Our methods - Engaged and empowered citizens
Public opinion can be effectively harnessed to influence and change policy at the highest level, but it is often formed in a context where most information originates with mainstream media and/or vested interests. In addition, social norms and values exert a powerful influence over opinions.
Our methods provide opportunities for communities to come together to agree what an appropriate response should be. They aim to initiate and encourage discussion and debate about an issue as a way of deepening people's understanding and appreciation of the issue and reaching informed conclusions about how these might be tackled at different levels.
Importantly, our methods also give participants the skills and confidence to take action for themselves and enable them to bring about the changes they want to see.
PARTICIPATORY APPRAISAL
Participatory Appraisal (PA) is an approach to learning with communities that places equal value on the knowledge and experience of local people. It uses a set of creative, informal methods to hear opinions and prioritise solutions. It recognises that to reach those that are marginalised from decision-making you have to go to them. Our team has experience of using PA in a range of settings from training local parents to use PA in order to set the priorities for a Children's Centre in Cumbria, through to analysing the needs of the residents in Morecambe on behalf of a Food Forum. We are currently using this approach in West Cheshire to inform the work of a Healthy Living Centre.
CITIZENS' JURIES
Citizens' Juries are loosely based on the idea of the criminal jury. They are used to involve members of the public in a structured way about an issue of local or national concern. A diverse group of participants share their opinions with each other and hear from a range of external people with certain expertise (commentators), before reaching a set of recommendations. We designed and facilitated the pioneering Talking Food: Taking Action Food Inquiries which worked with over 100 people from disadvantaged communities to consider the question "what can be done to make it easier for people to get healthier food?" After the deliberative phase, participants drew conclusions and designed a series of campaign actions. The team have experience of working on juries on a range of issues, from the National DNA database to a trans-European jury on the future of rural areas.
CITIZEN-LED CAMPAIGNING
Bringing together citizens to consider a key issue affecting them and using a participatory campaign action design process in order to agree what should happen to bring about change. Our team has used and adapted this approach in a range of situations including the Talking Food Taking Action campaign weekend and the Smoke & Mirrors campaign weekend.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENTS & STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
We are able to work with various organisations to consider the role of participation within their work, or to either review or put together a community engagement strategy. Our team has experience of conducting such work with a range of organisations, including a Barnardos family support team and an international development charity.
DISCUSSION KITS
Discussion kits are resource packs that enable small groups of citizens to organise their own discussion about a complex issue. Through the use of a set of cards the group consider a range of opinions before suggesting what they think is the best course of action. Over the past year we have been designing and piloting a discussion kit on wellbeing in conjunction with the North West Strategic Health Authority which will allow people to consider what action could be taken to improve their own wellbeing or that of their community. This self facilitated kit will allow people to lead their own deliberative processes in whichever venue they like with whoever they want to.
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
Participatory budgeting is when citizens take part in deciding directly how part of a public budget is spent. We work with our partners the Participatory Budgeting Unit to design and implement this exciting approach. Our team has experience of working with local authorities to implement Participatory Budgeting approaches and also an innovative participatory budgeting initiative led by primary school children at Stramongate school in Kendal.
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
Appreciative Inquiry is an asset based approach to community engagement. At its heart are questions which focus on the strengths of a community rather than their weaknesses or problems. It asks questions like “What’s working?”, “What’s good about what you are currently doing’? and usually involves four stages. Firstly, appreciating and valuing the best of what already exists, secondly, envisioning what might be, thirdly using the stories and ideas that are gathered to work out what things should be like and finally taking action.
WORLD CAFÉ
This technique enables diverse groups of people to have conversations while sat at a series of cafe-style tables. Ideas are recorded, and then after a while participants are encouraged to move to a new table to continue or start new conversations continues. The methodology attempts to recognise and build key elements which link the conversations together.
FORUM THEATRE
This is an exciting creative approach used to help people to consider (and act out) different strategies for dealing with oppression and oppressive practices. In this process a performance is stopped and the audience invited to suggest different actions for the actors to carry out on-stage.
OPEN SPACE
This highly structured approach allows groups from 20 to 2,000 in size to work together through a series of small groups to set their own agenda and consider a key issue together. Our team has used and adapted this approach in a range of situations including with the members of an international youth assembly and with residents at the Talking Food Taking Action campaign weekend.
FUTURE SEARCH
This highly structured approach brings together a range of stakeholder groups to plan for the future, most typically over an intense three-day period. By the end of the gathering the group should have worked towards identifying a set of shared values, a plan for the future, concrete goals, and an implementation strategy. One of our team designed and facilitated a Future Search conference for those involved in managing community sports facilities in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.
CITIZENS' SUMMITS
Citizens' Summits are large-scale deliberative public meetings that use communications technology to facilitate discussions.
TRAINING
Our Life has skilled trainers who can develop training packages on any of the above methodologies to build engagement and empowerment skills locally.
Take a look at our case studies for examples of our work and to read more about how we've put these processes into action, or alternatively, contact us on 0161 233 7500 or email info@ourlife.org.uk for more information.
