2030 M Street, NW Fifth Floor Washington, DC 20036-3306 tel: 202.728.5500 fax: 202.728.5520 The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Steven Clift invite you to E-DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE: GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS TO LOCAL DEMOCRACY THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005 9:30-11:00 am Session 1: Trends in Global e-Democracy Roundtable Chris Spence, Technology Strategy and Programs Director for NDI, http://www.ndi.org Steven Clift, online strategist and public speaker focused on the use of the Internet in democracy, governance, and community, http://publicus.net Learn the latest global trends in e-democracy as members of the international Democracies Online network share updates from around the world. Trends, potential and challenges to e-democracy in both more established and emerging democracies will be discussed, including examples in NDI's work with democracies around the world. Steven Clift will briefly highlight the new global e-democracy best practice case studies collected for the UK Local E-democracy National Project.   11:15 am-12:30 pm Session 2: Online Issues Forums—Join the Evolution in Local Democracy Steven Clift, Board Chair, E-Democracy.Org Tim Erickson, St. Paul Issues Forum, E-Democracy.Org This session will focus on local e-democracy, specifically the establishment of online "Issues Forums." Based on a decade of successful experience, E-Democracy.Org is suggesting a Rotary-like service club network of local active citizen-based efforts designed to effectively bring citizens, public officials, and journalists together to discuss local issues online. Anyone interested in promoting such forums locally in DC and beyond as well as those interested in our new GroupServer social software should attend. Along with a multimedia presentation, highlights from the new Issues Forums guidebook produced for E-Democracy's new pilot forums in the UK will be shared. Sessions to take place at: National Democratic Institute 2030 M Street, NW Fifth Floor Board Room NDI is located within walking distance of the George Washington University and sessions will end in time for the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet (IPDI)'s 2005 Politics Online Conference registration. Lunch will be provided by NDI. Please RSVP for one or both sessions to: Susie Leibowitz, sleibowitz@ndi.org tel: 202.728.5504