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  21st Century Town MeetingBrief Description:These events involve a large number of citizens (between 500 and 5,000) in deliberating on local, regional or national issues and make use of modern technology, including wireless voting pads and networked laptops. They combine the benefits of small scale face-to-face discussions with those of large group decision making.
Description:21st Century Meetings are forums that combine the intimacy of small-scale face-to-face deliberations with the impact and power of large-scale interactions and collective decision-making. This methodology has managed to overcome the common trade off between the quality of discussion and size of group involved through innovative use of technology. During the event participants engage in small group discussions at tables of 10-12, working with an independent facilitator who uses a networked computer to instantly collate ideas and votes from the table. This information is sent via a wireless network to a central point where a theme team distils comments from all tables into themes that can be presented back to the room for comment or votes. Each participant has an electronic keypad which allow them to vote individually on themes or questions. The results of these votes (often involving thousands of people) are presented in real time on large video screens for instant feedback for participants. This "back and forth" between the small- and large-scale dialogues is powerful as it allows participants to discuss the issues in a small manageable setting whilst maintaining the link to a larger group. The immediacy of the vote creates transparency during the meeting. The computers and voting pads generate volumes of useful demographically-sortable data. This information is often quickly edited into a report which is printed and given to participants, decision-makers, and journalists at the end of the event. Used For:21st Century Town Meetings have been used to create recommendations around a number of different issues, including what to do with the site of the destroyed Twin Towers in New York, how to rebuild New Orleans following hurricane Catrina and finding solutions for healthcare in California. These meetings are especially useful for engaging citizens in planning, resource allocation, and policy formulation. 21st Century Town Meetings are a big commitment and are therefore only really suitable where real change can happen as a result of the process. Suitable participants:Most events are open to all citizens, although it is often necessary to target hard-to-reach sectors of the population especially to ensure a balanced and representative group of participants. One of the key distinguishing features of 21st Century Town Meetings is the high number of participants involved, whilst maintaining a deep and meaningful dissuasion and an overview of what the participants as a whole think. The scale of the meetings means that they often generate substantial interest from the media and public authorities. Cost:High. A 21st Century Town Meeting is a very intensive process. The individual tables need to be run by skilled facilitators. The voting pads, laptops and other technology required increases the cost as well. Designing, planning and co-ordinating an event involving hundreds or even thousands people requires a substantial budget of tens of thousands of pounds. Time Requirements:High The scale of the events and the amount of information generated which needs to be themed, distilled into key themes and presented back to the room requires a lot of staff time and planning. The high profile of most 21st Century Town Meeting means that there are additional task around liaising with the media and decision makers. When To Use / What It Can Deliver:You should use a 21st Century Town Meeting when:
21st Century Town Meetings can deliver clear recommendations and decisions, clear data on what different groups think about an issue before and after deliberation, a deep and constructive discussion despite large groups involved and a compelling event which can capture the imagination of the media and the public more widely. When Not To Use / What It Cannot Deliver:You should not use a 21st Century Town Meeting:
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Origin:Deliberative Democracy The 21st Century Town Meeting Methodology was developed by the US nonprofit organisation AmericaSpeaks in 1997. Since then they have delivered 21st century Town meetings in over 30 US states and other countries. 21st Century Town Meetings is trademarked by AmericaSpeaks. Case Studies:
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Restrictions In Use"21st Century Town Meeting" is trademarked by AmericaSpeaks, a nonprofit organization based in the United States. Further InformationAmericaSpeaks |
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