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our eyes we could feel the excitement rise. The pulse begins to beat a bit
faster!
” (Al-Kodmany 1999).
Similarly, in the Macatawa area project, the transformation process
generated a strong sense of enthusiasm to deliberate and decide on priority
areas for action. Those involved in transforming their individual and
collective contributions into action plans, committed to continued in-
volvement in the projects they had been instrumental in defining and plan-
ning.
The case studies also revealed a very considerable array of tools and
techniques which are available and in use worldwide to support and pro-
mote the processes. This aspect will be discussed further in Chapter 9
'
Strategies for Citizen Engagement (ii) Tools and Techniques .
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'
6.2.3 Outputs and Outcomes: Components of Desirable Futures
The transformation process which occurs in effective citizen engagement
exercises delivers explicit, tangible outputs (see Table 6.3). Examples in-
clude:
•
carefully formulated problem statements (informed by sharing experi-
ences and knowledge of different stakeholders);
•
analyses and specifications of information needs;
•
agreed priorities for action;
•
action plans.
Outputs
The effective
shaping of requirements which results from the transformation
processes
serve to produce tangible outputs in the form of requirements
specifications. For example, forums run by America Speaks always pro-
duce a preliminary report at the end of each deliberation, which can be
taken away by participants at the end of the day. In turn, such documented
outputs inform technical design decisions, increasing the relevance and
value of solutions (as for example in the K-Net project). The Canadian
National Forum on Health initiative resulted in an action plan formed on
the basis of consensus among the participants on the healthcare priorities
for the nation.
Tangible outputs such as these inform decision making and policy making
which can then result in developments of ongoing benefit to individuals
and communities. One such result is the establishment of a central infor-
mation resource centre in a community in Uganda. This profoundly sig-
nificant development came about as a result of the information needs
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