Citizen assembly on energy and climate – You could receive $100 for your opinion!
Dear Citizen,
The University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs invite you to participate in a citizen assembly on energy and climate issues. This event is part of an international initiative, where thousands of people around the world from over 50 countries will discuss and vote on the same questions on the same day. You are invited to be one of them.
Saturday, June 6, 2015, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
at 50 Erb St. W, Waterloo, ON (Knox Church)
with $100 as our way of saying thanks for participating
What will happen on June 6?
Together with 99 other Canadians from Waterloo Region and the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph areas, you will exchange views on issues related to energy and climate. Facilitators will guide participants through a series of video clips, discussions, debates, and votes.
Why is this important?
In December 2015, important decisions on these topics will be made at a major United Nations meeting in Paris. How do you think political leaders should deal with energy and climate issues? Now is your chance to add your voice to this international conversation!
What is expected of me as a participant?
You do NOT need special knowledge about climate or energy to participate, as the spirit of the event is to bring the views of the general public to policymakers. We would very much like you to attend. In return for preparing for the event and spending the day with us, we would like to thank you with $100 at the end of June 6. Food and refreshments will be provided throughout the day as well.
How do I sign up?
To ensure the participants reflect the diversity of Canada, each interested person must complete an eligibility and enrolment form. This form can be found online here.
JUNE 2nd Update: WE ARE STILL ACCEPTING ONGOING APPLICATIONS from Canadian citizens meeting any of the following criteria:
- Aged 18-49
- High school education or less
- Living in a rural area
- Not in the work force for any reason OR working in the trades, transportation or equipment operators sectors OR working in the service industry
- Aboriginal OR Southeast Asian (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino) ethnic background.
Thank you for considering participating in this event. We are excited about the possibility of turning your thoughts into actions by letting national and international policy makers know what you think about climate and energy issues.
Lastly, if you know someone else who you think would be interested to participate in the citizen assembly, please share this information and encourage them to enrol.
Sincerely,
Dr. Vanessa J. Schweizer
Lead Organizer, Canadian Partner for 2015 World Wide Views
Assistant Professor of Knowledge Integration, University of Waterloo
Fellow, Balsillie School of International Affairs
About World Wide Views on Climate and Energy
On June 6th in over 50 countries across the world, citizen assemblies will discuss the same issues regarding energy and climate. The University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs have joined this worldwide project to bring informed public opinions into global policy discussions regarding climate and energy. We want the politicians who decide the future of these issues to directly hear the voice of their citizens, people like you.
Why did we write you?
We need a diverse set of Canadians like you to participate, coming from all walks of life. The citizen assembly will be best when it has people of various age groups, neighbourhoods, educational backgrounds, etc. participating. If we receive more enrolments than needed, we will select a final list of invited participants so that they best reflect the diversity of Canada.
About the World Wide Views meeting
At the meeting you will participate in different topical sessions, each introduced with a short video clip. You are going to sit together with 6-7 other citizens and a trained facilitator around a table and discuss your reactions to questions and topics and vote anonymously on important issues. You are not expected to vote any particular way, nor are you expected to agree with other participants. The votes will be recorded in real-time and uploaded online to a running tally of votes from other citizen deliberations happening around the world. Results of the votes will be announced on the same day.
Food and beverages will also be free and available the entire day. To thank you for your time, we will provide you $100 at the end of the event.1
Eligibility and Enrolment
Attendance is free – in fact, we will give you $100 for spending your day with us. However it is necessary to determine if you are eligible to attend and enrolment is required. Please submit your responses online.
June 2nd Update: WE ARE STILL ACCEPTING ONGOING APPLICATIONS from Canadian citizens meeting any of the following criteria:
- Aged 18-49
- High school education or less
- Living in a rural area
- Not in the work force for any reason OR working in the trades, transportation or equipment operators sectors OR working in the service industry
- Aboriginal OR Southeast Asian (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino) ethnic background.
Please note that it is possible that the results from the citizen assemblies may be used in research reports, although your personal information will be kept confidential and no individuals will be identified in any reports. If you enrol, we will take this as a sign that you understand that your contributions during the event may be used anonymously for research purposes.
After the enrolment deadline, we will follow up with registration confirmation. The earlier that you enrol, the sooner we can confirm your participation. We will begin confirming invitations on May 25th. At the latest, you will be notified about your participation on May 29th. If you are selected, we will provide additional information to help you prepare for the meeting including background material.
Who is behind the project?
World Wide Views on Climate and Energy is organised by an international network of partners, which includes the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. The network consists of independent organizations across the world. The partners have experience in the field of citizen participation, and all are non-profit and nonpartisan.
Have further questions?
You are welcome to contact our Project Manager, Teresa Branch-Smith.
Office address:
Hagey Hall, Rm 362, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1
Email: tbranchs[at]uwaterloo.ca
Phone number: (519) 888-4567 extension 35106
1 The $100 gift may be taxable, so it will be your responsibility to ensure that it is accurately reported for income tax purposes.