Issues Forums

Issues forums are collaborative structures which allow groups to move from discussion and sharing of views to a recognition of shared understanding, even if not decision, about an issue.

In an issues forum, a group examines a number of choices relating to an issue and determines which is most favoured; or, if possible, by good thinking and talking, generates an alternative solution.

Issues forums reflect the goals of the SOSE learning area by valuing collaboration and building a sense of interdependence amongst participants.

They encourage participation and are inclusive of a wide range of views. In the classroom, they contribute to positive classroom feeling and empower students to make effective decisions as a group.

Whilst the example of an issue forum that has been included in this section is for a Band B or C group of students, the process can be adapted for all age groups. In a Band A class, an issues forum might be held in a class meeting. Topics that might be discussed could include 'Name calling' or 'Keeping our classroom clean and tidy'.

The following issues bulletin examines crime and how communities can work together to act against it.

Crime in Our Community

What should we do?
Everyone is affected by crime. Many believe that the problem is increasing. Victims, their friends and family experience the emotions of fear and anger and face the financial costs.

Others can also feel insecure and concerned about stories of break-ins, stolen cars or assaults. Everyone pays for the insurance costs and for the wages or salaries of all the people required to fight crime and punish offenders.

Some people think they have the best solutions to this problem. This bulletin will group the different solutions that different people favour around three main choices. Each choice has its own strengths and weaknesses.

What do you, your class and family think should be done about crime in our community?
There are different choices we can make about what to do about crime in our community. But what is the best choice for the whole community and what is the best choice for you?

Making a good choice needs good thinking and talking. The rules of an Issues Forum help good thinking and good talking. Which of the following three choices do you favour most? Can you think of another choice you think would be a better approach to the problem?

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Making Hard Choices

Choice 1: Leave it to the professionals.

Some people feel that, above all, the professionals have the job to do and they should be able to get on with it.

They say:
"Crime is a problem because there are not enough police officers and punishments are too soft. A lot of taxpayers' money is spent on the police and courts anyway and trying to involve the community is just another way for the government to save money. Community involvement can put people in danger.'

What actions should be taken?
•  More taxes spent on the police service
•  Increased punishments
•  More police officers on the streets to deter crime and to catch    criminals.

What the critics say:
'The problem is just too big to throw more money at it. More taxes spent on the police service will take the money away from other equally important things. The police service just cannot handle the problem alone.'

Choice 2: Look after yourself.

Some people feel that the only practical solution is for people to take care of themselves and their families.

They say:
'People can't rely on others to really keep them safe. People have to be responsible for their own security. They should protect themselves with security systems, self defence courses, common sense, and weapons if necessary. Police are still needed but if everyone was responsible for their own security, then the whole community would be safer.'

What actions should be taken?
•  Tax concessions for home and car security systems and self    defence courses
•  Easily available weapons
•  Decreased punishments for people who injure offenders while    protecting their property and family.

What the critics say:
'Individuals acting alone will create chaos. Democracy is based on shared rules, enforced fairly and evenly by governments, courts and police. We cannot allow people to take the law into their own hands. That choice would lead to even more unsafe communities. People who cannot afford security systems will become targets for criminals.'

Choice 3: Community responsibility.

Still other people feel that the only way forward is for every member of the community to take responsibility and unite against crime.

They say:
'Individuals have responsibilities as citizens in the community. The work we have to do as citizens includes helping the police solve crimes and taking actions that make it more difficult for people to commit crimes. People depend on each other in many ways anyway, and there are practical things that can be done without individuals risking personal safety. Everyone accepting responsibility for reporting crimes and helping each other when they can is the cheapest option in the long run.'

What action should be taken?
•   More Neighbourhood Watch and crime reporting programs
•   More community-based work as punishment for some crimes
•   Closer relationships developed between police and community •   Rewards for reporting crime.

What the critics say:
'Australians won't dob in people - particularly people they know or are afraid of. People don't like to get involved with the police for any reason anyway. This choice would lead to less privacy and encourage nosy neighbours. People live with petty crimes these days and the insurance pays.'

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How do Issue Forums Work?

Forums are a tool that a group can use to build a shared understanding about a tough problem.

They are about making a choice - they need to do more than just give people a chance to chat or share views. The work of a forum is the work of making a choice for action. A shared choice may not be possible but the constant challenge is to answer the question, 'If we had to make a choice for action as a group, what would we choose?'

To work well, forums need to involve a particular kind of talk.. They are places where we work with others to find ways of solving a problem. During a forum you do not:

• argue with others and try to beat them;
• ignore or make fun of other points of view;
• refuse to see any faults in your solutions.

A forum works well when everyone remembers these rules:

•  Make the best case for every choice.
•  Identify the problems in your own favourite ideas.
•  Make sure all voices are heard.

(Are there voices not on your forum that should be heard? Can you express what they might say?)

A good forum might sound like this:

• What's the best case for this choice?
• What good reasons would someone have for that point of view?
• What good reasons would people have for feeling that way?

Remember
You can't make a good choice until you know what others think and you have worked through the issue together. Working together means that you have to consider each choice fairly.

What can the work of a forum produce?
A forum creates a shared understanding on an issue. People learn together and they learn from each other. They may make a shared choice.

What shared understanding did your forum come to?
• Is there a shared sense of direction?
• What is the tension in the problem that makes a shared choice hard to agree on?

Individual reflection
How did your own thinking about the issue change?

Next-step Reflection:
•  What do you need to find out about now?
•  What does the group need to talk more about?
•  What actions can you take as a result of your learning    and your choice?
•  What actions can the class or the family take?

What will you do next? What actions might you take as an individual, a family and a class?

(This Issue's Bulletin comes from the AAMI Crime Stoppers Infobus Education Kit. It was written by Lynden Leppard, based on materials developed by the Kettering Foundation, Dayton, Ohio, USA.

For a free copy of the AAMI Crime Stoppers Infobus Education Kit, telephone Police Community Relations on 03 6230 2243.)

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