Orientation Meeting of Democracy Delegates

Orientation Meeting Agenda for March 15, 2008

10:45am-11:00am | Meet in lobby of 2300 M Street, NW Washington, DC (European Union Building)

11:00am-11:15am | PowerPoint Presentation given by Alexander Moll, The Public Forum Institute

11:15am-11:30am | Lecture by Professor William Keith, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

11:30am-12:00pm | Questions and Answers Period

Meeting Location

The Public Forum Institute, 2300 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20037

The Public Forum Institute?s Democracy Delegate Volunteer Project

Democracy Delegates are volunteers who help to convene regular, interconnected, inclusive, and unique types of face-to-face forums in cities across America that advance citizens? ability to directly insert collective, citizen-based, policy recommendations into the government policy-making process. The purpose of such an additional approach to governance enhances the quality and potential fairness of public policy.

Volunteers acquire non-profit professional development experience in research in citizen engagement best practices, educational publication, outreach, web development, group decision-making training, communication, e-democracy workshops, community organizing, and fundraising as part of a larger mission to build community comprehensively and reinvigorate democracy all over the U.S. Volunteers work in groups on coordinated projects that culminate to reclaim citizens? rightful roles at all levels of community and governmental decision-making.

Join us in this extraordinary opportunity to be part of history in the making.

The Public Forum Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization committed to developing the most advanced and effective means of fostering the exchange of ideas by combining issue expertise with advanced group decision-making in non-partisan-moderated public policy forums. Furthermore, in addition to traditional means of engaging citizens in the policy-making process, the Forum utilizes innovative methods to foster citizen engagement. For example, through the use of the wireless eFORUM audience response system, participants are able to respond to questions with the touch of a button. Results are compiled immediately and anonymously ? ensuring that everyone?s voice is heard equally.

Why

Participatory democracy is a process emphasizing the broad participation (e.g. decision making) of citizens in the direction and operation of governance systems. While etymological roots imply that any democracy would rely on the participation of its citizens (the Greek demos and kratos combine to suggest that "the people rule"), traditional representative democracies tend to limit citizen participation to voting, leaving actual governance to politicians.

To participate in one?s democracy, one must engage with others, i.e. in forms of civic engagement. This means working to make a difference in the civic life (as distinguished from our religious, home, work, or social life) of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. The Public Forum Institute seeks ways to teach and facilitate the strengthening of this aspect of our democracy.

Sample of Volunteer Activities

-Organize one small (20-people) face-to-face forum to take place that features professional e-democracy that explores a major topic in foreign policy.
-Group research @ Library of Congress
-Public square interviewing of citizens
-Exploration of Social Media Web 2.0, 3.0 technologies
-Government Processes
-Outreach
-Graphic Design of Promotional Forum Flyers
-Attend events (lectures, conferences, poetry slams, citizen deliberations, etc.) about civics
-Develop creative ideas for fund-raising run/walk/ride/concert
-Organizing key news articles

Policy Issues Explored

Fundamental Questions of National and Foreign Policy
(Volunteers will vote for issues to explore)

Cool Links

The Public Forum Institute http://www.publicforu...
The Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC) http://www.deliberati...
National Conference on Citizenship http://www.ncoc.net...
NCDD http://www.thataway.o...