When world leaders falter as they seek peaceful solutions for such conflicts as the war in the former Yugoslavia or for such issues as balancing trade between the United States and Japan, Ellen Young of Barrington is sympathetic.
Perhaps better than most people, Young understands the complexities of such issues. That’s because she has taken the time to study these issues, then often meets with others to talk through such problems as starvation in Somalia or religious clashes in India and Pakistan.
Young takes part in Great Decisions, a discussion of foreign affairs that is sponsored in Barrington by the American Association of University Women and held in members’ homes. While H. Ross Perot has made no bones about his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement, Young said members of her discussion group were torn over this sticky issue.
“I think an awful lot of us are for free trade,” Young said. “But being in a group made us hear other points of view, such as of the possibility of losing jobs to a cheaper labor force.”
Organized discussions such as these, which deal with broad national or international issues, are happening more frequently in the northwest suburbs. And a growing number of people are taking part in them at schools, churches and libraries.
The Barrington group uses information supplied by the New York-based Foreign Policy Association, which sponsors foreign affairs discussions called Great Decisions. Another group of about 30 people who meet regularly at the Des Plaines Public Library also use the Great Decisions format but have expanded it to include international topics not prepared by the Foreign Policy Association.
“The (Great Decisions) group is so enthusiastic and well-attended that it has spilled over into a continuing global affairs discussion,” said Eloise Burfisher, director of public relations for the library. A recent topic for the group was immigration, she said.
Other disussions of tough national issues are happening at such places as the Park Ridge Public Library and at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. These forums are sponsored by the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio, and are called National Issues Forums.
Vivian Mortensen of Park Ridge has participated in several National Issues Forums at the library in Park Ridge. Like Young, she also has found that controversial problems are not as easy to solve as one might hope.
“You realize how complex problems (such as a stagnant economy) are,” Mortensen said. “You think, `Why can’t Clinton do something about the economy?’ But then (through discussion) you see how difficult it is.”
Mortensen, who is head of reader services at the library, said the discussions are a popular event, often drawing 25 participants, sometimes up to 50 for an especially hot topic.
“That’s a good number (25) for a discussion,” Mortensen said. “This is a different type of program from a lecture, where you can fill a room with 100 or 150 people. There is a lot of interaction among people.”
Unlike talk radio, these discussions are not necessarily “by the seat of your pants” gabfests. Participants are supplied beforehand with background materials that thoroughly cover the history of the issues, various viewpoints and options for solutions. Materials are written by the national staffs of the Foreign Policy Association or National Issues Forum, which get their information from a wide range of resources, including books, speeches, magazines, newspapers and TV programs.
At Oakton Community College, William Taylor, chairman of the political science department, has used the background materials and discussion format of the Great Decisions program in the classroom for the past 20 years. “I use it as a way to provide students with a good, clear, balanced understanding of current issues in international affairs,” Taylor said.
The class discussions sometimes get lively, Taylor said, adding, “It is not a lecture class by any means. The students come in ready to express their opinions and hear what others have to say.”
National Issues Forums have also been offered at the college. These are open to students, staff and the public. Amy Madur, a member of the board of trustees at the college, has been a participant and moderator.
Describing the forums, she said, “People had preconceived ideas (about issues). But then they read the background materials and took part in the discussions. Talking with other well-informed people can be very persuasive” for altering a preconceived idea.
In fact, seeing things from another person’s angle is what Young likes about the Great Decisions discussions.
“I enjoy getting other people’s perspectives (on issues),” Young said. “If you don’t get other points of view, you can get kind of myopic.”
Young’s group often has a dozen participants who include people in different professions and who have had various experiences, such as living or working abroad.
Susan Carucio, executive director of programming and community affairs for Great Decisions in New York, has participated in and led group discussions. A recent one focused on sub-Saharan South Africa.
“Instead of thinking of just Nelson Mandela and apartheid,” she said, “we looked at the whole region, the people, their culture, the different warring factions, how their culture plays a role and how colonization affected them. You just don’t learn about all of these factors from other sources.”
These discussions are not moderated by experts in a particular field; instead, they are led by a participant from the sponsoring organization, such as the American Association of University Women or the League of Women Voters.
