Dialogue
Reports
After many facilitations, the Zeidler Group generates a report which details major themes and individual contributions that arise during the dialogue. Unlike townhall meetings and other large group events, these reports are powerful records of all the participants' voices, presented in an anonymous and non-attributable way.
The reports we produce for private facilitations with neighborhood groups, universities, organizations, churches, and businesses are confidential, and provide a wealth of quantitative and qualitiative data which can be used in strategic planning.
Below you can read some of the reports on our public dialogues.
Wisconsin 2020 Dialogue Report: Milwaukee Referendum
February 25, 2020
This report presents an overview of participant responses during the first community conversation of the Wisconsin 2020 Dialogue Series, a partnership of UWUM, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Zeidler Group. The dialogue was hosted at Good City Brewing on February 25, 2020. The event focused on the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Referendum, which will ask voters in the school district to approve a total of $87 million to pay for educational programming phased over the course of four years.
Sherman Park Police & Resident Listening Circles 2018 - 2019 Report
April 25, 2019
This report details participant responses and feedback during and after our 2018-2019 sessions (on Thursday, September 27, 2018; Thursday, October 25, 2018; Thursday, November 29, 2018 Thursday, February 21, 2019; Thursday, March 21, 2019; and Thursday, April 25, 2019). The executive summary (pages 9-25) identifies major themes of the listening circles, followed by a section offering an in-depth analysis of each dialogue.
Amani Police & Resident Listening Circles 2018 - 2019 Report
April 29, 2019
This report details participant responses and feedback during and after 2018-2019 sessions (on Monday, September 24, 2018, Monday, October 22, 2018, Monday, November 26, 2018, Monday, February 25, 2019, Monday, March 25, 2019, and Monday, April 29, 2019). The executive summary (pages 8-24) identifies major themes of the listening circles, followed by a section offering an in-depth analysis of each dialogue.
Madison Police & Family Listening Circle Report
May 30, 2019
The Madison Police & Family Listening Circle took place at the Sherman Middle School in Madison on Thursday, May 30, 2019. The topic of the listening circle focused on implicit bias.
Metcalfe Park Police & Resident Listening Circles 2018 - 2019 Report
April 23, 2019
This report details participant responses and feedback during and after our 2018-2019 sessions (on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, Thursday, November 15, 2018, Thursday, December 13, 2018, Tuesday, February 26, 2019, Thursday, March 28, 2019, and Tuesday, April 23, 2019). The executive summary (pages 8-25) identifies major themes of the listening circles, followed by a section offering an in-depth analysis of each dialogue.
Milwaukee Police and Youth Listening Cirlce - Report from PYLC #7
May 01, 2019
The seventh Milwaukee Police & Youth Listening Circles session was hosted at Parklawn Assembly of God Church on May 1, 2019. Milwaukee police officers, and youth participated in five listening circles, each led by a trained facilitator from the Zeidler Center. The topic of this session was “Role Models and Motivation”.
Milwaukee Police and Youth Listening Cirlce - Report from PYLC #6
March 27, 2019
The sixth Milwaukee Police & Youth Listening Circles session was hosted at the Don & Sallie Davis Boys & Girls Club on March 27, 2019. Milwaukee police officers, and youth participated in five listening circles, each led by a trained facilitator from the Zeidler Center. The topic of this session was “Enjoying life in the neighborhood”. During the Facilitated Dialogue, each participant was given the opportunity to respond to two rounds of questions.
Harambee Police & Resident Listening Circles 2018 - 2019 Report
June 01, 2019
This report covers the Harambee Police & Resident Listening Circles from late 2018 to early 2019. Milwaukee police officers and neighborhood residents of Harambee took part in four listening circles that were led by trained facilitators from Zeidler Center.
Madison PRLC 1 Report
October 24, 2018
The Police and Resident Listening Circle in Madison, WI took place on October 24, 2018.
The Zeidler Center & C4CS would like to thank dedicated members of the neighborhood Planning Committee (residents, police officers, and coordinators) who have met together to start planning and co-designing this series of Police and Resident Listening Circles. We would also like to thank the host site, Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church for these discussions, as well as our partners.
Police and Youth Listening Circles Report
October 10, 2018
The fourth Police & Youth Listening Circles session was hosted at the Silver Spring
Neighborhood Center on October 10, 2018. Milwaukee police officers, police-in-training, and
youth participated in six listening circles, each led by a trained facilitator from the Zeidler Center.
Madison Community Report
October 03, 2018
The first Madison Community Dialogue took place at Sherman Ave. United Methodist
Church on October 3, 2018. The topic of the listening circle enthralled what defines and what
looks like a successful Police and Resident Listening Circle for community members participating
in the event.
Red & Blue Dialogue 2 - Higher Education
May 15, 2018
This report discusses the themes and thoughts shared during the second “Red and Blue Dialogue,” a conversation series sponsored by the Millennial Action Project and facilitated by the Zeidler Center. The dialogue took place on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018 at the Pabst Best Place in Milwaukee, WI. During the dialogue, participants were asked two questions about Higher Education by trained facilitators from the Zeidler Center.
March on Milwaukee: 50 Years in the Making – Marching on Youth/Elder Recognition and Re-ignition Session
May 19, 2018
The March on Milwaukee: 50 Years in the Making – Marching on Youth/Elder Recognition and Re-ignition Session facilitated listening circles took place on May 19th, 2018 at North Division High School.
