Imagineering 2059
By Mark Frischmuth, Founder of DemocracyLab.org
“Where should we be on our 2059 bicentennial?” This is the question asked by Mark Hatfield, one of the great citizens of our state, in this blog’s inaugural post.
The answer isn’t in Senator Hatfield’s head. It’s not in mine, or in yours. The answer belongs to all of us, because it’s all of us who are going to shape our state over the next 50 years. The big question is: how?
We have an idea for how. It’s an idea that started off crazy, then became improbable, then ambitious, and finally, today, a reality. It’s called Project 2059. It’s a pioneering opportunity to use the internet to harness the thinking of Oregonians from all corners of our state to collaboratively create a vision of Oregon’s future.
Project 2059 will be successful if we engage Oregonians in thinking about the why, what and how of Oregon’s future:
• Why - the values, beliefs and principles that form the foundation of our thinking.
• What - the goals and objectives we have for the next 50 years.
• How - the policies we should implement to achieve our objectives.
All Oregonians are invited to help shape a vision for our state using Project 2059’s innovative software, designed to facilitate consensus building and to create forward-thinking solutions to public policy problems.
For high school students, the process doesn’t end at the computer keyboard. A select group of students will have the opportunity to come together at Willamette University this summer to forge ideas from around the state into a cohesive document - Project 2059’s Oregon Blueprint. The Oregon Blueprint will be delivered to the Oregon Progress Board, which will monitor progress towards its goals over the next 50 years.
To make Oregon as remarkable in 2059 as it is today, we need to redefine civic participation and take bold action to collectively set and reach our goals. Project 2059 is a first-of-its-kind attempt to give every Oregonian a voice in shaping our future. Are you ready to make your voice heard? Sign in to Project Project 2059 to get started!
About: Mark is the founder of democracylab , the nonprofit organization that created the open source software utilized by Project 2059. Mark earns his living as a retirement plan consultant. In his free time, he loves backpacking and skiing in Oregon’s great outdoors.
