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Connecting people and policymakers in a conversation online
After taking an active role in Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, in which she discovered how much she enjoyed canvassing voters and talking to people, Elsa Sze (MBA/MPP 2014) wanted to extend the intensity of political engagement beyond election day and use the business sector as a means to address a social problem. Sze accomplished this by founding The Agora, “an online town hall for all” to give more people a louder voice—one heard directly by elected officials and other policy makers.
“Democracies are not as democratic as they should be,” says Sze. “Our votes only matter on election day, but our voices matter every day.”
The Agora gives participants the opportunity to express concerns, “vote” in polls, and exchange ideas amongst themselves and with political leaders. With pilots running in collaboration with Harvard College; the City of Somerville, Massachusetts; and Arab Vision, a town hall for Arab students who want to expand the impact of the Arab Spring, The Agora is, in Sze’s words, “a way to improve governance by bringing back the voices of the people.”
(Published April 2014)
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