[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 9/10) Jim Rough (www.wisedemocracy.org) Wise Democracy (USA)

9/10 Jim Rough (www.wisedemocracy.org) Wise Democracy (USA)

"I like Cosmin’s comment about how people might garden the growth of new methodologies. And he asks: how do we disseminate to the masses the idea that they are powerful and can use their power (my words)?…  My answer is that you facilitate them to experience their collective power.”

Twenty three years ago I developed a new methodology called the “Wisdom Council” for sparking people to come together as a powerful “We the People.” See www.WiseDemocracy.org. And it’s now starting to gain traction. I hope you will become familiar with it as a possible way of addressing society’s big problems.

Yesterday I returned from a conference in Austria called “Surfing Democracy,” where the Wisdom Council was a main focus. This is the second conference in the past two years arising from the successful application of the Wisdom Council in Vorarlberg, Austria, the Westernmost state of Austria. Six years ago a government Office of Future Related Issues discovered the Wisdom Council and started convening them. They have experienced such amazing success in solving difficult public issues, involving citizens, and shifting the public conversation to be more collaborative that they convened this FREE conference to people from anywhere in the world to come learn how they are using this and other new approaches. They have even convinced politicians … unanimous from all four parties … to change the state Constitution to include the Wisdom Council. And now nearby states are planning the same thing.

I think true democracy is something like this …  where all the people come together in respect, face their collective problems, creatively determine answers that work for everyone, and then provide leadership to government in implementing the people’s will. I think the Wisdom Council can approximate this. 
The actual change to the constitution is to include a focus on "participative democracy" as well as "direct democracy" and "representative democracy." There are three resolutions explaining "participative democracy" that mention the Wisdom Council directly: 1) There will be two statewide Wisdom Councils each year on topics chosen by government. The governor chooses one and political parties take turns choosing the other. 2) The citizens can spark a state-sponsored Wisdom Council simply by submitting a topic with only 1000 signatures supporting that topic. 3) Government will officially respond to any points Wisdom Councils raise that are directed to government."