What does a true democracy look like? And what does it take to achieve that? The speakers at this week’s Friday Forum at the University Y in Urbana hope to provide some guidance on those questions.
Harry Boyte and Marie Ström, cofounders of the Institute for Public Life and Work based in Minneapolis, will give a talk titled, “Democracy as a Way of Life.”
In an interview with IPM News, Boyte cited civil rights activist Dorothy Cotton quotes when explaining what the responsibilities of citizens are in an effective democracy.
“Dorothy used to say: What we’re trying to do is get people to think about what it means to be a citizen. And what it means to be a citizen is to take responsibility for the problems you see around us,” Boyte said.
It’s important to equip everyday people to do the work of solving problems in their communities, Ström said. She has seen this approach work in communities around the globe.
“We would give [people] projects to do together and over again they just amazed us with their capacity to work with people in their communities,” she said.
Ström said she also supports nonviolent approaches to problem-solving.
The two have worked with universities to help staff view themselves more as coaches for students on the journey to solving problems on campus — and not the problem solvers themselves. They have worked with college residence halls and student affairs. They noted that if some conflicts around issues ranging from dirty dishes to more serious issues such as racial and sexual harassment allegations, most students would seek help from dorm counselors to solve the problems, assuming the role of passive consumers.
Boyte argues that this consumer-oriented mindset contributes to larger problems in society.
“Part of the problem with politics today in the whole society is it’s too consumer-oriented,” Boyte said, “People ask: What can I get and who’s going to fix things? What goods do I have? Rather than: What can I contribute and what can I make and what can I build?”
Ström said her experience growing up in South Africa inspired her to promote these ideas about democracy, emphasizing that public works and democracy are powerful.
She has worked on projects and talked to people in the local community who were nurses, doctors, journalists and educators. These ordinary citizens have played enormous roles to help their communities thrive and maintain a democratic society, she said
Ström explained this idea of democracy may sound daunting to people, but by giving real meaning to people about democracy as a way of life, they can have a better understanding of this topic.
“If you think about democracy as a way of life, everybody has a role in making their communities and society better. That’s what democracy means,” she said. “There’s no end point. It is a journey, not a destination.”