Bristol Wireless Wiki - Issues Forums

Issues Forums

A virtual town square for your community

What is an Issues Forum?

An Issues Forum is an ongoing online town hall meeting or public forum where citizens shape the agenda. Unlike many other online spaces, a local Issues Forum works to engage elected officials and community leaders from the start.

It's more than a chat session. An Issues Forum uses listserve and web forum technology, combined with important online facilitation techniques, to connect citizens, elected officials and the media on issues of importance in their community.

Issues Forums are often run by citizen groups with the support or encouragement of the local council. While an Issues Forum can be operated and maintained by a local council, community ownership and control provides greater credibility and sustainability.

Using expertise and guidance from E-Democracy.org, creators of the original Issues Forums in the USA, the Local e-democracy National Project launched pilot UK Issues Forums in Brighton & Hove and Newham. Now more community groups and councils are being encouraged to try this bottom-up model for citizen engagement.

Why Launch an Issues Forum?

The goal of a local Issues Forum is to give everyone a greater voice in local decisions and encourage more citizen participation in making local public policy, as follows:

Ongoing "anytime / anywhere" opportunity for citizen participation - it's a modern and convenient way to have your say;
Media-free stories - an alternative media space where citizens have the opportunity to tell their story or respond to press stories;
New ideas - a public space where new ideas compete for attention and resources;
Active citizenship - citizens have the opportunity to debate and deliberate on topical issues;
Active facilitation keeps discussions on-topic and encourages civility and respectful discussions.

One of the most important features of a local Issues Forum is that it is driven by citizens. 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 enables individual citizens to bring their ideas, suggestions and concerns to the forefront of public attention.

Who Participates in an Issues Forum (and Why)?

A healthy local Issues Forum will attract the attention of the following groups:

Citizens: citizens will seek out a local Issues Forum as a place to exchange information with other citizens, communicate concerns to council officers and staff, and gather news about their community.

Elected councillors: for elected councillors, an Issues Forum is a great place to keep track of emerging issues in the community, demonstrate their interest in citizen perspectives and to impart information about council programmes or initiatives.

Council staff: can use an Issues Forum as a place to communicate directly with the public to announce events or solicit input. It can acts as a channel to watch for emerging community concerns and to address rumours before they become a problem.

Local media: can use an Issues Forum as a place to watch for story ideas, identify sources for local news items and monitor the pulse of the community.

How does it work?

Local Issues Forums can be launched by a local council, but are usually more effective when put under the control of a neutral citizen advisory committee.

Once the committee has been established and the mission, rules and goals agreed upon, it's time to start recruiting.

Before launching the Issues Forum, it is recommended that at least 100 citizens have been registered.

Resources

Download your free copy of the "Local Issues Forum Guidebook" or visit existing Issues Forums in Newham and Brighton & Hove:

Flash presentation with video testimonials:

http://e-democracy.org/experience/

For more information about local Issues Forums and the Local e- Democracy National Project:

http://www.e-democracy.gov.uk/

Software

Issues Forums are not dependant upon any particular software. However, the Local e-Democracy National Project has helped provided support for an open source tool with special features that support local Issues Forums: