From Vote to Voice - Shaping America's Agenda

In 2009, dki and its broad-based coalition and circle of partners will usher in a new area of participatory democracy in the United States.

For the first time in US history, the whole American public will be asked donate the questions it believes America needs to address to strengthen itself and its future, select the top questions for the country to address, and engage with each other to hold themselves and elected officials accountable for taking action and making improvement on these questions.
 

From Vote to Voice is the first effort by dki to apply to a nation-specific project the media campaign tools, social process, and communication methods developed from dropping knowledge’s highly successful global TOFV event.

From Vote to Voice will be implemented through three key and connected strategies:

1) a viral network strategy that relies on partnerships with organizations, networks, and causes that have vibrant and active online communities;

2) a community-based strategy which builds on-the-ground and face-to-face opportunities for local communities across the country to engage with Vote to Voice; and

3) a design strategy that will amplify the voices, vision, and leadership of key marginalized populations in the US -- the African American, Latino, immigrant, rural and youth communities -- as well as engage these voices to participate with all voices of the American public in shaping this country’s agenda.

In June 2008 dki began fundraising, partnership recruitment, web development, and planning for Shaping America’s Agenda.  By December 2009, Vote to Voice will have supported the American public to:

• Raise over 500,000 questions they care about most.
• Select the top questions America needs to address to strengthen itself and its future.
• Generate local knowledge, vision, and innovative solutions to address these questions.  
• Share its knowledge nationally and globally to inform public debate and stimulate civic engagement.
• Identify its recommendations to the new President and the nation for addressing the public's top questions.

If you or your organization are interested in partnering around Vote to Voice - Shaping America’s Agenda, please email us at:

info@droppingknowledgeinternational.org

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