How can citizens launch a better effort to communicate with their leaders? Can the integration of virtual components boost real civic engagement?
The city is increasingly utilizing the digital sphere for official meetings and to gather feedback for long-term planning, and a new participatory platform is encouraging San Antonio residents to submit ideas for ways to improve the city.
Ideas for CoSA is a crowd-sourced virtual suggestion box for citizens of San Antonio to voice their opinions. Once submitted, anyone can vote or comment on an idea. Top-ranked ideas on the site are regularly emailed to all City Council members. Community members can stay up-to-date by subscribing for notifications about new submissions. In addition to the website, Ideas for CoSA also uses a Facebook group to promote the discussion of topics "directly relevant to civic engagement in San Antonio."
Tonight, organizers will host the first Ideas for CoSA Citizen Council Meeting to review the upcoming City Agenda and discuss any San Antonio civic issues brought forth by participants.
Guests:
- Paul DiGiovanni, founder and discussion moderator for Ideas for CoSA
- Cynthia Spielman, President of the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Association and an Ideas for CoSA Community Member
You can live stream the Ideas for CoSA Citizens Council Meeting on Tuesday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m. CST. A link to join the conversation via Google Hangout will be posted in the description box just before the meeting.