4 Pilings of the Nola House.

I had the opportunity last night to attend a special dinner at a friend's home with 16 others. Those in attendance are very involved and crucial to the civic and political institutions of the city. They sit on boards and make decisions that affect our lives. I was definitely the odd ball of the group as I am mainly involved with media and creative endeavors. I am on no boards.

This conversation was the 3rd in a series whose attendance had grown from 4 to 8 to 16.  The conversation was 2 hours or so long. We examined the current state of the city and region and looked seriously at how a city with so many broken and mismanaged institutions before Katrina can possibly address the mountain of responsibility with little help from government or outside forces. Namely, how do the people and civic institutions address the 4 main areas of importance: Education, Economics, Safety and Participation. In other cities the instruments and organizations exist to keep the government in check and responsive to the needs of the people. Their systems are self correcting and run reasonably well. But if all the systems in your city are broken or don't operate as they are intended before a catastrophe, how do you then "fix" things afterward? Do you start over from scratch or re-examine how to fix the mechanisms for running your city? What can one citizen do to help create this needed change?

I believe it is clear to all of us that those outside New Orleans and the surrounding region believe that we are a lost cause. There is little faith that we will succeed in bringing New Orleans back.  And I must agree with their appraisal if we don't address these 4 main areas of concern all at once and now. After speaking with my friend Jonah I wanted to update this last line as it is a bit doom and gloom. There are many projects, programs and initiatives that are addressing these 4 main areas very well and in refreshing new ways. I hope to spotlight some of these with my work with NPN on their new site we will launch in May.

I was left with some questions of my own after the dinner. Here they are from my notes. Maybe you have some ideas or insight with a few of these:

Participation:

How do you get people more involved when they don't trust their governing bodies?

How to get citizens to participate when they don't understand the very processes, rights and institutions they should participate within?

How can you get parents to understand the value of and therefore become involved within primary education for newborns and after-school and summer programs for children?

How can we shine a spotlight and highlight the examples of citizen participation that is successful in invoking change?

How do we examine, define and change the roadblocks to participation?

Education:

How can we begin as early as possible with children to save them from the inevitable (because no other way was ever taught or present as an example) future their parents and siblings had to endure?

How do we connect with teens and tweens who are already living without hope or positive guidance so they can begin to imagine a present of more possibility?

How do we keep older siblings from becoming the role models that younger children do not need?

What skills can be taught that can lead to creative endeavors rather than destructive?

Economy:

How and what skills can be taught with donated labor or funds?

What skills lead to a life of independence and personal reward versus dependency on another individual's venture and thus greater gain?

How can we explain the processes and responsibilities necessary to become an entrepreneur and small business owner?

How do you inspire someone who can't imagine a present or future where they have access to real possibilities for growth both financially and personally?

Safety:

How can we structure after-school and summer programs so they involve not just children but entire families and communities?

How can we re-define speaking out against crime as a benefit to your community rather than an undesirable risk or liability?

How can we link neighborhood to neighborhood and block to block so the problems of one area are the problems of another?

What alternatives exist that can be improved upon or enhanced that will address a need for alternatives to locking up youth and beginning the inevitable cycle of incarceration?