Project SEE kicks off with active citizens’ workshop in Nicosia

The project held its first event from 23-24 November 2024 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Experts from different project partners prepared organised volunteers for the upcoming town hall meeting process, by teaching about a toolkit for participatory methods and communication.

Preparing the already active citizens, i.e. trained and qualified volunteers who are already committed to an organisation, was the first step of our project. A central challenge of what SEE is trying to do is to get as much valuable input from as many citizens as possible. This is necessary to find good solutions for each community that have good chances of success in practice and that enable all members of the community to feel a sense of ownership for the concept that they have jointly created.

The content on participatory methods was complemented by an introduction to useful means of communication and how to use them in a meaningful way. The participants were also made aware of their part in fulfilling the project programme’s formal requirement, as they enter an organising role for the upcoming project events.

It is not trivial to offer fair opportunities for input and allow all voices to be heard when it comes to town-hall sized gatherings. The methods taught at the workshop (such as “Open Space” or “World Café”) facilitate this process. The instruction was not only theoretical, but the very same methods that the volunteers were supposed to learn about where used to teach them, enabling the participants to get a feeling for the practical implementation and key points to look out for.

The work package of the project that started with the event is still ongoing. Our academic partner organisation, the University of Rome Tor Vergata, has prepared a survey for each operative partner to implement in their local context. This will further support the preparation of the town hall meetings, as it will give the organisers a better grasp on what to expect, as they try to balance the interests and motivations of qualified and (potential) spontaneous volunteers on their way toward a community-based concept for joint action in emergencies.