1. A Law and Justice Forum

At the first meeting of a sub-committee charged with developing a comprehensive law & justice plan for the county, members decided that they could not proceed without getting input from the broader community.

In less than an hour, the group developed the idea of sponsoring a forum. They set a timeline, chose a ate and location, developed a participant list, and self-selected areas of responsibilities. As facilitators of the process, we were charged with designing a forum to identify the law and justice issues that the county will face over the next 3 - 5 years. The intent was to actively involve the entire Law & Justice Commission and key stakeholders. (mayor, municipal council members, military, schools, minority groups and tribes)

At one point in our discussion of possible designs for the meeting, I recall Bob saying "We'll just use the ICA workshop method." Yes! This situation presented a perfect opportunity to incorporate the workshop method into our design - limited time available; desire to identify common areas of concern without long debate; a need to involve and hear all participants; and a valuable product for further sub-committee work.

The workshop method can also accommodate a diverse, flexibly sized group. Invitations went out to selected individuals. We hoped to attract 64 participants and planned for 8 round tables of 8. Participants were pre-assigned to tables by the Planning sub-committee with a member of the L&J Plan sub-committee at each table.

Our agenda for the morning included brief self introductions including their reason for attending, words from the co-chairs relating to the purpose of the forum including a general description of the Law and Justice Commission and the objectives of Law and Justice Plan Sub-Committee and Forum.

We followed this with a small group discussion. At each table participants, in turn, were asked to take 2 or 3 minutes to voice thoughts/opinions on the following: "From my point-of-view as (L&J position or constituency) the primary L&J issue that should be considered in the County Law and Justice Plan is _______." This round-robin was followed by a 15 -20 minute general discussion at each table of the primary law and justice issues. A note taker/reporter recorded highlights and/or general themes of the discussion. In plenary session, each table reported out on the highlights of its discussion.

After a break, participants returned to their groups. Each was asked to reach consensus on the top 5 or 6 County law and justice concerns that should be addressed in the Law and Justice Plan. Each of these concerns was recorded on an 8"x5" card - description on one side, 3-6 word subject area identification in large print on reverse side. We have found that when people can write some detail on one side of the card, they find it easier to summarize in big letters on the other. In this case, we also wanted to be able to capture as much information as possible.

Participants were then asked to bring their cards to the wall and the workshop process of posting and categorizing was conducted. The results were seven clear issue categories with descriptive information (cards) for each.

Several interesting things occurred for which we cannot take full credit. The room in which we met had a small stage at one end. Before placing cards on the wall, we asked all present to gather in a semi-circle on the stage instead of remaining seated at their tables. The energy and camaraderie coming out of this small action was remarkable.

Second, a reporter appeared at the meeting. We had discussed the possibility that someone from the newspaper might come to the meeting and decided that we would try to engage that person in the forum as an active participant. The reporter reluctantly agreed to take his seat at one of the tables but didn't know what he had to contribute-what role he played in the law and justice community. By the end of the session he was fully engaged and had concluded that the media is also a member of the community.

Lastly, one of the sub-committee members felt the need to have the meeting followed by a celebratory/networking lunch prepared and hosted by students from the skills center. We billed the lunch as a working lunch to encourage folks to schedule the time. During lunch, each participant was given 5 colored dots and asked to indicate their top priorities placing dots on cards. What we had hoped would happen did - enthusiastic networking continued.

Earlier, I quoted Bob as saying that we would "just" use the workshop method. I suppose we have come to take this tool for granted. It has proven its value once again.