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Building a Safer, More Compassionate World
Town Hall Meeting September 11, 2007

Our Voices Together and The League of Women Voters of Kentucky host a Town Hall meeting on "Building a Safer, More Compassionate World"

When:  September 11, 2007,  7:00 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

Where:  Spalding University, Egan Leadership Hall, Louisville, KY

What:  Panel discussion and dialogue with the public

Topic:   Terrorism as a threat to our society

Why:   It takes a local community of committed individuals to develop a healthy civil society.  This forum challenges citizens to take action to use their individual power to make a positive difference!

How:    Four panelists will discuss counter terrorism strategies.

• Dr. Robert Farley, Ph.D., has worked on national security issues at the University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce for the last two years.  He is a blogger and contributor to the American Prospect magazine.
• David Hawpe is an editor and columnist for The Louisville Courier-Journal.
• Dave Simcox, United Nations Association of Louisville, is a former career foreign service professional with the U.S. Department of State.
• Lynne Steuerle Schofield, M.S., M. Phil., Temple University, Center for Research in Human Development and Education, co-founded "Our Voices Together" with her father, Gene Steuerle, after her mother, Norma, died when flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Schofield said she wants "the kind of world where the voices of compassion drown out the voices of hatred."  Panelists will discuss counter terrorism strategies that address the popular appeal of terrorism. 

Format:     View a two-minute DVD of Gene Steuerle, then a twelve-minute DVD titled "In Their Own Voices" featuring 9/11 family members who are building schools and providing medical care overseas, engaging in interfaith dialogue and in other ways honoring lost loved ones while becoming the  change they wish to see in the world.
             Panelists will then have ten minutes each to speak on the topic.  The remaining hour will be used to invite questions and comments from the audience.  Ideas about perceived threats and how to deal with them will be welcome. The goal is to explore comprehensive approaches to counterterrorism beyond governmental policies and actions - in the context of an informed, non-partisan public dialogue.   The format is structured so as to encourage a less fearful, more informed public discussion about the predominant threat to the security of the United States and actions we can take to more effectively minimize this threat. 

Citizens will  be able to engage constructively in what the 9/11 Commission termed the Agenda of Opportunity - education, employment, and the possibility for a  brighter tomorrow to help build a future without the threat of terrorism.  Similar forums have been held on college campuses with civic and student groups.

This town hall meeting is funded by The League of Women Voters Education Fund and Our Voices Together.
     Our Voices Together was launched in Sept. 2005 by a group of 9/11 families and friends.  It is a non-profit, non-partisan network of people and organizations responding to terrorism by recognizing the interdependence of the world and our individual power to make a positive difference.
     The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Co-Sponsors of this forum include United Nations Association of Kentucky, UNA of Louisville, UNA of Lexington, UNA of Frankfort, LWV of Louisville, LWV of Lexington, LWV of Hopkinsville and University of Kentucky Assistant Professor Emily Beaulieu.

Additional information about Our Voices Together is available on their web site:  <www.ourvoicestogether.org/forums> .  The web site address for the League of Women Voters of the United States is <www.lwv.org>.  Contact information for the League of Women Voters of Kentucky is included in the header of this article.