Intl Symposium on Local E-Democracy - 26-27 July 2005 - Minneapolis, USA

With GroupServer <http://e-democracy.org/groupserver> I've been
strengthening my pitch for open source applications in e-democracy
projects - be they government or NGO-based.  I'd like to see someone
propose a small group session on "Open Source and E-Democracy" at the
conference. Interested?  See below.

Please pass this one to those in government, NGO, or media
"e-participation" circles that you think would benefit from a chance to
network with their global peers.  This will also be one of the best
opportunities in North America to connect into the exciting e-democracy
work of local government and communities from the UK and beyond.

Thanks,
Steven Clift

--Conference Announcement - Please Circulate--


International Symposium on Local E-Democracy July 26-27, 2005 -
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA http://dowire.org/localedem


The International Symposium on Local E-Democracy is a dynamic conference
exploring leading e-democracy trends around the world. The next day, a
field trip to the "wired" chambers of the Minnesota State Legislature
and Northfield, Minnesota's community blogging efforts along with
traveling color commentary will bring one of birthplaces of
"e-democracy" to life.

This is the world's first international conference focused specifically
on local e-democracy. We expect representatives of a number of
government, non-profit, research, and civic organisations to attend. If
you are interested in improving governance and citizen participation in
the information age, this conference is for you. 

The symposium is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in
the United Kingdom and the UK Local e-Democracy National Project along
with other partners.


* Register Today - Full Conference Details

   http://dowire.org/localedem

Or sign-up for future conference e-mail updates: 
[email protected] 


 
* Plenary Themes 

The following panels are being developed:

  - Informed Elections - From e-voting to voter 
      education online 

  - E-Government and Democracy - Leading e-democracy 
      practices in governance and civic education 

  - Local Citizens and Community Online - Citizen 
      e-activism, local blogging, and media online 

We promise short presentations with an emphasis on interactive
discussion.


* Small Group Sessions and Networking

Small group sessions, proposed via the conference "wiki" website by
conference participants, provide an interactive opportunity for
discussion of diverse topics. 

We expect 50 to 100 participants. Extensive opportunities for networking
among practitioners, experts, and researchers will be provided.  This
includes a "tailgating" pre-conference event with E-Democracy.Org the
evening of Monday, July 25 at a St. Paul Saints outdoor minor league
baseball game.



* 60 Second Pitch 

Do you have an e-democracy project, idea, technology, etc. that you want
to share? Up to 20 speakers will have one minute to powerfully
communicate their e-democracy message.



* Stay Tuned 

The final agenda and list of speakers and small group sessions will be
released on the conference website:

    http://dowire.org/localedem



* Cost and Hotel

The fee for the conference is a modest $125 US (~70 GBP, 102 Euros). The
enrolled student rate is
$75 US. 

This will cover your symposium participation and the luncheon. For those
joining us on the field trip, transportation will be provided at no
additional cost. 
The pre-conference baseball event will be $15. 

Hotel accommodation in Minneapolis, with free Wi-Fi Internet access, is
available at the special conference rate of $99 plus tax per night just
a couple blocks away from our conference location, the Humphrey
Institute at the University of Minnesota. 

Please use the conference website to register and reserve your
accommodations:

   http://dowire.org/localedem


* Receive E-mail Updates - Note Your Interest 

If you plan to attend or are not quite ready to register, please sign-up
to receive conference announcements. 

Simply e-mail: 

   [email protected] 


* Contact Us 

To contact the conference team, e-mail: 

    [email protected] 


* Additional Details and Link

About Minnesota - Plan a Minne-vacation
  http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Minnesota

Transportation Advice
  http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Symposium_transportation

Propose Small Group Sessions
  http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Sessions

Highlights from the Global E-Democracy Best Practices Work
  http://www.dowire.org/wiki/UK_highlights

UK Local E-Democracy National Project
  http://www.e-democracy.gov.uk

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
  http://www.odpm.gov.uk




Steven Clift - http://publicus.net - Reply to: [email protected] Join
DoWire: http://dowire.org
E-Democracy: http://e-democracy.org