Over the next twelve months, the Ojai Chautauqua will produce up to eight events focusing on issues particular to the Ojai Valley. With the success and impact of the November 19, 2017 event on Tourism in the Ojai Valley (watch it here) and the April 15, 2018 event on Water in the Ojai Valley (watch it here), our committee and sponsors realize that the greatest impact we can achieve is through this narrowed focus. The Ojai Valley is in a time of substantial transition and is striving to establish a sustainable vision for the future. The Ojai Chautauqua is pleased to work with non-profit and business groups, the City of Ojai, the public and private school systems, as well as educational institutions outside of the Ojai Valley to bring these communities together to build the momentum we need to become a model community that will inspire others to vibrancy.
The Ojai Chautauqua
Free Community Seminar Series on
The Foundations of Our Republic
Taking place the first and third Thursdays of each month
beginning May 3, 2018
We are thrilled to offer our first free community seminar series, taking place at the Ojai Library from 12:00 – 1:00PM on the first and third Thursdays of each month, beginning May 3rd. Groups will be kept small (12-18 people) in order to facilitate conversation. Registrants are invited to attend as many sessions as they would like, and can begin at any time. Reservations are required and attendees read the scheduled material prior to attending each seminar. Click here to register. Download the first reading here – The Declaration of Independence.
What are the fundamental principles of our Republic? Are these principles based on a view of objective reality/nature, or simply the “consent of the governed”? Are these principles changeable, and if so on what grounds? What authority is given to the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches? What are rights? Are they based on nature or consent? Are they inalienable? We invite community members to join us as we discuss these founding and subsequent documents in an effort to better understand the principles of our ongoing American experiment.
Beginning Schedule:
Thursday, May 3 – 12:00-1:00PM
Thursday, May 17 – 12:00-1:00PM
Thursday, June 7 – 12:00-1:00PM
Thursday, June 21 – 12:00-1:00PM
Readings:
The Declaration of Independence, selected Federalist Papers, The U.S. Constitution, Dred Scott Decision and Dissenting View (edited), Lincoln Douglass Debates (edited), Letter from Birmingham Jail.
Location:
The Ojai Library
111 East Ojai Avenue
Ojai, California 93023
Sunday, April 15, 2018
3:00-5:00PM
Water: Part II
Matilija Junior High Auditorium
703 El Paseo Rd, Ojai, California 93023
Free admission thanks to private donations, the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Oak Grove School.
In addition to our panels promoting civil discourse on topics of national concern, The Ojai Chautauqua is launching a series of events specifically focused on issues facing the Ojai Valley. We kick off this new series with an imminent and critical choice facing all of us – Water. In 2014 we held a panel on The Future of Water (view the event here) and since then the situation has only become worse with the continuing drought. There are several proposals under consideration and the purpose of this panel is to thoughtfully consider all of the options and their implications. We hope you will join us as we work together to ensure the vitality of this beautiful community.
Moderator:
Tom Krause
President of the Ojai Chautauqua Committee
Panelists:
Tom Ash
Water Conservation Expert and Horticulturalist
Mary Bergen
Board Member of the Casitas Municipal Water District
Dan Breen
Board President of the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency
Richard Hajas
Member of the Ojai Valley Water Advisory Group
Connor Jones
Ojai Permaculture Founder
Bruce Kuebler
Board Member of the Ventura River Water District
Alex Kim
Managing Director of the Ojai Valley Inn
Bill Weirick
Ojai City Council Member
On every chair at the Panel on Ojai Tourism event – Sunday, November 19th, 2017, there was a handout containing data about Ojai tourism history, tax revenue, population, traffic, and housing. Click here to download in PDF format.
Click here to read to coverage in the VC Star.
The purpose of the Ojai Chautauqua is to engage Ventura County in civil discourse about controversial and highly passionate subjects. The Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s.
The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers, and specialists of the day. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is “the most American thing in America.” The Ojai Chautauqua is continuing this movement, with a special focus on encouraging civil discourse on controversial and highly passionate subjects. The feedback so far has been phenomenal. Civil discourse is dangerously absent from all aspects of contemporary life. The result of this failing is not only sad… it is dangerous. If we can develop this essential ability, we can begin to affect a positive change to many aspects of life that can extend far and wide.
1129 Maricopa Highway #156 • Ojai, California 93023 • (805) 231-5974 • ojaichat@gmail.com • www.ojaichat.org
