Aging Well in Communities: Conducting Aging Well Public Forums

A public forum brings together diverse people with different points of view, provides a means for expressing and capturing that diversity, and engages citizens and community partners in the aging well planning process.

Public forums go far beyond public hearings. They help local government, nonprofit organizations, residents, and other stakeholders understand the community’s needs, assets, and deficiencies, so the community can, in turn, develop responsive plans, policies, and programs. Perhaps most important, a public forum is also a method for creating a sense of shared ownership for problems and solutions.

In this guide to public forums, you’ll find information that helps you:

Understand how public forums fit into your overall aging well initiative
Develop forum goals and objectives
Identify community stakeholders and motivate them to attend
Decide what topics to cover and create a discussion guide around those topics
Select an effective facilitator who can lead your forum to a successful outcome
Plan for and conduct your public forum
Evaluate the information that comes out of your public forum

Download Conducting Aging Well Public Forums (PDF)

Questions? Please contact us at (916) 646-8680 or ccp@civicpartnerships.org.