Background

Engaged Public was created by The Adams Group, a ten-year-old Colorado-based firm that is devoted to moving public policy discussions forward. The Adams Group focuses on developing public policy agreements that are agreeable to a broad cross-section of stakeholders and that represent an improvement over the status quo.

Engaged Public is an online extension of that work, but is based on the idea of finding a convenient and meaningful way for busy members of the general public—and not just those appointed to boards and commissions or who are able to attend public meetings—to participate in high-quality public policy discussions. The Adams Group’s three principles that guide its face-to-face work—learning, relationships and trust—also guide Engaged Public. The new and evolving Web 2.0 technology upon which Engaged Public is based represents a great opportunity for members of a democracy—including elected officials—to move forward on public matters.