When world leaders falter as they seek peaceful solutions for such conflicts as the war in the former Yugoslavia or balancing trade between the United States and Japan, Marie Piepenbrink of Crete sympathizes.
Perhaps better than most people, Piepenbrink 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 the United States’ role in Somalia or religious clashes in India and Pakistan.
Piepenbrink takes part in Great Decisions, a discussion of foreign affairs sponsored by the Crete Woman’s Club. The same program is sponsored in the Palos area by the local chapter of the American Association of University Women. Groups also meet at the Harvey and Homewood Public Libraries.
“The discussions make you more aware of the complexities of (international) situations,” Piepenbrink said. “I feel much more sympathetic to what world leaders are up against. Solving international problems is anything but simple.” Discussion groups have tackled such topics as health care, the budget deficit and the role of the UN as peacekeeper or peacemaker.
Organized discussions such as these are happening more and more frequently in the southwest suburbs. And a growing number of people are taking part in them at schools, churches and libraries.
The Crete and Palos area groups use information supplied by the New York-based Foreign Policy Association, which sponsors foreign affairs discussions called Great Decisions.
The groups in Harvey and Homewood use information supplied by the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio. That group’s discussions are called National Issues Forums, and they focus on tough national issues.
Janis Hattis, a resident of north suburban Hubbard Woods, has served as coordinator for both organizations for 10 years.
When a group such as the Crete Woman’s Club wants to host a discussion group, the club contacts Hattis to order background information books. Hattis said she has seen interest in the discussions, particularly in Great Decisions, grow over the years.
“It used to be that I would order 200 or 300 books,” she said. “This year I ordered 1,300.”
The Harvey Public Library has hosted Great Decisions for nine years and recently started hosting National Issues Forums. Anita Krapp, public service librarian, said both discussions often attract a dozen participants who enjoy the chance to voice their opinions and to hear others’ viewpoints.
“Everybody thinks they know what’s wrong with the government,” she explained. “People like to have someone else listen to their opinions and to hear others. (The forums) are a community soapbox.”
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 some options for solving them. Staff from the national organizations compile the background information from newspapers, television, books and speeches.
Lenette Staudinger of Orland Park participates in a Great Decisions discussion sponsored by the Palos area AAUW chapter, in which up to 20 people meet at each others’ homes to conduct the discussions. The participants appreciate the background information, she said.
“(Great Decisions) takes complex issues and synthesizes them into manageable parts,” Staudinger said. “The information seems to be unbiased and thorough. I may not know what was going on in Greece 10 years ago, but Great Decisions explains it in a concise way.
“The discussions are intellectually stimulating,” Staudinger said. “Five or 10 of us could look at the same (background) information or problem and see different things in it.”
John Kinghorn, program director for the National Issues Forum, said the forums “promote deliberative democracy. We have a lot of adversarial politics in this country, but this gives people a chance to review the issues and make choices based on knowledge.”
These discussions aren’t moderated by experts in a particular field. They are led by a participant from the sponsoring organization.
“Our philosophy is that, if you read the booklet, you can have a wonderful, productive discussion. You don’t have to have Professor XYZ come and lecture to you,” said Marsha Gardner, director of community programs for the Foreign Policy Association in New York.
The National Issues Forum provides training for moderators in how to conduct a discussion.
People who take part in the Great Decisions and National Issues discussions are invited to take action following their discussions. They 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 policy makers.
Former President George Bush has lauded the Great Decisions program. “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,” he said.
While the Great Decisions and National Issues Forums are conducted nationwide, there are local organizations that also are working to plant the seeds of discussion on tough and timely issues.
Last spring, the South Suburban YWCA in Matteson hosted a forum on sexual assault, which attracted 40 participants. Faith United Protestant Church in Park Forest hosted a forum on adult survivors of child sexual abuse in October.
“Our goal was to educate the public,” said Terry D’Amico, the Matteson YWCA’s director of women’s services. “We find that in the suburban community people think that sexual assault doesn’t happen because the suburbs are a nice place.”
Unlike Great Decisions and the National Issues Forum, participants at the YWCA forums are not supplied with background information beforehand. But D’Amico said people were encouraged to voice their opinions and talk about their concerns. “People can learn through interacting with each other,” she said.
Whether it’s a community-based forum or one sponsored by a national group, most participants agree that though the issues may seem insurmountable, talking about them is better than ignoring them. People who hold divergent views on an issue may even find that they agree on some part of it.
In the National Issues Forum, participants, even those with opposite viewpoints on an issue, are asked to look for some area in which they can agree.
“I think the (National Issues) forum is a great model that could be used by (local) communities to solve their problems,” Krapp said. “It gives you some choices (for solving a problem) and asks you to look for consensus.”
