May 2009 E-Democracy News

 

 May 2009 

Volume 1, Issue 5 

In this Issue

• From the Executive Director
• Upcoming Events
• Volunteer of the Month: Sara Bergen
• Civic Engagement 101
• Around the Forums

• Hot Topics

Editor’s Note

This month, we’re introducing a streamlined format for the newsletter. In response to feedback that the newsletter was difficult to read, we are providing more of a digest of articles that are posted on the E-Democracy.Org blog site. We hope this will be a more reader-friendly option. Let us know what you think — send us an email at news@e-democracy.org.

 

From the Executive Director

 

As new participants and communities have joined us over the last three years – we’ve grown from five issues forums in five communities to 25 forums across 15 communities – so has the use of our Website.

 

Upcoming Events

Find the details on the FOI Summit, a national civic summit in Minneapolis, and the deliberative democracy conference in New Hampshire.

Volunteer of the Month: Sara Bergen

Local issues forum managers are perhaps the most unsung of the unsung heroes in online civic engagement. The task requires tremendous commitment, time and dedication. And volunteer Sara Bergen recently took the level of commitment to a whole new level, following the birth of her third son.   

Civic Engagement 101

This month, we feature tips in applying technology for civic engagement. 

Around the Forums

Several new forums will be starting up in the coming months, including neighborhood forums in the United States and the rebirth of an effort to discuss politics nationwide in the U.S.

Hot Topics

Online video of Canadian Parliamentary proceedings, Obama Administration commentary, Facebook democracy in Iran, and much more.