Gaston City Council Meeting
Student’s Name:______
Date of Meeting: ______Time of Meeting: ______
During the Meeting: Below, please record notes while you are at the meeting. (Use more paper if necessary) Include the following:
How many people in attendance? Ages and demographics of those attending?
Where is the meeting being held? Who has the responsibility for running the meeting? Are those in charge using formal procedures to conduct business? If so, describe the process. What are the major topics being discussed? How much time is spent on each topic? Was there an agenda prepared in advance? What topics are being discussed and what was the outcome?
Verification of attendance (Signature of Deignated Person at Meeting)
______
After the meeting: Using your notes taken during the meeting please answer the following questions. Think about each question thoroughly and give complete sentence answers.
- What did you find surprising/interesting about the meeting?
- Did anything happen that made you feel as though you didn’t belong there?
- Approximately how many people were at the meeting?
- Was the group there representative of the community? Why or why not?
- What appeared to be the goal of the meeting? In your opinion, was the goal met? Why or why not?
- Was the format of the meeting very effective? Why or why not?
- Would this type of format work at the national level? Why or why not?
- Was this meeting an example of direct or indirect democracy?
The Framers of the Constitution developed the Preamble and articles around six broad ideas, or principles: Popular Sovereignty, Limited Government, Checks and Balances, Federalism, Judicial Review, and Separation of Powers. Define and explain how the local government meeting that you attended related to the following three:
- Federalism:
- Popular Sovereignty:
- Limited Government:
- As a citizen, should one be obligated to attend local government meetings? Why or why not?
- What could the local government do to attract young voters to local government meetings?