Community Jury Project
The community jury project aims to work with people to create political spaces
that contribute social and ecological justice.
Our work is based on the citizens' jury method of consultation. It was developed by the Jefferson Center as a means of providing concerned citizens with information that allows them to develop arguments to influence those with power over their lives. They are based on the conviction that non-experts can make informed and important recommendations on issues that concern the current and future well-being of their fellow citizens.
The community jury project has been involved in a number of jury processes over the last few years: the 'do-it-yourself' jury project in Newcastle, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable trust, which published a Teach Yourself Citizens' Juries (pdf) handbook and film in 2003; juries which focussed on GM crops and took place in both Tyneside and Hertfordshire in 2003; and a jury in East Lancashire focussing on alcohol and illegal drug use among young people.
The project is currently working with Cambridge University's Institute of Nanoscience, Greenpeace UK and the Guardian on a jury exploring nanotechnologies. There is a dedicated website, www.nanojury.org.uk, for a full description and the latest developments in this project.