Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: AManual on Town Halls
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come to the meeting in small towns (soums and baghs). In
this case, the participants should get sufficient information
of the discussed topic as well as hand-outs and materials
prepared beforehand.
Other ways to promote your town hall
Engaging with a wide range of civil society organiza-
tions can encourage wider attendance and participation. As
appropriate, consider outreach to local schools/universities,
businesses and religious organizations. Local newspapers
and radio stations can be effective tools to spread the word
about the town hall meeting and its proposed agenda. This
can be arranged through the local government office and
the speaker of the Citizen’s Representative Khural. Anoth-
er cost-effective way to promote the meeting is by posting
flyers, posters or banners in visible places such as schools,
community centers, public deep well kiosks, restaurants,
grocery stores or hospitals and on information boards of the
Government/Citizens Representative Khural offices.
Prepare media spokespeople
It is also important to identify individuals who will serve
as media spokespeople to provide comment for the press.
These individuals could include government staff who can
discuss the meeting topic and its relevance to the communi-
ty, as well as citizens who can talk about the next steps that
you will be taking as a result of your event. Citizens with
great experience and expert/researchers relevant to the meet-
ing topic should be invited as their comments and experi-
ence are crucial for the media and the meeting.
It will be useful if the meeting minutes as well as results
and decisions were written briefly and provided to the media
if they are not present for the whole of the meeting.
