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UK Pilot Cities Brighton-Hove Newham Visit your community page to sign-up now. More Details Local
Issues Forum
Guidebook - 50 page "How to" PDF
The UK
pilot forums are supported by the UK E-Democracy National Project. |
Why Join? What is a Local Issues Forum?
This is an excerpt from our guide (PDF). Simply put, a Local Issues Forum is an online public commons (or town hall meeting), where any citizen, journalist, or elected official can
One of the most important features of a Local Issues Forum is that it is citizen driven. Anyone can introduce a topic, concern or idea for discussion as long as it relates to an issue that impacts the quality of life in the local community. A Local Issues Forum empowers individual citizens to bring their ideas, suggestions and concerns to the forefront of public attention. Why Should Citizens Participate in a Local Issues Forum? A dynamic community is one in which citizens’ interact and work together in a variety of constructive ways. Unfortunately, we all lead busy lives and it is not always convenient to attend a local meeting or interact with your local elected official. A Local Issues Forum provides an alternative means for you to contribute to the civic health of your community in a flexible manner. Here are some reasons why you might want to participate: Top 5 Reasons, Why A Citizen Should Participate 1. Keep up with community
happenings
2. Network with other local citizens 3. Ask questions – get useful information 4. Share your opinion on important local issues 5. Connect with elected officials and city staff Top 5 Reasons, Why A Community Activist Should Participate 1. Place to post announcements
about meetings & events.
2. Network with other community activists 3. Keep your local issue in front of the community 4. Keep your issue in front of the press 5. Keep up with NEWS in the community Why Should/Do Elected Officials and Decisions Makers Participate? Some decision makers/elected officials may be skeptical about the value of participating in a Local Issues Forum. They are concerned about becoming “too available” or getting “sucked” into another project. Here are some very practical reasons, why they might want to try it out: Top 5 Reasons, Why An Elected Offical Should Participate 1. Fear of being left out of
important discussions
2. A great place to float trial balloons 3. Instant citizen feedback 4. Early warning system for “hot” issues 5. Dispel rumors before they do damage How does it work? A Local Issues Forum is an “email discussion group,” - also known as a listserv or list or online forum. If you are active online, you probably have already encountered such lists. When you want to share your thoughts with the Local Issues Forum, you send an email to one address and the “SERVER” forwards your message to everyone else who is a member of the group. When anyone else on the group sends a response to your message, their response is forwarded to every other member of the group. The result is an ongoing community discussion that takes place in your email “in-box.” Some software tools, such as GroupServer (a new tool that we use), allow for participants to participate either through email or a web interface. Keep in mind, that messages to a Local Issues Forum are often forwarded to friends, distributed on other local listserves, or incorporated in media coverage of the issue. So, the impact of your Local Issues Forum extends beyond the immediate subscriber list. Possible outcomes of a discussion in your Local Issues Forum range from increased citizen awareness of a particular issue or problem to direct action by local government officials or agencies.  |
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