The Organization: About Dropping Knowledge

Dropping Knowledge International is a global initiative to support the free and open sharing of knowledge among people of the world. Born out of the unprecedented democratizing power of the Internet, Dropping Knowledge employs advanced web-technology to empower the global public to engage in dialogue, learning, and action for the social change it seeks.

DKI launched in 2005-2006, by conducting a global question campaign that generated over 25,000 questions. On September 9, 2006, 112 visionaries from around the world came together in Berlin, Germany to answer the top ranked 100 questions at our Table of Free Voices event.  The 600 hours of answers to these 100 questions are now open to all on DKI’s website. Among the content generated that day are some of the freshest perspectives on today's most pressing themes.  

Under the leadership of MIT Professor and civic engagment thought leader, Dr. Ceasar McDowell, DKI’s media tools, social process skills, and communication methods are being used to build a transparent, democratic process and infrastructure that allows individual members of the public to ask questions, share knowledge, engage in discussion, build community, and produce ideas,  actions, and solutions. DKI has developed three tools to strengthen participatory democracy.  

Question Campaigns - A process for using modern communication tools and media strategies to engage people in raising the questions they believe are most important for the world to answer.

Question Selection Process - A discernment process that allows the public to move from raising individual questions to identifying and selecting key questions to collectively address.

Answer Campaigns - A online environment and face-to-face process for the public to share knowledge, generate solutions, and inspire new action to address the key questions the public has identified.

dropping knowledge international is a project of the Tides Center.