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Thinking Out of The Box:Large Scale, Demographically Representative Approaches to Citizen Engagement
Susanna Haas LyonsProgram Associate, AmericaSpeaks
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AmericaSpeaks PurposeEngage citizens in the most
important decisions that impact their lives.
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Large Scale
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Representative Participation
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Decision-maker Involvement
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Transparency
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New Orleans
Hurricane KatrinaAugust 29, 2005
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Goal: Create a recovery plan for the city that has strong public support
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December Community Congress, 5 Cities
Facilitated Deliberation
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Linked Together By Satellite
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+ 16 Cities Linked by Webcast, 21 Total
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Large Group Priority Setting
Wireless ComputersPolling Keypads
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Reporting Back Themes in Real Time
The Theme Team
Video Projection
Who Participated?
• 2,500 People Across 21 Cities
• 25% w/ Annual Household Income Below $20,000
• 64% African American
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Translation
Creating an Inclusive Space
Services• Child care • Transportation
Support• Braille• Large print• Translation• Interpretation
Holistic Program • Greeters• Musicians• Visual artists• Hip hop poets• Stretch breaks• Counselors• Community Info
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Recruitment
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Robo-Calls & Emails
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Online Recruitment TrackingAge: Pre-Katrina, Community Congress II, and
Community Congress III
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
15-19 20-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 over65
Age
Pre-Katrina
Community Congress II
Community CongressIII
Age: Pre-Katrina, Community Congress II, and Community Congress III
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
15-19 20-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 over65
Age
Pre-Katrina
Community Congress II
Community CongressIII
Ethnicity: Pre Katrina, Community Congress II, and Community Congress III
0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%
Black
Asian
White
Latin
oNati
ve A
mer.Mult
i-racia
lOthe
r
Race/ Ethnicity
Pre-Katrina
Community Congress II
Community CongressIII
Ethnicity: Pre Katrina, Community Congress II, and Community Congress III
0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%
Black
Asian
White
Latin
oNati
ve A
mer.Mult
i-racia
lOthe
r
Race/ Ethnicity
Pre-Katrina
Community Congress II
Community CongressIII
What Participants Said
• Safety from Future Flooding• Empower to Rebuild Safe, Stable
Neighborhoods• An Opportunity for All to Return• Sustainable, Equitable Public Services• Schools that Meet the Needs of
Communities
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Key Lessons for Engagement
• Demographically representative participants assures credibility for outcomes
• Partnerships and planning key to engaging diverse citizens
• Convening at a large scale captures leadership and media attention
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Key Lessons for Engagement
• Public is willing and able to tackle technical issues, tough trade-offs
• Participation develops buy-in and public constituency for implementation
• The right structure, process and content creates new experiences of citizenship
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