OpenGov - Open Government Brainstorm

Civic Engagement at the community level isn’t about a technique or a single model. It has to be about using every resource and idea possible to stay focused on the desired outcome – to create a stronger democracy by establishing ways for people to be fully engaged and connected/involved with all levels of government. As a coalition of practitioners across a variety of civic and government organizations, we recommend that the Obama Administration consider how to nurture and advance grassroot and local efforts in civic engagement between individuals and their goverment that build on local knowledge and expertise. While there are unifying themes and ideas, there are also local aspects that must be considered as the plan to engage people is developed. This is about meeting the need where people are – literally and figuratively. Local teams from communities across the country could submit innovation/seed grants for civic engagement efforts that reflect an agreed upon set of key principles, including the ones that have been determined by the national organizations involved in these initial conversations. The applications would make use of local resources and partnerships. Part of any application would also require an evaluation component. As part of this effort, the Obama Administration could create a network of practitioners trying out various approaches to community issues so that all of us could learn from each other. This model has been used very successfully by the GATES Foundation in their work—grantees are encouraged and supported to learn from each other’s work. Such an approach would also provide the Federal Government with opportunities to evaluate what works and doesn’t work going forward.