Presented by: Louise Conn Fleming, Ashland University
Presented at: 4th International Conference on Conflict Resolution Education
Date of Session: June 10, 2011

Session Description: The U.S. was founded on the democratic community, in which citizens joined together for the benefit of all, yet communities like this are becoming rare. Conflict, which should be seen as healthy, escalates destroying lives and reputations. When citizens come together in democratic community, they are empowered to reach mutual goals, and to begin to view their actions in terms of the greater good. This session will tell the story of a group of citizens who used the six Principles of Democratic Deliberation, as named by Mathews (2006) to form and maintain a park district with no public funding. The Principles are explained and illustrated.