We welcome suggestions for topics
to discuss, comments about the dialogues,
their format and timing, as well as other
statements of interest...
Beth and Eric
of the Civics Research Group
Insitute for democracry and electoral assistance
The International IDEA Handbook on Democracy Assessment
Mental Health of the Canadian Population: A Comprehensive Analysis Thomas Stephens, Corinne Dulberg and Natacha Joubert, Volume 20, No. 3 - 1999, from Health Canada, Population and Public Health Branch
Democracy and World Governance in the 21st Century
LOCAL EVENT - Wed Feb 6 (also!) 7pm KPL: Democracy in the New Millennium
Is hope essential to democracy or is it created by democracy? Is it ever lost because of democracy?
In the last dialogue people related frustrations and disappointments from participating - and from trying to participate - in our democracy. People also spoke of the need for such processes in order to cope with complex social and environmental issues. This contradictory combination led to questions about democracy, but also to questions about hope: Are people generally becoming more hopeful or less hopeful, and can democracy flourish where there is little hope?
By bringing a variety of together people, this dialogue will provide an opportunity for discussing such questions and concerns among citizens with a different backgrounds and experience. It will offer an opportunity for you to express your feelings about the question: Are you becoming more hopeful or less hopeful?
You'll find a series of questions and a list of indicators below. The questions are a test for democracy from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. If you like, you can complete the survey on-line, and submit your answers to the Institute itself. A survey on the state of Canadian democracy, gleaned from the responses that have been submitted so far is readily accessible on the website.
The indicators listed below the questions have been developed by Health Canada.
They are the indicators they applied in assessing the mental health of the
Canadian public. Hope springs forward in that list.
A quick survey to help you decide the state of our democracy from the International IDEA:
Indicators of Mental Health in Mental Health of the Canadian Population: A Comprehensive Analysis Thomas Stephens, Corinne Dulberg and Natacha Joubert, Volume 20, No. 3 - 1999, from Health Canada, Population and Public Health Branch
In the survey from which these indicators were taken, attributes and factors against which mental health was considred included age, sex, province of residence, education, income adequacy and household type; childhood traumas, life events, current stressors, involving time pressures, others expectations, quality of social relationships, a social involvement index, a frequency of social involvement index, and a social support index. Further details on these measures have been published by Statistics Canada.
Our first series, January 16th - February 6th, 2002,