Democracy School

Democracy School, a local, experimental project under the umbrella of Neighborhoodeconomics.org, in partnership with Warren Wilson College and the Asheville Poverty Initiative [1]

Snapshot of Democracy School classes

The list of Democracy School classes:

Workforce housing solutions so that people don’t have to drive 40 miles for a restaurant job

How to support the local farm to table economy

How to invest in local businesses at lower than crowdfunding risk with greater upside

How to bridge the red blue divide

How to subvert redlining in your community

How to curb corporate power through the rights of nature and other solutions

How to invest to bridge the racial wealth gap

How to use giving to invest to become a more powerful giver, and how to do it in your trust circle, from Sunday School class to civic club

The history of settlement and power in the place where you live

How faith communities can engage in their local economies

Description of classes

Classes:

2. How Buncombe County was settled the way it was: The Vanderbilt’s, the Biltmore and the Shiloh Community, the evolution of forestry, the history of power in the place we live and the problems it has created for our collective future. Instructors: Tom Hatley, Cherokee elder Tom Belt

3. Beyond the red and blue divide: Deep canvassing; listening to people with whom you strongly disagree on issues, can bridge political divides and reduce polarization in a community. instructors: Ben Williamson, Downhome north carolina

4. Discrimination by design: How realtors created the model that made housing discrimination a nationwide phenomenon and how a new emerging justaccounting.org coalition is repairing the damage, while creating more walkable streets in liveable neighborhoods. Instructor Rob Thomas, Racial Justice Coalition of Asheville, Chuck Mahron, Strong Towns, Gilbert Gonzales, San Antonio board of realtors Sabor.com

5. How did corporations get out of control: the roots of corporate personhood in a railroad siding in Minnesota, and the path to Citizens United and unchecked corporate influence. Instructors: https://neighborhoodeconomics.org/wiki/index.php/Crowohio, Amy Kneisly, Warren Wilson College, Jessica Trotman, Town of Black Mountain.kbw

6. Ways to curb corporate power. We outline some innovative ways using the rights of nature where unchecked corporate power is being upended across the country that holds industry accountable for its pollution. We link that movement to local environmental justice. Kbw, Warren Wilson capstone project students

7. Supporting the local farm to table economy: what do Buncombe’s small farmers need to thrive? An innovative $10,000 zero interest philanthropic loan funded through benefit dinners is one answer. Vanna Roddy, ASAP, Melissa Scheiderer, Equal Plates, Beet Coin.org

8. Faith Communities engaging in the local economy: Answering God’s call to work for justice for the marginalized, as individuals, as congregations, and its theological foundations: instructors, Rosa Lee Harden, Aaron Kuecker, Stan Wilson, Willie James Jennings Tim Soerens

9. Investing where you live: the new and low risk ways to help local businesses business through an easy to replicate model called the Diversified Community Investment Fund. DCIF is lower risk than traditional crowdfunding. Other models will also be explored, including entrepreneurship through acquisition as the Boomers are ready to retire. Instructors: Chris Reisenger, Mountain Biz Works, Michael Shuman, Brian Beckon, Derek Peebles, Jeremiah Robinson

10. Investing in economic justice at low risk: A revolution in community-focused commercial real estate is preserving Black Wall streets from predatory hedge funds enabling neighbors to invest in neighbors while offering a modest but real financial return: instructors, Lyneir Richardson, Wilson Lester, Collette Dixon. (Virtual) Jeremiah Robinson

11. Giving to invest: philanthropic investing using a national donor advised fund platform provides the missing capital that makes catalytic system change possible. Giving to invest makes each Sunday School class or civic club into a more powerful group of givers. The Community Equity Fund as the initial local opportunity. Venture philanthropy is a major force in Europe and South East Asia but is only beginning to catch on here. Instructors: Margaret Gifford of Abundance Capital, Stephanie Swepson Twitty, Kevin Jones, Tim Freundlich https://www.abundancecap.org/team

The concept doc on the give to invest platform

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10nLUBq4QTctoiqLgnkEP-azzKil22B9hpENhfyOt0sE/edit Giving to invest concept