Building Bridges Boulder Chamber: Convening

Thank you for participating in Building Bridges: How do we listen to each other? City of Boulder is glad to include your voice as we work with the community toward a more productive atmosphere of civic dialogue.

During in-person Building Bridges meetings, community members often discussed how civic conversations are convened and the ways those convenings effect the productivity of the conversation.

Share how comfortable you would be with Boulder enacting the following norms for convening civic conversations.

1.

Inclusivity: be intentional to gather diverse voices. Presume intersectionality where everyone has multiple identities and interests. Ask who else needs to be in the conversation with an eye for: young people, social class differences (including renters vs. property owners), different ways of thinking (cognitive diversity), and a broad political spectrum.

*This question is required.

I am opposed to this idea.

I need more discussion.

I fully endorse this idea.

2.

Receptive & responsive. Seek public input early in the decision making process and prioritize community ideas. Provide feedback and follow-up; complete the feedback loop between community members and city officials when decisions are made.

*This question is required.

I am opposed to this idea.

I need more discussion.

I fully endorse this idea.

3.

Accessible. The city reaches out to the community, rather than expecting the community to come to the city. Solicit feedback through multiple mediums and modalities.

*This question is required.

I am opposed to this idea.

I need more discussion.

I fully endorse this idea.

4.

Organized. Be focused; have a purpose; provide timelines and tasks; speak specifically and succinctly. Effective and agile facilitation.

*This question is required.

I am opposed to this idea.

I need more discussion.

I fully endorse this idea.

5.

Map issues to enable creative problem-solving. Share possibilities and constraints of potential solutions/outcomes. When limitations are known, share those constraints. Acknowledge every decision has trade-offs. Educate community on why the city is acting, reacting, and/or proceeding in a specific way.

*This question is required.

I am opposed to this idea.

I need more discussion.

I fully endorse this idea.

6. If you are opposed to or have concerns about any of the ideas above, please share more.

7. What ideas are missing from this list?

8. Which statement doesn't fully capture the theme as you might have hoped it would? What would you add or change?

9. Boulder’s civic communication landscape is broader than processes convened by the city. What are other models of convening are necessary to foster healthy community dialogue?

10. What else would you like to share?

11. Your input will be added to the input of other participating community members and synthesized by a group of volunteers. They will work toward a plan for enacting this new culture. Would you like to be contacted about being a part of these next steps in the process? If so, please provide your name, email and phone number.

The following questions are optional and help us understand who we are hearing from in the community and what gaps we may have in our input.

14. What race or ethnicity do you most identify with?

15. How would you describe your annual household income?