to: how do we live with each other? Or, how do we live well with one another and do a better job at that?
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Interviews & Stories by Jack Becker