Skip to main content

Center project supports grassroots decisions

January 30, 2001

Michael Jacob

A new Center on Wisconsin Strategy outreach program will provide Wisconsin residents with analyses of the major issues facing the state.

The civic participation project, called “Sustaining Wisconsin,” will focus on broad issues of democracy and civic participation, future families and communities, environment and natural resources, and jobs and the economy.

“Sustaining Wisconsin is another expression of the Wisconsin Idea,” says Joel Rogers, Center on Wisconsin Strategy director. “Informed citizens are our greatest strength as a state. We aim to get Wisconsin citizens timely, accurate information about the choices and challenges we face as citizens. It’s up to them to decide what to do with it.”

For each specific area, COWS has gathered facts, drafted background papers, and developed one-page issue summaries. Along with basic facts, these materials provide a menu of policy options for acting on problems in these areas.

“Through Sustaining Wisconsin, people can drill down to the level of information they want on the issues that impact their daily lives,” says Rogers. “Also, the project aims to show the linkage across different issue areas. We all know that the ‘environment’ is also a ‘jobs’ issue; that the future of ‘families and communities’ implicate questions about ‘democracy and civic participation.’ But we often talk about these issues as if they’re not connected. Sustaining Wisconsin aims to do better than that — to show the connection, and the possibility of moving on all of them down a ‘high road’ path to a strong future.”

At the core of the Sustaining Wisconsin effort is the conviction that average citizens are more than capable of talking about the issues of the day. Program materials are designed for anyone to share with a congregation, union, business association, civic club or to their friends and neighbors right in their own home.

“Wherever possible, we want people in their own communities helping their friends, neighbors and organizational members explore these critical issues at varying levels of depth depending on their time, interest and ability,” says David Wood, policy director for COWS.

“We also want this discussion to be free of any political partisanship,” says Rogers. “Indeed, we’re going to wrap up this public education campaign in June 2002, when nomination papers are due for statewide office. By that time, we hope Sustaining Wisconsin will have helped thousands of citizens to engage their neighbors, elected officials and, ultimately, the candidates with strong views of their own.”

All of the Sustaining Wisconsin materials are available through the Web, by mail, and on compact disc. Material will be updated as issues develop.

Sustaining Wisconsin draws particular support from students at the UW–Madison. Students have written many of the briefing papers and other materials, and are spearheading the statewide outreach effort.

To schedule training or invite a Sustaining Wisconsin speaker to your community, contact Michael Jacob, (608) 262-5176, mjacob@cows.org