Alabama Issues Forums

Alabama Issues Forums (AIF) provides citizens with an opportunity to come together and address an issue of public concern through deliberation. Deliberation is a form of decision-making that encourages citizens to examine multiple approaches to addressing an issue and ultimately find common ground for action. Through deliberation, we attempt to look at what matters to a community in relation to an issue, and weigh possible action ideas against costs, consequences and tradeoffs.

A neutral moderator guides the deliberative discussion using an issue framework, and a neutral recorder works to capture and share the major themes and ideas. Through public deliberation, we strive to create a shift from simply bemoaning public issues to understanding why they require attention and how a community might take action to address them.