Deep Canvassing Opportunity!
Learn Proven Ways to Meaningfully Connect with
Neighbors who don’t Always Share our Views.
In partnership with Wisconsin Farms Union (WFU) Crawford Stewardship Project is recruiting volunteers for “Deep Canvassing” conversations regarding CAFOs here in Crawford County.
Be part of this exciting opportunity to change hearts and minds!
including Trainings, facilitation, and statewide coordinated activism!
Event:
The Power of a Conversation: What is Deep Canvassing?
Wednesday August 26th 7-8pm
Come learn more about Wisconsin Farmers Union’s effort to leverage the power of conversations to build support for our key issues such as fair maps, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), and health care, and health care.
At this 1-hour informational session, you will learn about deep canvassing, an intentional approach to talking with voters and other community members that draws upon our personal stories and shared values.
In deep canvassing, we engage people in a two-way conversation about real experiences that shape their understanding of the issues. To learn more, watch this five-minute video featuring Dave Fleischer, a pioneer in deep canvassing.
WHAT: During this session, we will discuss how deep canvassing was developed and what we know about its effectiveness. We will explain how members can get involved with WFU’s deep canvassing program this summer and fall to help our effort to have 1,000 meaningful conversations with people in rural communities about the collective challenges we face.
REGISTER: Register now for the informational session by following this link. After you register, you will receive a Zoom link a few days before the session.
WHO: This session will be hosted by the WFU Deep Canvassing Leadership Team: Bill Hogseth, John Adams, Kathleen Hobert, Rachel Henderson, and Jen Schmitz.
SAVE THE DATE: If you wish to be involved with WFU’s deep canvassing program, we are offering a training workshop that will be conducted in two parts via a Zoom video meeting. The first part will be a story workshop where you will have an opportunity to reflect and practice your own story that you can share as part of deep canvassing conversations. The second part will be a virtual deep canvass where you will learn how to navigate conversations and connect with people over the phone about an issue facing their community.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE MONDAY AUGUST 31
1) Story Workshop—Thursday September 3rd @ 9:00-11:30am OR 6:00-8:30pm (pick one)
2) Virtual Deep Canvass Phone Bank—Sunday September 6th @ 1:00-6:00pm (with a 30 min break)
Both above trainings are required to participate in Deep Canvassing Campaign which will run from September 8th through October 31.
Register for Required Trainings
Are you interested? Participants will be intentionally recruited to attend this workshop. If you are interested in participating but have not been recruited please register for the August 26th information session and a member of the relational organizing leadership team will contact you.
For more information contact CSP’s Community Engagement Coordinator:
Eli Mandel
emandel@crawfordstewardship.org
608-632-4213
Crawford County Wants to Hear from You About CAFOs!
The Crawford County Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Study Committee is hosting an open public forum to advise the process, as they determine what recommendations to make to the Board of Supervisors.
What is your vision for agriculture in Crawford County?
What health & safety concerns do you have about CAFOs?
What should the county do to revitalize our local agriculture, and protect us from corporate factory farming?
Community Dialogue to be held on Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 at 6:00 pm to hear from community members about their values and priorities for the future of farming, water quality, health, and wellbeing for Crawford County.
Register here
In November 2019, the Crawford County Board of Supervisors passed a CAFO Moratorium for 12 months, which stipulates that a study committee be formed to research CAFOs, and what actions can be taken to protect the public health & safety, and if/how/where/how many will be allowed to operate in the county. This committee will create a report with recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
To learn about what this study committee has accomplished so far, please visit the following webpage that outlines the meetings, agendas, and presentations.
In the midst of a global pandemic the study committee has not been able to accomplish their directive…
We need to utilize the built in 1 year CAFO Moratorium Extension.
Read our Organizational Support Letter
Please reach out to your County Board Supervisor and ask them to support a moratorium extension!
There is broad public and county staff support for this sensible action to complete the study of what effects these industrial CAFOs operations have on public health, safety, and welfare.
It is the reasonable and necessary action for the Crawford County Board to vote to extend our CAFO Moratorium for 1 year.
Now is your chance to be heard and effect change!
Crawford County is structuring its public input on CAFOs for their eventual decisions at the end of the CAFO Moratorium as a Community Dialogue
The intention of the Community Dialogue is for the CAFO Study Committee to bring together diverse community members, to hear about community members’ experiences and values, and to create a learning environment to illuminate the complexities of farming, water quality, health, and wellbeing in Crawford County.
The Community Dialogue will be facilitated by our UW Extension Crawford County Community Development Educator, Jessica Jane Spayde.
Spayde states, “Any well-facilitated community dialogue is successful if community members leave feeling heard, feeling like they understand their neighbors better, and feeling like they learned something about themselves and their community.” Spayde also states, “I’ve called upon my statewide network of Community Development colleagues within UW-Madison Division of Extension to be facilitators of our small group discussions. This way, each discussion will be expertly facilitated by qualified professionals, ensuring a civil, respectful dialogue.”
Guidelines for the dialogue include:
Civil and respectful discourse. We can easily keep our discourse civil and respectful if we remember that our neighbors are in the room with us, and that we all love our community and want what’s best for our community.
Dialogue, not debate. We don’t want you to argue or try to win anyone to your side. Instead, we expect participants to spend most of their time listening and trying to understand one another.
Honoring your experience. We want to hear your experiences, values, and practices, and we will honor your contribution by holding space for your voice.
Ensuring these guidelines are kept. If anyone feels uncomfortable or unsafe, they can use the Zoom “Chat” function and chat directly with our facilitator, Jessica Jane Spayde, who will address the problem for them. Anyone who is attacking other people’s views, using a hostile manner, or threatening other participants will be asked to remove themselves from the meeting.
See the complete Agenda below:
- 6:00. A brief introduction from our Facilitator about the CAFO Moratorium and the CAFO Study Committee.
- 6:10. A brief overview of the dialogue process.
- 6:15. Facilitated small group discussions, using the Zoom Breakout Rooms function, with these guiding questions:
- A. What do you feel about health, safety, and welfare issues around CAFOs in general?
- B. What other areas do you want the CAFO Study Committee to look into?
- 6: 55. Back to the Large Group: Facilitators report back:
- A. What questions came up?
- B. What concerns came up?
- C. What directions forward were suggested?
- 7:20. Next Steps & Closing
Registration is Required
All members of the Crawford County community are welcome. People from outside Crawford County are welcome to attend and listen, but we hope you understand that our primary goal is to hear from our community members during this Community Dialogue.
Register here
Contact Extension Crawford County with any questions: 608-326-0223 or Spayde@wisc.edu.
Upcoming Events
-The Power of a Conversation: What is Deep Canvassing?, 8-21, Online
-Community Dialogue, 9-01, Online or by Phone.
-Story Workshop (pick one), 9-03 Online
-Story Workshop (pick one), 9-03, Online
-Virtual Deep Canvass Phone Bank Training, 9-06, Online
See details on these and many more inspiring actions and events in our
