Participatory approach and active democracy

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Participatory democracy refers to all the mechanisms and procedures that make it possible to increase citizens' involvement in political life and increase their role in decision-making.


About this module

This module aims to clarify the concept of participatory democracy and active citizenship, in their temporal and historical evolution, through concept sheets, testimonies of actors and experts in order to
highlight the characteristics and essential elements for the realization of a participatory approach.
It is also about providing tools, methods and facilitation techniques to facilitate the implementation of a participatory approach.

Resources are available in French, Greek, Spanish and Italian
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Specific objectives

The person in charge of the accompaniment must be able to mobilize and lead a group in a participative dynamic:
To this end, several sub-objectives are pursued
  • Clarify the notion of participatory democracy
  • Address the diversity of contexts and forms of participation
  • Define what is a participatory dynamic and active citizenship
  • How to mobilize in this context?
  • Methodologies applied in experiences of active citizen participation in ecological transition processes
  • To know how to make a participatory approach work
  • Facilitating Participatory Meetings: Tools and Methodology
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Experts' words

Jean-Michel Cornu european expert in the field of cooperation and collective intelligence gives keys to encourage involvement in a group around a project.
Each type of proactive-reactive participant - inactive - observer - will be able to find
their place, and take a step forward to further engage in a project.
See here a summary sheet (84.1kB) of his intervention (in french subtitled)
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Active citizenship and participatory democracy Analysis of concepts, stories and developments

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Lien vers: https://etreserasmus.eu/?ConceptDemoctatie
It is the person wearing the shoe who knows best if it hurts and where it does not, even if the shoemaker is the expert most likely to be able to remedy it.

Set up and lead a participatory approach

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Lien vers: https://etreserasmus.eu/?CollectivE
It can be considered that a participatory approach, in its highest dimension of participation, means carrying out all the stages of a project in a collective and shared way.

Participatory animation tools

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Lien vers: https://etreserasmus.eu/?AnimatioN
This page presents several tools and methods of animation that can be used during the different stages of animation/coordination of participatory approaches.
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In the field

In Katafygi, local communities are involved

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Lien vers: https://etreserasmus.eu/?KatafygI
Efforts to address environmental problems often highlight their real causes, directly related to economic and political choices.

In Italy, networks of partners and residents make everyday life easier

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Lien vers: https://etreserasmus.eu/?Module2/download&file=retisociali1.pdf
The Neighbourhood Social Networks spread in the city of Bergamo from the end of the 1990s. (pdf file).

Actualités Un réseau en Europe Vidéothèque