The Public Policy Project

Working in Belfast

In April, I spent five days working on “Difficult Stories” with writers, artists, social workers and activitists in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was good work sponsored by the Creative Writers Network with people who are engaged in, as they say, “moving beyond the tribal stories.” It is not quite a formal “truth & reconcillation” process, but rather the realization that after 34 years of “The Troubles” and 10 years of “Waging Peace” with and without a functional government; the necessity of individuals telling their stories continues and grows.

A part of the work was a variation on “The Stories of the Other” workshop I do and the race and cultural competency discussions that the Public Policy has conducted for organizations. Part of the efort was identifying specific techniques that could be used to create safe and respectful spaces for individuals to tell their stories, how to facilitate the telling of these difficult stories and what to do once they have been told.

One of the questions we were exploring is how to get beyond “shame and blame” to speak “truthfully, artfully and meaningfully” about what happened and at what cost to selves and their communities. Many residents on both sides of the Catholic and Protestant divide are not ready to forgive, but may be ready to hear the story of the “other” they live beside. What are the common threads, the shared human themes of loss and discovery in those stories?

A lot more could be said, but I’ve save that for another time.

Legislative Work…..

Hello all, James Trice here,

In February 2008, The Public Policy Project was hired to work with a coalition of north Minneapolis organizations to address critical issues impacting residents and community stakeholders by engaging state legislators and influencing policy during the 2008 legislative session and beyond. 

The Northside Policy Action Coalition (N-PAC) includes the Peace Foundation, Minneapolis Urban League, Northway Community Trust and West Broadway Coalition, each of whom also work in partnership with organizations from other parts of the city and state. 

The coalition’s policy agenda includes recognization of youth violence as a public health issue, mortgage foreclosure prevention legislation, re-integrating ex-offenders into the community, and increasing economic development resources for north Minneapolis.  As the lobbyist of record, The Public Policy Project’s focus at the legislature  is working with key legislators to support or oppose existing legislation consistent with the coalition’s policy agenda, provide critical information to coalition members, and to build the north Minneapolis presence in the policy making process.

Because the 2008 legislative session is on the bonding year portion of Minnesota’s two year legislative cycle the primary outcome of our work this session will be to establish a strong, active coalition presence at the legislature and to lay the foundation for moving the agenda items forward in the 2009 budget session.

The Public Policy Project also provided “Day on the Hill” training and campaign management which brought over 90 north Minneapolis youth to the capitol to tell legislators what it means to live with gun violence and the death of family, friends and classmates.

The Public Policy Project contracted Donna Evens, an African American woman who has been through two of our Public Policy trainings (CAP Fellows and the LISC Housing Policy Training) and had experience lobbying the Legislative Commission to End Poverty 2020 to assist us in this lobbying effort.