As we reach the end of a huge year of expansion and exploration, we’re feeling grateful. We have some (pretty mind-blowing!) numbers to share, and some reflections on what impacted us and stood out this year. We do work that matters. In 2021 we helped thousands of people have influence over the issues that impact them. Thank you to our participants, clients and partners for making it possible.
CASE STUDY: 11 TRANSFORMATIVE COUNCIL DELIBERATIONS
When 10 councils give real influence to their communities, we see real change, real impact and trusted decisions that increase faith in democratic processes.
This case study explores 11 deliberative engagement journeys and the profound impact they have had on councils, communities decision makers and participants.
VIDEO: DELIBERATION JOURNEY - PARTICIPANTS' PERSPECTIVES
This one has been a long time in the making. Finally, we can announce that our latest 'Deliberation Ready' video is here. This edition is particularly exciting because, for the first time, we've interviewed participants from across multiple deliberative processes.
Together, these 10 citizens share their unique perspectives and provide candid, first hand reflections on their journey - the challenges, the surprises, the highlights and more.
#MONTHLYMYTH: MORE IS MORE
Often, the purpose of an engagement process (or one phase of an engagement process) is to cast the net wide, capturing as many views and voices as possible. Often, this is a good approach, particularly at the beginning of a longer engagement process. What you generally don’t want to aim for, however, is the highest possible volume of feedback and data, with no regard for how useful or informed that input is.
Today we’re highlighting why you might get an overload of responses – many of which aren’t relevant to the issue at hand, why this is a problem, and how you can avoid it for your next process.
Enhancing participants' critical thinking capacity - study outcomes
A Research and Development Note detailing the process and outcomes of a recent study we worked on with Lyn Carson of Active Democracy and the newDemocracy Foundation has been published.
The study considers the question - How can we enhance the ability of randomly-selected citizens in mini-publics (such as citizens’’ juries) to understand and evaluate expert evidence?
NEW GROUP DECISION MAKING VIDEO RESOURCE
Group decision making processes (particularly deliberative processes such as citizens' juries, community panels and people's panels) can be both exciting and overwhelming for participants.
We all want every group we work with to get the most out of every moment they spend together, so, we created a handy, free video outlining some suggested 'do's and dont's' for participants that will help the whole group to get the most out of their journey.