Assessing Community Information Needs
On October 17 the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will release the final in a series of eight white papers aimed at implementing the recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. The paper—“Assessing Community Information Needs: A Practical Guide” by Richard C. Harwood—proposes four guideposts and nine strategies for communities to assess and build a healthy information environment. (Read it here)
The formal release will take place during a roundtable discussion among a select group of leaders, innovators, advocates and experts from the national, state and local levels on Monday, October 17 in Washington, DC. Following the presentation of the paper, these leaders and experts will debate the best ways to incorporate the strategies at a time when citizens need to focus on re-building and re-engaging the community. Several strategies include creating authentic, credible steering committees to guide the work; mapping community concerns; mobilizing the community as a resource; cultivating boundary-spanning organizations; and telling the community’s story of change.
Featured Speaker:
Richard C. Harwood is the founder of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. For more than 20 years, Harwood has been dedicated to transforming public and political lives by supporting individuals, organizations and communities in their quest to create change.
Watch it live at http://as.pn/9n