Citizen Assemblies- Reinvigorating Civic Engagement

Join us for a discussion that will open up the idea of citizen involvement in local decision-making. Increasingly people on all sides of the political spectrum (including those unengaged) feel left out of how decisions are made. A Citizens’ Assembly is a group of people selected by lottery who are broadly representative of a community. They spend significant time learning and collaborating through facilitated deliberation to find common ground and form collective recommendations for policymakers, decision-makers, and the community. These Assemblies are sometimes called Citizens’ Juries, Panels, or Councils depending on their size and the country where they are taking place. We will discuss how this model works internationally and how it is currently being used right here in Central Oregon.