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SCENARIO:
Recent publicity in a prominent national newspaper about the town of Niceville's expanding homeless population, has caused the Ledbetter Foundation to address the issue of homelessness with a one-time grant of $500,000. The simulation explores the role a facilitator can play in this type of community problem-solving effort. The stakeholders represent five different attitudes towards homelessness which are sometimes contrary, yet lend themselves to coalition building. It is up to the foundation representative to reconcile the parties’ philosophical differences to develop a satisfactory “package”.
MAJOR LESSONS:
It is important to distinguish stated positions from underlying interests. In order to reach a successful conclusion each party must prioritize its desired outcomes and be willing to forgo some to achieve others.
The facilitator must be able to keep the discussion focused on the "issues" and not allow disagreements among the parties to bog down the group.
The group should take advantage of private discussions or caucuses. Though no two groups will agree on everything, coalition building will be helpful in building consensus.
All interests should be fully represented in the discussions for as long as possible; however, the game requires only four of the five players (excluding the foundation representative) to reach agreement. It is up to the stakeholder to decide how flexible they will be in light of the fact that they run the risk of of being excluded. The group as a whole must determine the advantages and disadvantages of excluding a stakeholder.
TEACHING MATERIALS:
For all parties:
General instructions
Map of Niceville
Background information on relevant stakeholders present at this meeting
Suggested proposals for grant money
Newspaper article on homelessness in Niceville
Worksheet for negotiation preparation
Role Specific:
Homeless shelter operator
Director of the Governor's Task Force on Homelessness
Representative from the Homeless Union
Chair of the Niceville Homeowners Association
Chair of the Community Service League
Teacher’s Package:
All of the above
Notes on logistics, debrief questions and bibliography for further reading
KEYWORDS:
community foundation; facilitation; philanthropy; social service; homelessness; multiparty negotiation; consensus building
SIMILAR SIMULATIONS
Blueville Health Foundation; Wintertime in Winterville; Franklin Family Foundation; Westbrook Regional School District
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