Strategies for Citizen Engagement: (i) Shifting the Focus of ICT Design Practice - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 153

10 Conduct long-term auditing of the effectiveness of citizen engagement to as-

sess the impact of ICT and its acceptability.

11 Consider establishing an in-house unit of citizen engagement specialists, es-

pecially facilitators if this appears appropriate; decide location (dispersed or
localised), staffing, equipment, etc.

12 Review relevant budgets and schedules to see that citizen engagement activi-

ties are included.

8.3 Capacity Building

Successes in civic participation - whether in impoverished communities in
the developing world or in leading, developed nations - are characterized
by the development of skills and capabilities of the participants. Successful
participation projects report the growth in confidence of participants in
articulating and sharing their views and experiences, their increased
knowledge and understanding of issues under consideration and ability to
contribute to debate and decision-making. This contrasts with the fre-
quently voiced expressions of concern in the media about voter apathy and
cynicism of the public, especially of the young. In fact, there is consider-
able evidence to show that, in the right conditions, there is positive enthu-
siasm, commitment and a surprising willingness to spend time preparing
for consultative exercises on issues of significance and relevance to par-
ticipants (The National Forum on Health - Canada, Wyman et al. 1999).
Capacity building is defined in different ways, depending on the context.
One common element is the change and development which takes place as
individuals learn new skills and gain in confidence.
In the context of involving citizens in shaping the digital technologies
that underpin the information society, some important objectives of capac-
ity building among the individuals responsible for achieving and managing
engagement include the following:

promote widespread understanding of the need for change;

•

• promulgate awareness of the wide-ranging benefits of participa-

tion/engagement for individuals and their communities;

• provide realistic and flexible guidance on how to achieve such under-

standing;

• promote the development of skills and knowledge necessary for citizens

and other stakeholders to make a meaningful contribution to ICT design -
tailored to the needs and context;

• enable citizens and relevant others to arrive at consensus on design deci-

sions;