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To access links, see Steven Clift's blog: http://dowire.org/notes/?p=246 Post: Big News - Possible Ashoka Fellowship - You can endorse my e-democracy efforts While I've been in the Ashoka Fellowship "pipeline" for a couple years, now is the right time move forward. They invited me to submit my formal application this spring and I will go in front of their review panel next week in Washington, DC. While endorsements do not really figure into their process, I've decided to keep a list of your names in my pocket for moral support. If you support my e-democracy work and in particular my efforts to share Issues Forums via E-Democracy.Org with communities around the world, please add your name to this list: http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Support_for_Steven_Clift Simply press "Edit" and add your name. I am confident that Issues Forum will continue their growth (a new one is opening in Roseville, Minnesota this week) and soon we will learn if our model and my approach fits with Ashoka. Regardless, the most exciting result of this process is the realization that we can do this on a much larger scale NOW. In the coming weeks we will work with mySociety.Org on some "local clustering technology" that will foster the creation of new Issues Forum efforts in any of the 4 million placenames around the world (although we will first focus on English-speaking countries :-)). It will allow people to say, "my name is X, I live in Y and I want to discuss issues in my community" and they can invite others to join them. This will provide E-Democracy.Org the intelligence on which communities are ripe for Issues Forums (10 or 20 folks in one town might lead us to a vital volunteer able to bring their community through our "built-to-last" forum launch process.) I'll let you know in late August if the fellowship pans out. Also, if you'd like to help spread or start an Issues Forums now, let's get busy. We are considering a "Class of 2007" with virtual training to help launch 10 or more new forums. Contact me: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sincerely, Steven Clift, http://publicus.net Board Chair, http://E-Democracy.Org Democracies Online, http://dowire.org *** Democracies Online Newswire - http://DoWire.Org *** To comment/for links: http://dowire.org/notes/?p=246 To network: http://groups.dowire.org Submit posts: http://dowire.org/submit Member profile for Steven: http://groups.dowire.org/main/contacts/stevenclift ----------------------------------------- Group home for Newswire - Steven Clift's blog posts by e-mail: http://groups.dowire.org/main/groups/newswire Replies go to members of Newswire - Steven Clift's blog posts by e-mail with all posts on this topic here: http://groups.dowire.org/topic/120421 For digest version or to leave Newswire - Steven Clift's blog posts by e-mail, email [email protected] with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*. Newswire - Steven Clift's blog posts by e-mail is hosted by Democracies Online - http://dowire.org.
