Oklahoma Partnership for Public Deliberation (OPPD)
The OPPD is a partnership of representatives from statewide organizations interested in fostering citizen involvement in public decision making through public deliberation. Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service will be responsible for coordinating and convening the partnership, and the OPPD will advise and assist in promoting, implementing, reporting and evaluating the National Issues Forums (NIF) program in Oklahoma.
National Issues Forums (NIF) project. NIF contains the following components:
- Oklahoma Moderators and Recorders Academy - *Formerly Public Policy Institute (PPI). The purpose of the OMRA is to teach people to conduct issues forums at the local level using NIF materials. OMRA participants will learn to:
- Convene and promote a local forum
- Moderate and record a local forum for the purpose of coming to common ground and identifying possible individual and public actions on an issue.
- Organize a local network to support public deliberation.
- Use NIF materials.
Report citizen perspectives expressed at local deliberative forums to local, state, and national decision makers.- Appreciate the importance of deliberation in identifying the public's perspective on public policy issues.
M&RAs are held annually in about 30 states and are generally coordinated by a steering committee. The format and size of a OMRA can vary from state to state - a typical average is about 50-75 participants.
- Local issue forums. OMRA participants return to their communities to organize and work with a local steering committee to plan and conduct local issues forums - typically two to four forums per year. The Kettering Foundation has over 30 issue booklets and companion video tapes on a variety of topics to assist the steering committee in conducting a forum (see enclosed list).
Over 90 trained moderators and recorders available to facilitate you NIF forums. Click here to see people in your area.
Future directions. Participate in NIF-sponsored workshops on issue framing and implement in local issue framing efforts in Oklahoma.