Anthony Zacharzewski, Governor at @demsoc , tells us about his organisation's upcoming B&H CityForum event.
CityForum Brighton & Hove, which takes place on Wednesday at the Sallis Benney Theatre on Grand Parade, is the first in a series of participation initiatives in the city, and digital businesses are being invited to take part in discussions of how technology can support public participation and discussion.
CityForum Brighton & Hove, which takes place on Wednesday at the Sallis Benney Theatre on Grand Parade, is the first in a series of participation initiatives in the city, and digital businesses are being invited to take part in discussions of how technology can support public participation and discussion.
The event works on the same principles as CityCamp Brighton, which ran successfully in the city in March. Participants will set the agenda and topics for discussion in the first session of the event, which starts at 2 p.m. and runs into the early evening.
Once the agenda is set, participants will be able to choose between up to 15 separate discussions over the rest of the day, before a final discussion panel at 6.30 featuring leading figures from the city's public services, to whom discussion groups will be able to present their proposals.
The organisers, local non-profit and Wired Sussex member the Democratic Society, are looking for proposals that support community action and participation, and which look to work in partnership with public services.
This is a first pilot in a programme of participation and engagement events being run as part of NESTA's Creative Councils programme. Demsoc is working with the City Council, the Community and Voluntary Sector Forum, and Hove-based business Public-i to develop a participation culture and a shared civic space for the city, linking online and offline community action. This programme, called We Live Here, will be one of the topics discussed at CityForum.
Other topics proposed for discussion online include:
- Using digital technology for a greener city;
- How can open data tell us whether services are any good?
- Reducing wastage in council procurement
- How to promote local volunteering and charity donations
Tickets for the event are free, and available on Eventbrite at http://cityforumbtn.eventbrite.com. Demsoc's local site is at http://brighton.demsoc.org