The jury had been recruited to align with the Western Sydney population profile. The handbook containing the evidence had been shared with all the jurors and tonight we are meeting all the members of the jury for the first time. The excitement and anticipation was palpable, not just for the jurors, but for all of us organisers as well.
My team was busy, we had a weekend in front of us, all the work, the thinking, the planning, this is it!
Last night, Friday night, we started to socialise how the jury will work over the weekend, and the importance of deliberating "for the public good". The ice was broken and people were excited.
What a wonderfully diverse group!
Today, Saturday we kick off with our carefully created program anchored by the experts we have been working with over the last few months to produce the program. Experts are presenting in panels representing life stages and using two hypothetical families to show (not tell) how the health system currently functions and alternative realities for how we (the people) could invest in the system.
After a panel presentation, equal time is given to jurors for question and discussions. In the breaks the jurors are excited about the new information they are learning about and want to share with their networks.
The day goes well. Now ... lets get some rest for the deliberations tomorrow!