“Our philosophy is that if you read the booklet, you can have a wonderful discussion. You don’t have to have Professor XYZ come and lecture at you,” said Marsha Gardner, director of community programs for the Foreign Policy Association in New York.
People who take part in Great Decisions and National Issues discussions are invited to complete ballots stating their opinions on the issues discussed. These are sent to the national organizations, which compile them annually and send the results in the form of a report to the president, Congress and other national policy makers.
Former President George Bush has said, “The Foreign Policy Association, by providing a balanced and reasoned forum for the discussion and understanding of complex foreign policy issues, renders an invaluable service to the American people.”
Besides such nationally sponsored forums, local community groups also host discussions to work through tough and timely issues.
One such discussion group meets twice a month at the Al Hattendorf Center in Elk Grove Village. Pat Friedel, a regular participant, said she looks forward to the discussions. “The people who attend are allowed to speak their minds,” she said. “It’s an open forum that keeps us up to date on local and national news.”
Being able to learn more about the world and its problems is why people like to attend these forums, said Terri P. Tepper of Barrington, who takes part in a National Issues Forum in her community. “People want to be challenged by (talking about) substantive issues,” she said.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS AT ARLINGTON HEIGHTS CHURCH
When it comes to trying to solve the troubling social issues of the day, many members of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington Heights are doing their part.
The 300-member church has a social action committee that last year sponsored a day-long workshop on aging. This year, the topic will be the health care crisis.
Explaining why having such forums within the church is important, Rev. Howard Bowman said, “it keeps the congregation aware of important, contemporary issues from the perspective of our faith.”
But many church members are doing more than just talking about issues. For the past three years, the church has served on a rotating basis with other area churches as a site for Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS). Once a week during the winter, the homeless are given shelter at the church.
“Just talking is not enough,” Bowman said. “Eventually you have to act. Most of the people in this congregation would agree with me that you get tired of talking about things and want to do something.”
Ellen Pecson of Arlington Heights is a former manager of the church’s PADS site and still volunteers there. Recalling the rigorous job of managing the site, Pecson said, “I would get worn out sometimes. What kept me going was that I felt strongly that this was an important and necessary program.”
She said she also got support from other church members. “There was a large group of caring people within the church who would offer to help out. I always felt PADS was a high priority within the church.”
Bowman said that volunteers often get just as much value from the experience of volunteering as the people they assist. “I really believe that we get a hundredfold more in terms of our self-worth. Even though (volunteering) is a lot of work, it’s very nurturing,” he said.
Bowman said it is not always easy for people to put aside their own worries and cares to help others.
“We’re out here in the suburbs, in what appears to be affluence, but I know that people are really struggling. That’s the other half of this beautiful (suburban) world,” he said, adding that it helps people to get “outside of their problems. All of a sudden they feel better.”
SENIORS JUMP INTO THE FRAY
When President Clinton’s budget squeezed through Congress and floods ravaged states bordering the Mississipi River, a group of senior citizens in Elk Grove Village were trying to make sense of these front-page stories.
The group, which meets at the Al Hattendorf Center in Elk Grove Village, is led by volunteer moderator Phil Barry. It was his idea to start the group to talk about local, national and international affairs.
“It started about four years ago,” Barry said. “I did a program on (politics and issues in) Greece and one on South America. It grew out of that.”
The group, which meets twice a month, has a solid attendance of about 40 people. Barry said the participants want to learn more about current issues than what’s in the media.
“We talk about news items,” Barry said. “But we get in-depth. We ask the the question `why’ about issues.”
Just as H. Ross Perot has done with his television talks, Barry said he always bolsters his discussions with charts, graphs, maps and copies of news articles.
“These (items) give people something to think about,” he said. “It’s not enough to just talk.”
That’s not to say Barry wants to work his loyal attendees too hard. “Nobody has to do homework,” he said. “We like to have people laugh as much as we can.”
Not surprisingly, Barry, who lives in Elk Grove Village, said he comes from a family of teachers. His profession, however, was mechanical engineering. So while he finds himself drawn to issues related to science, Barry said just about any topic can generate a heated debate.
“I don’t let people get too outspoken,” he said with a grin. “I stop them from swearing.’