2017 Police and Resident Listening Circles
May 01, 2017
The Zeidler Center believes that an important step in repairing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color in Milwaukee, is to come together in safe spaces that provide the opportunity for facilitated, face-to-face communication to co-create resident-based solutions. The Zeidler Center’s 2017 program included a series of listening circles in five Milwaukee communities: Harambee, Metcalfe Park, Clarke Square, Sherman Park, and Amani. These listening circles create a platform for greater mutual trust and understanding, essential for establishing a constructive, collaborative environment for change. Click below to read the reports from our 2017 series.
Milwaukee County Budget Report
September 27, 2017
This report represents qualitative and quantitative participant feedback, gathered during the County Executive Input Groups for the 2017 Milwaukee County Budget. Sessions were held on August 15, 2017 at McGovern Park, on August 21, 2017 at Washington Park Senior Center, and on August 24, 2017 at Wilson Park Senior Center. Over 190 participants attended these sessions. The first session had 7 circles of participants, the second session had 12 circles of participants, and the third session had 12 circles of participants. All inputs were captured by the Zeidler Center facilitators anonymously and are presented in this report.
Bee the Change Final Report 2017
August 29, 2017
Bee the Change is a 4-way partnership between the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Midnight Run and Beevanglists that works to train meal program guests to become "Beevangelists," certified in beekeeping and community workshops.
The Circles of Compassion
May 11, 2017
Circles of Compassion: The Power of Forgiveness dialogue took place on Thursday May 11, 2017 at the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Forgiveness Project partnered on this dialogue and the event began with personal stories from Forgiveness Project storytellers, Pardeep Kaleka and Arno Michaelis. After the introduction, each listening circle contained 6-8 individuals and was led by one of the 9 Zeidler facilitators.
In the listening circles, participants participated in three structured question rounds where they were asked to respond to three different prompts:
• Talk about a time when you either forgave somebody or were forgiven. What did that experience teach you about forgiveness?
• What is one particular conflict in our society that you think could benefit from forgiveness?
• Where do you feel pulled in different directions when trying to use forgiveness in your personal life?
Fair Schools Final Report 2017
April 27, 2017
The event has featured listening circles with suburban teachers, families, students and community members.
Keynote: Reggie Jackson, MPS teacher and Head Griot, America’s Black Holocaust MuseumFacilitated by the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion (www.zeidlercenter.org)FeaturingEx Fabula Storytellers (www.exfabula.org)
2016 Police and Resident Listening Circles
November 22, 2016
The Zeidler Center believes that an important step in repairing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color in Milwaukee, is to come together in safe spaces that provide the opportunity for facilitated, face-to-face communication to co-create resident-based solutions. The Zeidler Center’s 2016 program included a series of listening circles in four Milwaukee communities: Harambee, Metcalfe Park, Clarke Square, and Amani. These listening circles create a platform for greater mutual trust and understanding, essential for establishing a constructive, collaborative environment for change. Click below to read the reports from our 2016 series.
March on Milwaukee 50th Anniversity Brainstorm
April 21, 2016
Bridging the work of 1967 to 2017, honoring the history of what happened while translating its spirit to today's Milwaukee.
The following report documents participant responses to a public brainstorm, hosted by the Zeidler Center, inviting individual residents and those representing organizations to collaborate on ideas to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Marches in Milwaukee.
Creatives Brainstorm Series
December 20, 2015
A series of facilitated input groups discussing innovative ways to shape Greater Milwaukee Creative Industry's collective approach to becoming more inclusive so that all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. A project of Greater Together.
"My Sister's Story" Intergenerational Women's Dialogue
March 18, 2015
In celebration of Women’s History Month (March 2015), the “My Sister’s Story” series hosted by FROM HERE TO HER Women’s Artist Collective, TRUE Skool, and the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, and featuring an art exhibition, spoken word showcase, and intergenerational dialogue in Milwaukee, WI. The exhibition partnered female visual artists and poets with individual women in the community — someone whose story may not otherwise be heard or told — to share their defining experiences through art and spoken word poetry. The intergenerational dialogue brought together over 40 women from the Greater Milwaukee area of diverse ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, orientations and neighborhoods of residence, to share life stories, build coalitions, explore assumptions and challenge prejudices in a safe environment. Participants represented women spanning the ages of 17 to over 70.
Constructive Interfaith Dialogue
July 07, 2015
A report on an interfaith dialogue between the students of the Mar Elias HS of Ibillin Israel visiting the US and members of Milwaukee's Muslim, Christian, Jewish communities.
Dialogue facilitated by the Zeidler Center, and in partnership with Prof. John Hobbins (UW-Oshkosh) and the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.
Building Thriving Community: Beyond Segregation in Milwaukee
October 13, 2014
The Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion responded to community calls to host a dialogue series in Milwaukee which we called “Building Thriving Community: Beyond Segregation in Milwaukee.” Throughout the Summer 2014, the Zeidler Center facilitated small group neighborhood conversations across the greater Milwaukee area. Friends, neighbors, and colleagues representing over 30 neighborhoods gathered for shared meals and structured conversations about Milwaukee's history of segregation.