New models for civic engagement: Ben Warner at TEDxJacksonville

Despite our technological advancements, we live in a time where we are increasingly disconnected from one another. Ben Warner believes that, if you don't like it, you should quit talking about it and change it. Join Ben and learn how your community gets to decide what matters most.
Ben Warner is the President & CEO of Jacksonville Community Council Inc. (JCCI). He has been at JCCI since 1998, serving most recently as the organization's Vice President before becoming the organization's fourth executive leader since 1975.
Ben is a past president of the National Association of Planning Councils (NAPC) and was inaugural president of the international Community Indicators Consortium, a network of institutions which seeks to advance the art and science of community indicators across the globe.
Before joining JCCI in 1998, Ben worked in the mental health field, where he directed day treatment programs for dually-diagnosed (mental illness/developmentally disabled) individuals in Northeast and Central Florida. He also worked with homelessness issues, developing a highly successful pilot transitional housing program.
At JCCI, Ben has staffed community-based public policy studies and implementation efforts on topics such as arts and culture, growth management, regional cooperation, and city finance. He also serves as a consultant with Community Works, assisting multiple communities around the world in the creation of community-based public policy organizations and the development of community indicators.
Ben completed his undergraduate studies in Sociology at Brigham Young University. He received his Masters in Social Work from Florida State University.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@TheCharleslines]

Three things stand out for me: 1. redefining success through encouraging civic engagement; 2. encouraging opposed groups to have difficult conversations which create real and positive change; 3. enhancing efficiency and effectiveness through transparency: opening up valuable information that the public can comment upon and make recommendations about.)

[@ivanmajercak]

Charles Lines aseAe
Harry Potter

[@shaneadams6625]

Great presentation! Very engaging and spot on for today's communities.

[@carmenmarin2647]

connecting to your community is very important.

[@clonetropper08]

Great discussion
Ben humanizes the relationship between government and public
and how technology has somewhat taken away from the personalization of collective descisions.

[@BenWarner1]

The intent was not to be critical of the business sector, merely to point out it's insufficient for building community. The invisible hand, big or small, by itself is not a panacea for all community ills. That's historically and currently demonstrable. The civic sector can be an important partner for business - think chamber of commerce or non-profit microlenders or mentorship programs or Rotary clubs. Even Maslow's hierarchy of needs understands the criticality of belonging, which is why community formation and maintenance is a primary function of any society. That's a longer response than I intended - simply put, civic engagement is not just nice to have, it's essential for community survival.

[@philomath3238]

What do you say about Yang's Human-Centered Capitalism and improved American scorecard?

[@nkurunzizabrendah3694]

Thank you

[@gastromacho2]

Conversation of persons of different values should be facilitated instead of through social media where people only meet with like minded strangers and enlarge the divide. There is less and less means to "bridge" differences.

[@BenWarner1]

Facilitated face-to-face conversations can be extraordinarily powerful -- social media allows us to dehumanize the other, but a strong facilitator allows the conversation to become both productive and an opportunity for shared learning. It's astonishing how often people who are courteous and polite in person will become combative when they feel technologically distanced or anonymous. Thank you for your comment.

[@sharonjuniorchess]

This model assumes a healthy community. But if it fractured or broken then the community sector will not thrive until basic needs are met. Enabling people to become self reliant has to come first.You are critical of the business sector but translate that to a small business community and then the community sector will grow from that.

[@ericawiebelhaus9309]

nice

[@philomath3238]

Andrew Yang is the only one trying to change what we measure and value in America, including Civic Engagement.
Also, his incredible policies will boost Civic Engagement to historic high levels.
TH-cam Andrew Yang!

[@BenWarner1]

So no, the model doesn't assume a healthy community ... it argues that engagement is how you get a healthy community.