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<DIV>Aaron asks:<BR>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Why not give the [Virtues Project] program a year to show they are not proselytizing on the public dime.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Why not raise private funds, run the project for a year, and demonstrate its effectiveness and outcomes before asking for public funds?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Is it really the role of city government to attempt to make the citizens of Moscow more virtuous? I'm dubious. If we agree that it is, though, surely we should have a more inclusive and participatory (these are qualities I value in government) process for selecting the program that undertakes that task?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Virtues Project is deeply grounded in the Ba'hai faith of its founders; it reflects that denomination's theology, priorities, and ideals. Fair enough--there are plenty of violence reduction training programs that reflect the faith of their Quaker founders, too. But I think we need a much broader discussion about why the city wants to undertake such a project and what they hope to accomplish by it. I think we need to find a way to include citizens in the decision-making process about programs selected, and a way to communicate what the goals, the selection criteria, and the desired outcomes are. And I think we need broad consensus that we want to undertake such a process city-wide. Otherwise, we will have spent our limited funds in creating facilitators with little to facilitate, and an initiative which doesn't initiate much. I'm speaking from my own experience in organizational development, strategic planning, and conflict resolution work. Without buy-in, such programs have very limited success.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Melynda Huskey</FONT></DIV></DIV></BODY>