The document discusses the evolving landscape of public engagement, particularly in the context of recent initiatives like Obama's open government memorandum. It emphasizes the importance of active participation and collaboration, rather than mere information dissemination, and outlines efforts involving various organizations to enhance civic engagement. The text also highlights core principles and calls for readiness among practitioners to effectively contribute to public discourse and decision-making.

1. A New Era of Public Engagement?
Sandy Heierbacher, Director of NCDD
9-23-09
Thursday, September 3, 2009

2. “Public engagement”
✤ distinguishing from public
participation and civic
engagement
✤ right end of the P2 spectrum
(involve, collaborate and
empower - not inform and
consult)
✤ dialogue and deliberation
Thursday, September 3, 2009

3. 2009
✤ Obama’s memorandum
✤ on transparency
✤ public participation
✤ and collaboration
Thursday, September 3, 2009

4. Open Government Initiative
✤ Generated excitement, hope
✤ Generated cynicism, concern
✤ Set some things in motion in our field
Thursday, September 3, 2009

5. Core Principles
for Public Engagement
✤ NCDD
✤ IAP2
✤ Co-Intelligence
Institute
Thursday, September 3, 2009

6. Thursday, September 3, 2009

7. W.H. Informal Listening Session
✤ March 2009
✤ Meeting with Beth
Noveck and other reps of
WH Open Government
Initiative
✤ 12 organizations
represented (NCDD,
IAP2 included)
Thursday, September 3, 2009

8. Champions of Participation
✤ Late March 2009 meeting about
Open Government Directive
✤ Reps of 23 federal agencies and
offices present
Thursday, September 3, 2009

9. W.H. Office of Social Innovation
and Civic Participation
✤ May 5, 2009 W.H. press release
on $50 million to identify and
expand effective, innovative
non-profits
✤ Office “will coordinate efforts
to enlist all Americans –
individuals, non-profits, social
entrepreneurs, corporations and
foundations – as partners in
Sonal Shah solving our great challenges.”
Thursday, September 3, 2009

10. Office of Public Engagement
✤ May 11, 2009: W.H. Office of
“This office will seek to
Public Liaison becomes Office engage as many
of Public Engagement Americans as possible in
the difficult work of
changing this country,
✤ Obama speaks of the office’s through meetings and
expanded mission... conversations with groups
and individuals held in
Washington and across the
country.”
Thursday, September 3, 2009

11. ✤ May 21, 2009: Leaders of dozens of civil
society organizations contacted by OPE
and told our organizations’ and
networks’ participation was vital to this
online public engagement process.
Thursday, September 3, 2009

12. Thursday, September 3, 2009

13. 1600 Posts by June 1st
✤ NCDD community got involved in force
✤ My post on Core Principles for Public Engagement being adopted by
federal agencies was 6th in votes
✤ Others in our field in top 20...
✤ AmericaSpeaks’ Joe Goldman and Suzanna Haas Lyons (with
proposals that emerged from the Champions of Participation
meetings)
✤ Christine Whitney Sanchez, on Promise USA (proposal for a
national network of citizen conversation)
Thursday, September 3, 2009

14. A “Birther” Takeover
Thursday, September 3, 2009

15. Yet...
✤ The report on Phase I called the “Grassroots/Local Civic
Participation/Deliberative Democracy” group (us!) “the
largest and most well-prepared group in the Brainstorm:
they were early to the table and augmented their ranks as
the dialogue proceeded.”
✤ The Core Principles for Public Engagement were listed in the
report in full
Thursday, September 3, 2009

16. Thursday, September 3, 2009

17. ✤ graphic that shows how we mainly have been working
outside/around government
Thursday, September 3, 2009

18. What else can
we do?
✤ Jointly owned structures and
processes
✤ Build on existing resources
✤ Establish your own definition
of success
✤ Cultivate and support public
engagement practitioners
Thursday, September 3, 2009

19. Get Ready
✤ Are we ready to step in when
we’re needed?
✤ Are we equipped to make the
case for this work?
Thursday, September 3, 2009