[homeles_ot-l] FW: conference: Empowering the voice and engagement of citizens in policy at Queen's

[Lynne Browne]

FYI

Lynne Browne 
Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness 
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa ON  K1N 6A7 
613-241-7913 x 205, lbrowne at ysb.on.ca 
www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca 

 

   _____  

From: Rachel Laforest [mailto:laforest at post.queensu.ca] 
Sent: March 25, 2008 1:29 PM
To: Rachel Laforest
Subject: conference announcement

 

The School of Policy Studies, Queen's University is pleased to announce its
Eighth Annual National Forum on Public Policy and the Third Sector to be
held on the 23-24 May, 2008. 

 

This year's theme is “Empowering the voice and engagement of citizens in
policy."The conference will explore how broad trends in civic engagement are
affecting the role of the voluntary sector in policy, it will also bring
together a wealth of practitioners who will share their hands on experience
and tools for engaging citizens in policy in a meaningful way.

 

For more information or to register, please visit our conference website at:


 

HYPERLINK
"http://www.queensu.ca/sps/conferences_events/annual_conferences/third_secto
r/third_sector_2008.php"http://www.queensu.ca/sps/conferences_events/annual_
conferences/third_sector/third_sector_2008.php

 

If you have any questions, please contact me at HYPERLINK
"mailto:laforest at queensu.ca"laforest at queensu.ca or call (613) 533-6000, ext.
77264

 

Rachel Laforest

 

_________________________________________

 

Empowering the voice and engagement of citizens in policy

 

Over the past decade, the civic landscape has shifted in important though
subtle ways. The record low levels of voter turnout, falling membership in
political parties, weakening participation in volunteering, and the low
levels of trust in institutions, are all evidence of the changing nature of
civic engagement. Equally significant has been the shift in citizen demands
and expectations away from traditional structures of representation towards
more direct forms of voice and engagement. While citizens seemingly remain
interested in politics, they seek fresh vehicles for personal expression and
connectedness to others. These trends represent new challenges for policy
makers and for voluntary organizations, making it more difficult to rely on
a single notion of community. Yet with an ever-more heterogeneous
population, with greater social and economic diversity, and rising
inequalities, there is a more pressing need to expand mechanisms so that a
plurality of voices can be heard in policy debates. Not surprisingly, civic
participation is on everyone's agenda at the moment.

 

By bringing together public servants, academics and community practitioners,
this conference provides a valuable forum for dialogue that looks at current
practices today, formative emerging trends, and choices on how to move
forward. The conference will explore the following questions: What are the
central trends in civic participation and engagement? Is there a
generational divide? Does the increasing diversity of our citizenry
necessitate varied approaches to engagement? How will these trends affect
the place of the voluntary sector in our society? What are some of the new
and creative ways to engage hard to reach groups in society? What can we
learn from current practices?

 

 

Rachel Laforest

Assistant Professor

School of Policy Studies

Queen's University

Kingston, ON

K7L 3N6

tel: (613) 533-6000 ext. 77264

email: HYPERLINK "mailto:laforest at queensu.ca"laforest at queensu.ca

 


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