The democratic promise is one achieved by meaningful civic participation, and where marginalized communities are inadequately advocated for by their representatives, the system has failed. Recognizing the disconnect between representatives and underserved communities, ‘Bridging the Gap’ seeks to eliminate that interruption of the democratic process through a multi-stage approach.
By modernizing current civic participation models, adapting traditionally successful schemes to vulnerable populations’ needs, ‘Bridging the Gap’ will hope to gather insights from these populations on issues including public aid and access to justice.
And after collection, ‘Bridging the Gap’ will utilize research teams composed of students and academics in the relevant field, to produce an accessible policy report that presents and analyzes stakeholders’ issues in a meaningful manner, with research-guided policy recommendations offered, oriented around being actionable solutions policy-makers can utilize.
And finally, ‘Bridging the Gap’ will partner with local/national representatives, but also with external civil society organizations to bring insights onto the discussion table, advocating directly with policy-makers for change on the issues.
Furthermore, through live tracking of subsequent work on the issues, and the creation of an accessible checker for relevant parliamentary action, ‘Bridging the Gap’ will hold representatives accountable before the people who elected them.