Thu, Nov 29, 2007

The Point - Collective Complaint and Social Campaigns Management Site

A new social website called The Point (as in “the tipping point”) has launched. They describe the site as “a social platform for people to solve problems they can’t solve alone.” The site enables people to create a campaign or pledge that only goes into effect if enough people sign on, reaching the tipping point.  It’s an interesting approach to supporting collective action, helping people pledge to get involved without being left hanging if not enough people commit to make a difference.

The Point can also work with financial action: You can join a pledge to participate in an event if enough other people sign on as well. If the pledge goals are met, your credit card (that you’re previously submitted) is debited. If not, you’re not charged. It could turn out to be a powerful tool…

Tue, Nov 20, 2007

Oka Standoff Movie - Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance

I’ve been using the 1990 Oka standoff as a case study in my Roots of Social Conflict course for many years. I was thus quite pleased to discover that the documentary movie Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance that I use to provide an insider perspective on the conflict is now available online via the National Film Board of Canada. The film is part of a collection on Aboriginal Perspectives designed for use by teachers and students. Use the link entitled “View Entire Film” to get to a browsable list of online films.

Wed, Nov 14, 2007

Real Heroes - Jane Adams and others (1940s comic book series)

Jane Adams, social worker, peace worker and a leader in the fight for women’s rights, is one of the people profiled in this comic book on “Real Heroes” developed by Parent’s Magazine back in the 1940s. Portions of the Real Heroes series has been scanned and archived by Michigan State University Library, so you can see them online. The series was “not about impossible supermen, but about real-life heroes and heroines who have made and are making history.” Jane Adams seems like a good pick to me.

Thu, Nov 08, 2007

Mediation Case Scenarios to Assist with Ethics Instruction

The Training Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) has posted a collection of Mediation Case Scenarios that raise various ethical issues. The intent is to provide a set of materials trainers can use to create discussion and interaction around the topic of mediation ethics. The cases are categorized according to the type of challenges they present, as follows:
 

     
• Confidentiality
     
• Impartiality
     
• Avoiding Conflict of Interest
     
• Self Determination
     
• Informed Decision Making
     
• Fairness of the Process
     
• Role of the Mediator
     
• Avoiding Harm
     
• Mediator Competency
 

The collection is part of the ACR Trainers Resource Project.

Mon, Nov 05, 2007

E-PARC - Free Online Resources for Teaching Collaborative Governance

The Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC) at Syracuse University has just released their first set of teaching cases and simulations to the new E-PARC resource repository. The tagline for the new collection is “Free online resources for those who teach collaborative public management, collaborative governance and collaborative problem-solving around the world”. The newly posted cases (4) and simulations (5) are the result of an international case development competition. Congratuations to the winners and to PARC for sharing them openly.

Page 1 of 1 pages