A grassroots project is quietly emerging as a profound voice for citizen activists in the region.
The Public Square Project has been at work for the past year, under wraps, developing its mission as an advocate for improving access to public information, promoting government transparency and educating citizens about the policy-making process.
Eyes and ears on the ground, says Ryan Hopkins, leader of the project, which is backed by
The Sprout Fund.
Public Square grew out of Hopkins' involvement as a volunteer on Patrick Dowd's city council campaign. "What I saw was a stunning lack of information about what was really happening," he says.
The social enterprise recruited about 40 citizens last year, all non-professional journalists, and staged a series of citizen journalism training workshops at the Union Project in East Liberty. The idea is to empower citizens to report on what is happening in their neighborhoods, he explains. Telling stories about public policy and civic affairs and building on the work of traditional media organizations.
Public Square plans to roll out a "hyperlocal" website this spring, The Pittsburgh Citizen, which launched in beta the fall of 2009 with assistance from the Coro Center for Civic Leadership. Additional partners are being sought as well.
"Pittsburgh--many places--are so polarized, locked in deep trenches politically," he says. "That keeps people out of the process. We need to get people talking to people to make it the best place it can be. Transparency breeds trust breeds engagement breeds better government."
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Writer:
Deb SmitSource: Ryan Hopkins, Public Square Project
Ryan Hopkins of The Public Square Project