THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610040299
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY NEWSOME, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 72 lines
Virginia Beach officials hope a discussion series this month at the Central Library will help change how public dialogue affects the way our nation is run.
``Choices for the 21st Century: Defining Our Role in a Changing World,'' a series of four Monday night seminars Oct. 7 to 28, is designed to make citizens question U.S. foreign policy, domestic priorities and national values. Participants work together in small groups to discuss each topic.
``This kind of public dialogue can really revitalize a sense of democratic government,'' said John Stewart, assistant director for the city's libraries. ``We rely so much on government and there's so little coming from those making decisions that we really depend on Washington to make our choices. We've turned the reins over to the government.''
Surrendering a public role in the policy process is partly due to the complexity of the issues faced but also the result of how issues are discussed, most often in one-on-one debates. Stewart said there appears to be little agreement on what represents national values, and while the program is not designed to produce consensus, the public will leave with a better understanding of those values and the role of change.
Much of that change is the result of the Cold War's end and a shift in global power relationships.
Stewart said it raises questions of whether the nation should be a global policeman or focus on domestic problems. New trade patterns and a federal budget crunch add to change.
Participants will work in groups, said Stewart, each assigned a different set of values, and develop policies that reflect those priorities. A group focused on maintaining global peace, for example, will produce a much different defense policy than a group concerned with protecting national interests. Group members will be prepared with background material supplied by Brown University, a co-sponsor of the series, which is funded by a federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
``It gets people thinking about the choices to be made and the trade-offs each requires,'' he said.
This format requires a moderator, played this year by G. William Whitehurst, a professor at Old Dominion University and former Congressman for the 2nd District. Stewart said the moderator has ``people finding a new way of working together,'' from debate to deliberation.
``One measure of success in last year's program is that four of the 40 participants stayed together and formed their own group promoting the same kind of public dialogue,'' Stewart said. ``It was quite a commitment; we're asking people to stay together for four weeks, but people went away from it changed.''
Results from last year's program were also part of a report that Brown University sent to members of Congress.
The Central Library last year was the only one hosting the program in South Hampton Roads. Thirteen libraries are participating this year throughout the commonwealth. Using libraries makes sense, Stewart said, because they always have been seen as places of both information and neutrality. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
WHEN AND WHERE
``Choices for the 21st Century: Defining Our Role in a Changing
World'' is free to the public. All sessions will be held at the
Virginia Beach Central Library, 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd., at 7 p.m.
Mondays, Oct. 7 to 28. Background materials for participants will be
provided. Call 431-3071 to register. The topics are:
Oct. 7 - ``What Is America and What Do We Want Her to Be:
Exploring Four Perspectives''
Oct. 14 - ``The Search for Peace in an Age of Conflict: Debating
the U.S. Role''
Oct. 21 - ``U.S. Trade Policy: Competing in the Global Economy''
Oct. 28 - ``Charting Our Future: Balancing Priorities'' by CNB